Herbert Vesely was one of the promises for a new German cinema already in the 50's, but after the 60's his star was already dimmed. He made a small number of films in the 70's and 80's, all non too good. This biography of Egon Schiele, one of the most important Austrian artists, is an example of the pretensions and emptiness of a Vesely-film of later date.
The life of Schiele is presented here as a puzzle| well, Vesely thinks that Schiele's life was a puzzle: the core of the story is centered around the famous 1912 pornography trial and using this as base the film shows fragments of past and future. The problem is that it never becomes a unity and that the order of scenes and sequences seems to be at random: a cut-and-paste job that could have had any other result. Indeed, after seeing it twice I am almost convinced of it that a unsatisfactory linear thought-out film was changed into the puzzle in the editing room. Egon Schiele was an enigmatic man, but not a total puzzle, and this film does not bring him any closer.
The films also fails in conveying the eroticism and meaning of the Schiele's paintings: the camera watches and glides over the models without any understanding of Schiele's intentions, we only see beautiful naked bodies. If interested in Schiele, you better buy a book with his works in stead.。塞斯(尼可拉斯凯吉饰)是一各充满好奇的天使,他被上帝派驻在洛杉矶,专门护送垂死的病人上天堂。而在当地医院中从事心脏科手术的医生玛姬(梅格莱恩饰)却成日在手术台上帮助病人与死神交战。因为职业的冲突,天使注意到了这个美丽、自信的女医生。有一天她在进行手术时,一名病人突然暴毙于她手中,当塞斯前来护送病人上路时,却发现了玛姬的脆弱和自。玛姬无法释怀如此打击,顿时对一切失去信心,天使情不自禁的想要伸出援手,帮助这个令他心动的女人。于是,塞斯冒着极大的危险,毅然在玛姬面前现身。他从一名虚无飘缈的天使,变成一个神秘的陌客,一尝他向往已久却只能袖手旁观的凡人生活。当他们相遇后,玛姬也喜欢上温柔体贴的塞斯,可是她对这名没有过去的男人感到十分怀疑,但却又无法抵抗他的魅力,玛姬因此感到困惑、害怕。而这时候的赛斯却对自己无法真正融入现实生活,体会凡人的触摸、感官而无奈沮丧。但他深爱着玛姬,渴望分享她生活的点滴,于是他对上帝提出要求,那就放弃天使的身份,成为一个真实的凡人,会饥饿、会疼痛、会流泪。为了爱情,他宁愿用在天堂里亿万年的永生,换取人间短暂却甜蜜的生活。。