City of Angels (1998) [w/Commentaries]

This is the story of Seth (Nicolas Cage), an angel who wanders the Los Angeles area invisible to humans. As the demise of an individual approaches, he spends time near them and becomes visible while acting as their traveling companion during their trip to the great hereafter. His discovery of distraught heart surgeon Maggie (Meg Ryan) inspires him to forego his immortality and exist on earth with her as a feeling and mortal entity.



Commentaries:
– With Director Brad Silberling: Silberling concentrates on the technical challenges of staging and photographing various scenes and also discusses the film's casting choices and the approaches taken by various actors to their roles. Cage, in particular, probed as deeply as possible into the nature of angel existence, which is no doubt why his performance is so thoroughly imbued with an otherworldly quality. There is little doubt, by the end of Silberling's commentary, that he is satisfied with the film he made.
– With Screenwriter Dana Stevens and Producer Charles Roven: The most informative portions of this joint commentary deal with the lengthy development of the script and the long lead-up to production, during which various directors and stars came and went. Stevens and Roven also discuss their communications with German director Wim Wenders throughout the process, including his favorable reaction to Stevens' script.