Heart of Glass
November 20th 2008 22:02
That's the synopsis of the film, which seems suitably interesting. "Heart of Glass" is known, however, as the film where Herzog hypnotized the cast.
Nearly all of the actors in the film are under hypnosis and their performances are eccentric and bizarre. We watch them turn slowly and speak nonsense, mysteriously edited together to depict the descent into madness.
"Heart of Glass" includes a character named Heis, a herdsman who lives off in the forest, based on a Bavarian folk legend; he can see the future, and predicts a grim end to the town and its wealth, which makes its living selling a rare type of glass, called Ruby Glass for its brilliant red colour.
As the townspeople grow increasingly frantic, and the supply of red glass becomes increasingly rare, the performances in the film also become more stilted, until it seems like we're watching a lunatic asylum in action. At one point, one of the glassworkers, depressed about losing his friend, pulls the body out of the morgue and dances around with him in the pub, to the hypnotized cheers of the occupants.
Yes, this is a strange, strange film.
To be honest, "Heart of Glass" deserves to be watched in full cinema glory, or, at the very least, on suitable home theatre rig. Herzog's film opens with stunning images of Bavaria, capturing fog rolling over a forest, or water cascading down a fall, representing the edges of reality, where the world disappears into the mist. Herzog's aim, it would appear, is to hypnotize the audience, aligning us with his cast, linking the two groups, separated by time and space, into one common reality.
Yes, this is a fascinating, terrifying film.
Sadly, this is a film with limited appeal, I suspect, as the innate surrealism of the story would discourage those who refused to buy into the mythology. As it became increasingly unclear, I found myself turning away, lost to the thread of the film... perhaps I needed to be hypnotized, or, at least, succumbed to the power of Herzog's images, in a big theatre, with silence except for the soundtrack.
"Heart of Glass" will always stand out as a momentous achievement and even, right now, I find myself wanting to watch it again, to see if I can fall under the trance and feel even the slightest bit of madness.
I say: One for the Herzog fans, that don't mind the languorous pace and tenuous dreamlike atmosphere.
See it for: Hypnotism caught on film.
*this image is from Superdigit
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Comment by David O'Connell
Screen Fanatic
Sounds.................interesting to say the least!!
Comment by Cibbuano
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Fat Cult
Techbreak
Interesting, yes... I'm not sure many people would sit through it, though I bet it'd be great to do a private screening in a small theatre, and hypnotize them beforehand. Herzog did this, actually...