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Los Angeles Times, August 16, 2002
Wearing a pink shirt and a dark suit,
Peter Falk was standing in the lobby of the Directors Guild of America
in Los Angeles on Wednesday night when someone approached him from
behind. Falk, concentrating on a thought, dismissively waved the
person away without looking. "The industry has a number of very gifted directors,
extraordinarily gifted guys," he was saying. "But the
truth is, there are maybe only a few genuine original filmmakers." It was Wim Wenders, in a dark suit with white angel
wings sewn onto his lapels. "Wim!" Falk cried out, throwing
his arms around the German director. "I was just about to say,
'Only Wim would think of writing a part where the guy wasn't an
ex-husband or an ex-convict but an ex-angel' "-the role Falk
had played in Wenders' celebrated "Wings of Desire." Reuniting star and director was the fifth Filmmakers
Alliance gala, at which Wenders received the Vision Award. The event
fell on his 57th birthday, and Wenders had just breezed in from
a private celebration, landing in the midst of an overflowing crowd. The evening of independent short films, open bar and
free food attracted so many guests that some had to be turned away.
As hundreds of people filed into two theaters, about a dozen were
left with their noses pressed against the glass doors outside. Accepting his award, Wenders joked that he was indebted
to his German optometrist for his vision, and, in an unusual gesture,
thanked not only his wife but also his personal assistant. Later, interrupting an introduction by FA president
Jacques Thelemaque, Wenders apologized profusely for having to leave,
as he had to go to his own surprise party.
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