The BFI Werner Herzog DVD Collection Disc 2

It is finally time to look at the second disc of the BFI collection box set. Hope you enjoyed part one and potentially found it useful. This time round, there are only two titles to devour. One being my personal favourite Herzog film, and the other being an example of his early television documentary work.

 THE ENIGMA OF KASPAR HAUSER (1974)

(Jeder für such und Gott gegen alle)

“Nothing lives less in me than my life”

Up until his late teens, Kaspar Hauser (Bruno S.) was locked in a cellar by a man in an overcoat and top hat. Devoid completely of any human contact aside from his mysterious captor, Kaspar had only a toy horse to occupy his time. One day however,  Kaspar is finally released by the man, taught some very basic phrases, handed a letter and a Bible, and left in a town square in Nuremberg. Understandably, the locals are intrigued by this mysterious fellow and Kaspar becomes something of a sensation. The locals take pity on him and begin to teach him how to speak and become a respectable citizen. However, it goes sour for Kaspar and he becomes the latest attraction at the local circus. Thankfully, appalled by what he is seeing, a well respected schoolmaster by the name of Herr Daumer (Walter Ladengast) takes Kaspar in to his own care and helps further him in to a well respected and decent human being. After a while, Kaspar begins to question aspects of society and religion. Starts to think for himself and even baffles Daumer and his fellow academics. There is much discussion, debate and philosophising. Not only that, but Kaspar falls in love with music. Unfortunately, he is attacked by the man who held him captive and is then mysteriously stabbed once recovered from the initial attack. Facing death, Kaspar ponders about visions he has had and then slowly fades away.

The film is based on the real Kaspar Hauser, a German youth. Of course, Herzog's adaptation does drift away from the original source material in places. We are meant to sympathise with Kaspar's hardships and celebrate his liberation, in both the literal and metaphorical form. What I feel the story teaches us is that more often than not, those who have different ideas than ourselves, are not always incorrect. I feel it also tells us that we should nurture young minds and not completely disregard ideas and concepts based on the background or position in society of the person who conceives them. I found Kaspar Hauser to be such a touching, yet devastating film. It's an emotional roller coaster  Bruno S. plays Kaspar perfectly. The fact Bruno spent the majority of his youth in mental institutions plays heavily in his portrayal of a character that is not too dissimilar to himself. It's the subtlety in his portrayal that makes it work. It may not be Herzog's most groundbreaking effort, but this is his masterpiece. A great example of taking a real life situation and presenting it in film form. It's a simple film, with a simple message that is also full of childlike wonder. 

HANDICAPPED FUTURE (1971)

(Behinderte Zukunft)

The only other feature on the disc is Herzog's 1971 television documentary that raises awareness about how handicapped people (children in this case) were treated by society in Germany at the time and compares it to how handicapped people are treated in America. Herzog's subjects in the German portion of the documentary are a group of children born with missing limbs. It looks at how they are grouped together in complexes and educated. They are somewhat segregated from society. That being said, it does shine a light on those who are genuinely trying to help and educate the children, but you can't help but feel distress at the fact that they are again, grouped together in one housing complex and not integrated in to society. That becomes in a way, hardly surprising after you hear accounts from the parents and the children themselves of how they have been demonised. We then cut to America and follow a German born university lecturer who has his independence thanks to things like an electronic wheelchair and his place of residency adapted to make his life more comfortable. Overall, this is a simple documentary that has the focus purely on the subject matter. Just like Kasper Hauser, you will be touched and devastated. A very powerful piece of documentary film making.

I think that the two films on the disc go hand in hand. They both deal with how society looks at people who aren't deemed as 'normal'. They both tackle and address important social issues. They also show that just because someone is different, there is nothing stopping them from doing the same things you can achieve. Both films are presented wonderfully, especially the documentary. So far I am adoring this set for the supplemental features alone. On the disc you get a stills gallery, trailer and audio commentary for Kaspar Hauser.

Thank you for joining me once again, here is to disc 3!

You can buy this set from the BFI here, MovieMail here and Amazon UK here. Buying from the BFI directly means you can support the great work they do 100%. You can also pick up a gorgeous looking steelbook of Aguirre here and here.

To find out more about the BFI and some of their release check out their website here.

PDx

The BFI Werner Herzog DVD Collection Disc 1

Werner Herzog is one of my all time favourite directors. Ever since watching his take on NOSFERATU, I knew I was hooked. Exploring both his fictional and documentary films, you will find a fascinating body of work. Sure, some of his opinions I really don’t agree with (I’m talking about you, INTO THE ABYSS and DEATH ROW) but wether you agree with the content or not, a film with Herzog’s name on it will at least touch you in one way. The British Film Institute recently released a 10 disc box set of some of Herzog’s films. Over the coming weeks (and maybe months) I will be going  through each disc here on the blog. Part review. Part retrospective. Hopefully you will join me on my Herzogian journey. Wether you are a fan of Herzog or a newcomer to his work, I hope you at least get something out of this.

AGUIRRE, THE WRATH OF GOD (1972)

(Aguirre, der Zorn Gottes)

“I am the wrath of God. Who else is with me?”

