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DVD Signs of Life
Werner Herzog's first feature-length film, Signs of Life is the work of a confident 24-year old filmmaker who knew exactly what he was doing. Many of the stylistic and thematic concerns that would inform Herzog's later films are fully evident here, from his mixture of documentary-like realism and strange, dream-like passages to the bold use of location as character. Set on a remote Greek island during World War II, the slowly paced story unfolds as an injured, recuperating soldier named Stroszek (Peter Brogle) and his new wife Nora (Athina Zacharopoulou) grow accustomed to their slow and quiet life of seclusion. Herzog captures a palpable sense of boredom, but his film is anything but tedious for those who are seduced by its peculiar rhythms and exotic locale. As Stroszek (a name later used as the title of one of Herzog's best-known films) loses his grip on reality and threatens to detonate the munitions dump he's been assigned to care for, Signs of Life attains an elusive, mystical quality that makes it linger in the memory long after you've seen it. New Yorker Video's DVD release is also blessed by a fascinating audio commentary by Herzog devotee Norman Hill and the director himself, whose vivid memories of making Signs of Life add further insight into the curious qualities of this odd yet unforgettable film. --Jeff Shannon
If there was any doubt concerning Werner Herzog's innate personal aesthetic, it should be dispelled with one viewing of his first feature film---1967's Signs of Life. Already evident at age 24 are Herzog's attractions to all things bizarre, visually extraordinary, and narratively subliminal as well as to a loose interpretation of an already loose screenplay---usually his own! As has been mentioned in previous reviews, this aesthetic is apparent in most all of Herzog's subsequent and more renown efforts; but Signs of Life especially foreshadows Aguirre: The Wrath of God with its themes of isolation and resultant "descent into madness". There's also the catch-as-catch-can cinematic style which utilizes available objects and ad hoc events as significant symbols and narrative devices. Scenes aren't necessarily staged and shot with editorial continuity foremost in mind; hence, interesting narrative non sequiturs result. The difference here is that there's an utter lack of physical progression such as with Aguirre. We are emotionally stuck with the characters as much as they are physically stuck in their situation.
We have an injured World War II German Wehrmacht soldier sent to the beautiful remote Greek island of Kos to recuperate. He, his Greek soon-to-be wife, and two other soldiers are stationed at the famous medieval fortress there to guard a munitions depot. An historical backdrop would have been helpful for those viewers not thoroughly familiar with the situation as presented. What we can garner from visual cues and the languorous actions of those involved is only that there's a war going on someplace far, far away. Opposing Greek partisans make their presence known by secretly creating a large crown made of rocks on a distant hillside, though the German commanding officer dismisses it as merely an affirmation of the reason they're stationed there. Wehrmacht soldiers openly commiserate with the villagers. Discipline is lax throughout the ranks. Everything seems peaceful, friendly, idyllic...and boring.
Lest I ruin it for potential viewers, I'll simply state that things get interesting with the acceptance of a routine patrol mission to break the monotony. An ironic madness ensues whereby the village and military outpost are suddenly in danger as a result. The irony is felt in the half-hearted urgency reflected in the military command, the sprawling evacuation of the villagers, but especially in the surreal black & white images we see---some of which are haunting in the context presented---as well as in a simple and pensively beautiful Greek melody played on strings.
Signs of Life is probably a "must-see" only for fans of Herzog; saying it's one of his best is certainly overstating things. Others should see it with the knowledge that it was made by a young "New Wave" German filmmaker with minimal formal film schooling, a stolen camera, an award-winning screenplay, a shoestring budget, and a committed group of actors and participants. You may never look at windmills the same way again!
p.s.: The DVD is of fine full-screen quality with very legible white English subtitles and can be viewed with the director's ruminative running commentary.
Good film; problematic DVD
First off, I want to say that I'm a big fan of Werner Herzog. Between 1972 and 1982, he was one of the best directors in the world, coming up with such unique masterpieces as "Aguirre," "Kaspar Hauser" (or whichever title you prefer), "Nosferatu" (the remake), and "Fitzcarraldo." As his feature-length debut, "Signs of Life" never quite reaches the sublime heights of those later movies. For one thing, I find the narration a little clunky, as if Herzog were still clinging to the last vestiges of traditional plot development, and lead actor Peter Brogle lacks the electrifying presence that Bruno S. and Klaus Kinski bring to Herzog's later films. Still, this film points the way to Herzog's later masterpieces, and it undeniably possesses the same eerie atmosphere and languorous beauty that we associate with his movies. I'll also single out Wolfgang Reichmann's performance as Meinhard as being particularly good. All in all, I give this film 4 stars, but I recommend that movie buffs new to the world of Herzog start with his collaborations with Kinski (which are available in a nice boxset from Anchor Bay) and then work backwards to "Signs of Life."
