Stroszek1977
Recognition
What makes this film worth watching?
3 members like this review
This is the movie Ian Curtis of Joy Division watched before he committed suicide, so it's perfect for that reason alone. Excellent combination of Wisconsin trailer park depression and German expressionistic angst. Wonderful product placement for Old Style Beer. Could have used Klaus Kinski as the truck driver who first picks up Eva, but that's a niggling point. Bruno S is superb in it, as is the dancing chicken.
Starring
- Burkhard Driest - Souteneur
- Wilhelm von Homburg - Souteneur
- Eva Mattes - Eva
- Clemens Scheitz - Scheitz
- Bruno Schleinstein - Der Bruno Stroszek
- Clayton Szalpinkski - Mechanic
Poster & Images
Member Reviews (13)
This is the movie Ian Curtis of Joy Division watched before he committed suicide, so it's perfect for that reason alone. Excellent combination of Wisconsin trailer park depression and German expressionistic angst. Wonderful product placement for Old Style Beer. Could have used Klaus Kinski as the truck driver who first picks up Eva, but that's a niggling point. Bruno S is superb in it, as is the dancing chicken.
Werner Herzogs masterstroke, one of my all time favorite films. The film, based on the real life story of the lead character "Bruno S" is one wild ride. The film opens when Bruno is released from prison, within no time, all out mayhem begins. The film has what I believe to be one of the all time greatest scenes ever captured on film, I wouldn't dare give it away, however, it will stick with you for the rest of your life, an all out masterpiece.
Some weird Germans from Berlin come to America and do some weird things. I laughed my ass off at the ending. I suppose the point of the movie is that a geographical change will not cure alcoholism or weirdness.
What a total bummer of a film. The story goes from bad to hopeless. I have to admit that I'm not much a fan of Herzog. He has a descent sense of drama and not much else going on.
well done but stupid just like the dancing chicken
Sparse, cryptic, meandering. There is something here about the shift from the juridical to the disciplinary, from subjective violence to objective violence (Stroszek himself explicitly states this), but I'm not sure what to think about the fact that this shift is mapped onto a movement from the "Old World" to the "New." Insofar as these thematics function as a critique of the American Dream, they work. Like Woyzeck, Herzog offers us with Stroszek a nihilistic working-class tragedy, but, again, one in which the tragedy comes at the expense of women's bodies. Unlike Woyzeck, however, Eva Mattes' character has some agency, and we get a sense that it is also her tragedy, not just the tragedy of a monolithic, presumed-masculine working-class. It is useful to compare Mattes' final scene in the two: one evokes fear, distress, anger; the other evokes a dull, resigned despair, complementing the relatively muted colour palette and tone of the film.
It struck a bell for me and I think maybe anyone who goes off to a far off place they think they could someday belong.
A dark bitter variant of the American Dream. Three Germans move to middle America after dealing with German extortionists. Things don't go any better in America for them. The movie is pretty depressing, but there are some really memorable scenes that make it worth watching.
Truly one of Herzog's finest
Spoiler alert:
Enjoyed most of this quirky and very long film, except for the preemie baby scene. I'm taking off a star for casting a preemie, and for how "casually" the preemie was handled. I found this unnecessary and, honestly, disturbing. (7 out of 10 would better reflect how strongly I feel about this).
I loved this movie the first time I saw it in the 70's, and more that forty years later it is as good or better than it was then.
Just a heart f r let strange movie
Super