The year is 1560. A group of Spanish conquistadors and their Indian slaves, lead by Gonzalo Pizarro (Alejandro Repullés), are on a journey through the beautiful, yet deadly terrain of the Andes mountains. They are in search of the kingdom of gold, El Dorado. Unbeknownst to them, it’s a myth created by the newly conquered Indians. Whilst battling the rugged landscape, lives are lost and the expedition comes to a halt. Gonzalo gives Pedro de Ursúa (Ruy Guerra) a week to venture on a head to see what is in store. He makes Don Lope de Aguirre (Klaus Kinski) the second command. What follows is a descent into madness for Aguirre. After members of Ursuúa’s group are killed at the hands of an unseen enemy (amongst other things), becoming increasingly frustrated, Aguirre stages a mutiny and orders the surviving members of the group to join him on finding the mythical riches. Death follows Aguirre round every corner, even at his own hand. Those who survive slowly become feverish and begin to believe everything they see and hear right up until the end, where Aguirre’s small army and sick daughter are stranded on a raft. Everyone dies when they are bombarded with arrows except Aguirre. Insane, isolated and surrounded by death, Aguirre’s raft becomes overrun with monkeys and together, they slowly drift off down the river.

 What a fantastic way to start off this box set. Aguirre, the Wrath of God is nothing short of a masterpiece. On a technical level, the film is beautiful to behold. The breathtaking landscape of the Peruvian mountains and jungle are shot beautifully by Thomas Mauch. The visuals are complimented perfectly by the equally breathtaking (and not to mention haunting) score by Popol Vuh. Herzog’s documentary style overall is nothing short of spectacular. It’s often rough in places, but you get thrown in to the situation playing out on screen. Klaus Kinski steals every scene he is in, and you really get the sense that Kinski doesn’t just believe he is the character Aguirre, but also a God like figure. The electricity in his eyes is almost as ferocious as his performance.The story itself is loosely based on the accounts of Gaspar de Carvajal, a Spanish Domican monk as well as the life of Aguirre himself. It’s a very well written story but overall, it’s Kinski’s performance and the location that really hold the power of this film. Aspiring filmmakers, take note. 

THE UNPRECEDENTED DEFENCE OF THE FORTRESS DEUTSCHKREUZ (1967)

(Die beispiellose Verteidigung der Festung Deutschkreuz)

“Attacking is good, but living is better, even in poverty.”

This short film from 1966 sees four men breaking into and abandoned castle in Deutschkreutz. The castle was the site of a battle between German and Russian soldiers during World War II. The men discover old military uniforms and hardware. They proceed to act out drills, training and eventually battles. Of course, there is no emery and Herzog claims that his film is “A satire on the state of war and peace and the absurdities it inspires.”. The film is essentially silent except for the use of voice over. It’s a very simple film and crude in some regards. You can clearly see Herzog slowly perfecting his craft with this one. It’s a pleasure to see early short work of Herzog.

 LAST WORDS (1968)

(Letze Worte)

“They tell me to say no, but I won’t even say that.”

Last words is a very strange short film indeed. Filmed in two days on the island of Spinalonga island and Crete, Last Words tells the story of the last man to leave Spinalonga. The film is told through accounts of the locals and those involved in relocating the man to Crete. We find out that Spinalonga was a leper colony and that the man, as a result of being forcibly removed, flat out refuses to talk to people. He can seen during the evening however, playing the lyre in a local pub. What makes Last Words so intriguing is its unusual narrative structure. Characters repeat their lines multiple times, often in long takes. Overall, a very unusual and enjoyable short.

PRECAUTIONS AGAINST FANATICS (1969)

(Massnamen gegen Fanatiker)

“I would like to protect the horses from fanatics.”

The next short on the disc is another quirky one that showcases Herzog’s humour. It was also the first film Herzog shot in colour. Basically, the short is about various people at a racetrack in Munich who like to protect horses from fanatical fans. This includes an oddball played by Mario Adorf who demonstrates his favourite punching technique, man who likes to walk horses round a tree for 36 hours and a young boy who, despite the track owners well wishes, wants to protects horses and then eventually resigns to protecting flamingos instead. To top it off, there’s an old man who interferes with each of their interviews and isn’t happy. This short is seen to be believed and is genuinely funny. 

FATA MORGANA (1971)

“In Paradise, even gentiles move mountains.”

The final film included on the first disc isn’t a short film, but Herzog’s bizarre and often unnerving film, Fata Morgana. Shot in the Sahara desert, the film heavily relies on the image. Herzog and his cinematographer Jörg Schmidt-Reitwein capture the vast landscape primarily by long tracking shots. The cinematography throughout is devastatingly effective. To accompany the striking visuals Lotte Eisner (in the German version) provides narration reciting Mayan creation myth. Some pieces of Leonard Cohen's work are also included. Overall, the film deals with idea of mirage (the definition of Fata Morgana) and you will often find yourself seeing things in the background. Aside from the landscape we find abandoned villagers, the corpses of animals and suspicious looking residents of the area. It’s possible to get lost within the film and many aspects are open to interpretation. If one thing is for certain, there is never a dull moment throughout the film. Newcomers to Herzog may want to watch this after viewing some of his more well known and accessible films. On a side note, the making of the film is just as interesting as the film itself and is well deserving of more research.

I'm not going to go in to the technical aspects of the DVD collection until the conclusion in the final post but I can say that all films look and sound brilliant. Extras on the first disc include English and German versions of Aguirre and Fata Morgana as well as commentaries for both. There is also a stills gallery as well as theatrical trailers. Overall, just by looking at the first disc alone, this set is very promising indeed. It's great to see Herzog's earlier short films as well as seeing his more notable efforts presented so well.

I hope you will join me for my second part in this series where I will be looking at the second disc.

You can buy this set from the BFI here, MovieMail here and Amazon UK here. Buying from the BFI directly means you can support the great work they do 100%. You can also pick up a gorgeous looking steelbook of Aguirre here and here.

To find out more about the BFI and some of their release check out their website here.

PDx