WERNER HERZOG
Bil’s rating (out of 5): BBBB.5.
Original title: Herz Aus Glas
West Germany, 1976. Werner Herzog Filmproduktion. Screenplay by Werner Herzog, Herbert Achternbusch. Cinematography by Jorg Schmidt-Reitwein. Produced by Werner Herzog. Music by Popol Vuh. Production Design by Cornelius Siegel, Henning von Gierke. Costume Design by Ann Poppel, Gisela Storch. Film Editing by Beate Mainka-Jellinghaus.
Stunningly beautiful masterpiece by Werner Herzog, one of his most visually intoxicating films. The story might not rope you in from the start, but the overwhelming images will keep you almost as hypnotized as all the actors were (and that’s no joke: most of the cast performed under hypnosis, or at least so the director claims). In a tiny pre-industrial German town, a glass blower has died and taken with him the secret to creating ruby red glass. This being a prime source of economic success for the town, the formula is sought with great pain by the locals and nearly tears the community apart in their efforts to sustain their way of life in light of this loss. At the centre of this haunting tale is a prophetic seer whose talents for predicting the future end up making him the nucleous of the villagers’ tornado of rage. Unforgettable.
