Heart Of Glass (1976)

HEART OF GLASS (1976) Written & Directed by Werner Herzog. Is it possible for a film to be 'genre-less'? If so, does it then become transformed into a moving work of Art? This mesmerising creation of legendary director, Werner Herzog, crosses boundaries that no film before (or since) has dared attempt. And it makes this transition again & again, as seamlessly & seemingly effortlessly as the fairy-tale swan of legend gliding across the surface of a magic lake. Of course, superficially, to say that this film is about loss & man's myriad forms of reaction to that loss is true. But this is a simplistic statement & does not do justice to the vision of its creator. One does not have to scratch very far below the surface to reveal that this is not actually the purpose of the film. It is not an allegorical or metaphorical work or, indeed, even telling a story at all. Its sole intent is to purely depict an alternate Reality .... a world that could be .... that might be ....that may be. A world that is at the same time utterly terrifying & exquisitely beautiful. Each carefully-staged scene is set up, framed & shot with as much loving & tender devotion as the individual brushstrokes of a painting by an Old Master. The fact that Herzog had his actors hypnotised before each days shooting to help actualise this 'other-world' is a master-stroke & can be seen as his own personal stamp of genius. My Favourite lines from the film : 1.“But, like sleep-walkers, people walk towards their doom”. 2.“The untidiness of the stars makes my head ache.....(sigh)”. *****5 out of 5 stars***** 18/11/09.