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Der gläserne Himmel

The Glass Sky
Retrospective 2019
© Deutsche Kinemathek / Simona Fix
Julien works in an office and lives with his invalid mother and his girlfriend in a pre-war Paris apartment. He feels like the two women take advantage of him and at night, he dreams of sex and violence. Meanwhile, a murderer is loose in Paris, killing women. One day in the metro, Julien believes he sees a murder victim from his dreams; the enigmatic beauty leads him into an old shopping arcade peopled by strange figures, where he meets prostitute Bichette. The independent, confident young woman starts an affair with the clerk. But then Julien witnesses a real murder in the glass-roofed arcade … This erotic mystery-thriller about female desire and voyeuristic lust combines elements of film noir with those of an elegant extravaganza. The illustrious passageways of the real Paris metro lead to a surreal fantasy world, raising the spectre of illicit facets of the female imagination that have long been taboo. Combining that with exquisitely composed images, The Glass Sky becomes a sensuous cinematic fairy tale.
by Nina Grosse
with Helmut Berger, Sylvie Orcier, Agnes Fink, Maria Hartmann, Tobias Engel, Flora St. Loup, Klaus Mikoleit, Jean François Derec, Circe Federal Republic of Germany 1987 German 87’ Colour Rating R12

With

  • Helmut Berger
  • Sylvie Orcier
  • Agnes Fink
  • Maria Hartmann
  • Tobias Engel
  • Flora St. Loup
  • Klaus Mikoleit
  • Jean François Derec
  • Circe

Crew

Written and Directed by Nina Grosse based on the novella “El otro cielo” by Julio Cortazar
Cinematography Hans-Günther Bücking
Editing Patricia Rommel
Music Flora St. Loup
Sound Holger Gimpel
Art Director Rainer Schaper
Costumes Regine Gothe
Producers Herbert Rimbach, Alena Rimbach
Commissioning Editor Axel von Hahn

Additional information

Film print: Deutsche Kinemathek, Berlin