Woyzeck (1979)

User Rating:

7.2/10   

Director:

Werner Herzog

Writers:

Georg Büchner (play) and
Werner Herzog (writer)

Release Date:

24 August 1979 (USA)

Genre:

Drama

Plot:

Franz Woyzeck (Kinski) is a hapless, hopeless soldier, alone and powerless in society, assaulted from all sides by forces he cannot control.

Plot Keywords:

Soldier | Despair | Adulterous Wife | Character Study | Brutality

Awards:

3 wins & 1 nomination

Cast

Klaus Kinski	...	Friedrich Johann Franz Woyzeck
Eva Mattes	...	Marie
Wolfgang Reichmann	...	Captain
Willy Semmelrogge	...	Doctor
Josef Bierbichler	...	Drum Major
Paul Burian	...	Andres
Volker Prechtel	...	Handwerksbursche (as Volker Prechtl)
Dieter Augustin	...	Marktschreier
Irm Hermann	...	Margret
Wolfgang Bächler	...	Jew
Rosemarie Heinikel		(as Rosy-Rosy Heinikel)
Herbert Fux	...	Unteroffizier
Thomas Mettke
Maria Mettke

Also Known As:

Werner Herzog's Woyzeck

Runtime:

Colombia:74 min | Hong Kong:81 min | USA:82 min

Country:

West Germany

Language:

German

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Australia:PG | Finland:K-16

Filming Locations:

Telc, Czech Republic

Company:

Werner Herzog Filmproduktion

Trivia:

The production of this film was finished in just 18 days.

Goofs:

Continuity: As a barber, Woyzeck smears some foam on the Captain's forehead, but when the camera changes, the foam's gone.

Quotes:

Marie: [to her man during a fight] I'd rather have a knife in my body than your hand on me.

Movie Connections:

Version of Woyzeck (1968) (TV)

hypnotism

I am a fan of Herzog so I'll cut to the chase---- There is a scene in the film where a cat is thrown out of a second story window--- right into the arms of Kinski--- after he catches the cat I believe he becomes hypnotized. Kinski starts to shake and convulse (granted he is an excellent actor) but the fact that Herzog is always dealing with hypnotizing people and chickens (Heart of Glass, Even Dwarfs Started Small) i believe that he knew something about Kinski and his love for animals--- or maybe his hate for animals--- in any case he has strong feelings attached to these innocent creatures--- and I believe that Herzog exploits this to hypnotize Kinski.

When I watched it (again) I did so without the subtitles, I wanted to concentrate on the imagery and the shots. I came to realize how much Herzog's movies are like theater. The sets are made and there is usually just one shot in a scene and from a direction that makes me feel like part of a theater audience--- granted some of these sets are on a location where there is little that needs to be done to get the imagery across.

It also contains one of the best death scenes in film history.