Heart of Glass (Widescreen)

 

 

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An excellent commentary with Werner Herzog is included in this DVD, and unravels the mysteries of the film to some degree. On initial viewing the acting style appears stylised to the point of bafflement, but then Herzog explains that most of the cast were hypnotised prior to their scenes. Why do this, one might ask, and here Herzog demurs, simply offering the obscure comment that 'the story' suggested that this would be an effective idea; he also admits to knowing little about hypnotism prior to shooting, and that once the idea occurred to him then he researched the topic! For all his intellect, this is one instinctual film-maker.
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Herzog also gives some autobiographical information that is fascinating: he was raised in the Bavarian countryside, near the Austrian border, and lived in a house with no modern facilities whatsoever - it was unheated, there was no television, and not even a telephone - in fact he made his first telephone call at the age of seventeen - even today he says he has 'trouble' communicating over the phone. He saw his first movie around this age, and not long after started to make his own. He praises the circumstances of his childhood as conducive to the development of an imagination - the children had to invent their own stories and their own games. I'm not sure how 'explanatory' this is, after all he was the only one of his community to become a reknowned film-maker as far as I'm aware.
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The story is simple and timeless. A secret is lost, in this case the process by which glass is made ruby red, and grave consequences follow. Herzog would not be drawn on the question of what else this could represent, but clearly was sympathetic to it being allegorical - what was lost could also be faith, or innocence, or purpose.
*
He travelled far and wide to obtain the particular landscapes featured, and he hopes these will evoke deep, archetypal, feelings in viewers. His journeys ranged to Alaska, Yellowstone Park, and Ireland, and yet he considers all these landscapes as 'Bavarian' in terms of their abstract spirit. He also, rather casually, mentions spending hours waiting for the right light to film certain scenes, and days capturing the stop-motion photography of clouds. No effort appeared too great to fulfill his vision (hardly a surprise if you've seen his South American films, 'Aguirre' and 'Fitzcarraldo').
*
For mine, one element of discord is the music, by Popul Vuh - Herzog obviously has a soft spot for this but it does sound terribly dated and is incongruous with the eighteenth century setting (think very bad imitation of Mahavishnu Orchestra).
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The pacing of the film is slow, in keeping with the trance-affected acting. Unsurprisingly, the film did well in Scandanavia, while in America audiences reportedly found it difficult. Herzog himself seems intrigued by how time flows, or fails to, upon the screen. The cast features enough misshapen physiognomies to warm the cockles of Fellini or David Lynch. The lighting and cinematography are superb, as is the DVD transfer.
*
Herzog considers himself primarily a story-teller. He wants to tell his stories in ways previously untried. He is an adventurer in life and on film. He is a visionary, in many senses of the term. Personally, this is not my favourite of his films, and I think the experiment with hypnotism is something of a failure dramatically, but nevertheless he has created a work of art that is unique and endlessly open to interpretation. Five stars in the context of the world of film as a whole, but if you have not seen one of his films before then I think 'Stroszek', 'The Enigma of Kaspar Hauser', or 'Aguirre, Wrath of God' are more representative of his work.

I bought this DVD because I was intrigued by the description of a small village gripped by insanity following the death of a glassmaker. But when I watched it I immediately dubbed it horrible. I felt as though it had killed me.

After that night, though, I couldn't get the pictures out of my head. I could vividly recall scenes from the film, and as they played out in my mind they seemed so beautiful. The more I thought, the more I realized that I had merely watched the movie with the wrong idea, expecting something that it was not. The attitude of the movie became clear to me. When I watched it the second time I was stunned by how amazingly well the stupor and dazed madness of the town was portrayed. The events and actions of the characters engulfed me and drew me into the story. The hypnotic trance of the actors provides an effect I have never seen before. This truly is a great film if you are prepared for it.

'Heart of Glass' is one of Werner Herzog's least accessible films, but of all his works, this isn't one to take apart rationally...better instead to drown in its subtle and mysterious symbolism.

Based on Bavarian folklore, it concerns a town famous for its beautiful ruby glass. But then the man who holds the secret of the glassmaking dies.

The ruby glass, combining liquid, fire, air and earth, is a symbol of higher human culture. With its loss, things start breaking down, decaying, just like the theft of Idun's apples in the Norse 'Eddas'. When the townsfolk get desperate, they begin to use unworthy means to discover the secret. Strange revolutionary prophecies fill the air, and the master of the town sets the factory on fire. Things even degenerate to blood sacrifice, like in Mel Gibson's 'Apocalypto' (which shows the Mayan culture in its own degenerate phase).

The parallels to our time are unmistakable. People are brittle and decadent, their 'civilization' something bequeathed to them by the higher men of the past. The difference is, in 'Heart of Glass' when people realise the secret is gone they start to panic. In our own time, they don't even acknowledge the decline, merely laugh at it with irony, then go home, with perhaps a nagging feeling they are missing something in their lives...

An apocalyse is only the prelude to a new beginning, however...and the haunting ending to 'Heart of Glass' reflects this perfectly.

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3.0 out of 5 stars Still baffled, still coming down...
For once I am (almost) speechless. I just don't know how I feel about this film yet. I am a fan of Herzog, but this exists in its own universe and aside from pacing seems unlike... Read more

Published on Mar 28 2003 by yabbee

1.0 out of 5 stars This is too slow for the regular viewer
I bought this DVD because I'm trying to learn German. First mistake since they don't talk much. Besides that, I can only say that I couldn't help falling asleep watching it... Read more

Published on Mar 21 2003 by gemma_soccer

1.0 out of 5 stars He forgot to hire Kinski.
Instead, my favorite German director makes the blunder of employing a bunch of actors (?) and hypnotizing them. Read more

Published on July 8 2002 by the wizard of uz

4.0 out of 5 stars Shows promise
Very creative... a MUST if you're a Herzog fan!

Published on Mar 27 2002

5.0 out of 5 stars Artsy Cinematography
Just trust your mysterious mysticism and get it.
You WON'T regret this GRRRREAT Story!

Published on Mar 22 2002

5.0 out of 5 stars At last available on DVD, complete with director commentary!
Given Anchor Bay's exhaustive catelogue of Herzog films, superbly engineered and laden with valuable extras, I have been eagerly anticipating the release of "Heart of... Read more

Published on Dec 29 2001

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