I've deducted one star from my rating, however, because of New Yorker Video's rather problematic DVD. On the surface, it's a very appealing release: the print they used is beautiful and nearly flawless, and they include a director's commentary with Herzog himself, who is always interesting to listen to. But for some reason, New Yorker has NOT given this film a progressive transfer -- in other words, instead of capturing each individual frame of the film (24 per second), they've simply transferred it all at once (rather like a videotape). To be honest, it's about as good a non-progressive transfer as you can get, and people with regular tube TVs probably won't notice any problems. But for those with projectors and high-resolution screens (heck, even if you toss it into your PC and watch it on your monitor!), you're going to notice a blurriness during horizontal movement that people call "combing." In my opinion, non-progressive transfers are simply unacceptable in 2005, especially since many of us will soon be upgrading to higher resolution TVs. I simply don't understand why New Yorker continue to go the non-progressive route, but I'm pretty sure this will be the last New Yorker DVD I buy until they get their act together.
Finally, I also wish that this DVD had included the two short films that Herzog mentions in his commentary as tying in thematically or stylistically with "Signs of Life": "Last Words" and "The Unprecedented Defence of the Fortress Deutschkreuz." I haven't seen either, but based on the commentary, they sound relevant. Along with the non-progressive transfer, their absence represent exactly why companies like New Yorker fall so short of the standards set by Criterion, despite making such interesting and worthwhile films available.
One of Werner Herzog's Best Films
Signs of Life is Werner Herzog's very first feature film and also one of his best. The script may have even inspired Stephen King's novel The Shining. In Signs of Life we have an injured soldier and his wife working as the caretakers of a military fortress on a Greek island. The soldier eventually goes mad with boredom and tries to kill his wife and everyone else.
Werner Herzog wrote the script himself in 1964 and made the film in 1967 with only $20,000 at age twenty-five. Herzog's script is amazing and the actors all perform flawlessly. Signs of Life has Herzog's distinctive slow pace which may seem like torture to the average viewer who's been forced-fed a steady diet of fast food images. This masterpiece has great photography and a great use of original Greek music. This film reminds me of Roman Polanski's first feature film Knife in the Water (1962).
As filmmaker and cultural anthropologist, Werner Herzog brings his unique powers of observation to Buddhist rituals in Wheel of Time. The documentary's title refers to the central symbol that forms the physical and spiritual hub of an intricately detailed sand mandala that is the centerpiece of the Kalachakra initiation, a Buddhist ceremony that attracts several hundred thousand monks and pilgrims to Bodh Gaya, India (the original site of the Buddha's enlightenment) in 2002. Through well-chosen images and his own sparse but effective narration, Herzog chronicles this spiritual conclave, incorporating brief interview clips with His Holiness, the Dalai Lama, a lively debate between high-level monks at the gathering, an interview with a Tibetan political prisoner who'd spent 37 years... More Info about this DVD Director(s): Werner Herzog DVD Release Date: Released the 25 October 2005 Usually ships in 24 hours
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Robert Bresson always claimed his films are about hope and redemption, but so many end in death or suicide that it's a struggle to reconcile the statement with his films. His final film, based on Leo Tolstoy's story The Counterfeit Note, is no different. It's the harrowing tale of an innocent man, Yvon (Christian Patey), whose victimization at the hands of an arrogant upper-class delinquent and a greedy shop owner sends him on a downward spiral into a life of crime. The once-happy husband and father turns bitter, angry, self-pitying, and ultimately coldly brutal in the chilling conclusion. It's Bresson's most expansive film and biggest canvas, weaving the paths of numerous characters across Yvon's journey, but he edits with jackrabbit jumps, running headlong through the story with... More Info about this DVD Actor(s): Christian Patey - Sylvie Van den Elsen Director(s): Robert Bresson DVD Release Date: Released the 24 May 2005 Usually ships in 24 hours
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