Stroszek (1977)
Director: Werner Herzog
Born in Munich in 1942, Werner Herzog is a German director, documentarian, screenwriter and actor. He is considered as one of the most influential directors inside the Arthouse cinemasphere. Herzog grew up inside a divided and devastated Germany, which was slowly recovering from World War II. People of his generation reached maturity during the 60s, and most of them started a great wave of protests and riots that reached a prominent peak in 1968.
Herzog’s generation was frustrated because West Germany struggled very hard to be in good terms with its past. The protestors were leftist, but they also distrusted the authoritarian communism that was spreading on the other side of the Berlin Wall. The famous “Frankfurt School” was an incentive that inspired the protestors. The school had its bases in the theories of modern Marxism. The protests became increasingly violent with a wave of RAF-terrorism striking over the country, but they were gradually decreasing. However, the turmoil and rage of West Germany crafted the movement known as New German Cinema.
Directors such as Wim Wenders, Volker Schlöndorff and Rainer Werner Fassbinder were making very complex and deeply personal films. This movement criticized, analyzed and discussed many of the problems of contemporary Germany. Herzog’s cinema eluded every expectation, although he also criticized some problems of German society, his films have a different nature.
In order to recognize a Herzog film, the first sign is the bizarre personality of its main characters. The Herzogian anti-hero lives immersed in his own universe, and he is usually an absolute loner. His protagonists have a serene calm on the outside, which is often crushed by an uncontrollable storm happening on the inside. This rage usually explodes in the most unexpected and bizarre ways.
Stroszek (1977) is unique, one of the oddest and most fascinating films of all time. The audience is unable to decipher the plot twists or anticipate the ending. The story of Bruno Schleinstein (who plays himself inside the film under the name “Bruno Stroszek”) is the main plot that enhances the psychological background of the film. Herzog met Bruno Schleinstein while doing a documentary on street musicians, and was fascinated with his performance. He casted him for the film The Enigma of Kaspar Hauser (1974). Bruno was uncannily right for the role, and even more so for Stroszek, which Herzog wrote in four days.
Bruno Schleinstein was the illegitimate son of a prostitute, he suffered severe physical abuse throughout his life. Just three years old, he went to a children’s home and spent the next 23 years in reformatories and mental health institutions, and yet was not mentally ill according to Herzog- the blows and indifferences of life had shaped him into a man of intense concentration, tunnel vision, and narrow social skills.
Stroszek begins with the introduction of Bruno Stroszek, an alcoholic that just got out of prison. As soon as this happens, Bruno goes out to explore the streets of Berlin and quickly enters a bar. There he meets Eva (Eva Mattes), a prostitute who is constantly mistreated by her pimp.
Bruno offers her shelter in his apartment, which has been protected by the peculiar old man Mr. Scheitz (Clemens Scheitz). Soon, Mr. Scheitz announces to Eva and Bruno that his nephew has invited him to live at Rainroad Floats, Wisconsin, USA. Driven by the idea, Bruno decides that a new life must begin. Things seem to get better; Eva raises money through prostitution to pay for the trip. Later, the three are living prosperously on a mobile home in Wisconsin.
Herzog and the American documentarian Errol Morris had become fascinated by the story of the serial killer Ed Gein, who dug up all of the corpses in a circle around his mother’s grave. That’s why they decided to film in Gein’s hometown in Plainfield, Wisconsin.
The three outcasts in Stroszek share the same desire of finding a ‘promised land’, easy opportunities and fortune. Initially, they experience an ephemeral happiness there, a balm for the crudeness that dominated their lives in Berlin. Bruno finds a job as a mechanic and Eva as a waitress in a fast-food restaurant. However, ‘the promised land’ and the American Dream will vanish very soon when difficulties, obstacles and problems start to get in the way.
The main theme of Stroszek is human exploitation, and the different ways in which it imposes on people. Herzog makes a brilliant discernment about how human beings succumb to different forms of exploitation in order to survive (economical, governmental, artistical and sexual). On the other hand, Stroszek works as a pseudo-biography of Bruno Schleinstein. According to many reports, the real Bruno Schleinstein suffered many physical abuses during most of his life, executed by his mother and the various people in charge of him during his detention in multiple psychiatric institutions during the Third Reich. Bruno Schleinstein is not acting in the film, he is his natural self and projecting an extremely disturbing sincerity on screen.
The final minutes of the film involve a burning truck, a frozen turkey, a ski lift and a dancing chicken; all these insane metaphors are up to massive interpretations. Herzog once said: “Look into the eyes of a chicken and you will see real stupidity. It is a kind of bottomless stupidity, a fiendish stupidity. They are the most horrifying, cannibalistic and nightmarish creatures in the world.”
Stroszek is beauty, humor, cruelty and human devastation; a totally original psychological trip, away from all kinds of conventions or preconceived ideas. If you did not know him, welcome to the universe of Mr. Werner Herzog. It is an enigmatic and complex place, in which we are partakers of brilliant eccentricity and fiction.
Finally, in Herzog’s words:
“You must live life in its very elementary forms. The Mexicans have a very nice word for it: pura vida. It doesn’t mean just purity of life, but the raw, stark-naked quality of life. And that’s what makes young people more into a filmmaker than academia. ”
by Octavio Carbajal Gonzalez
[…] Without questioning the veracity or falsity of these facts, the legendary German filmmaker Werner Herzog wrote and directed The Enigma of Kaspar Hauser (“Jeder für sich und Gott gegen alle”; lit. “Every Man for Himself and God Against All”, 1974). The film stylistically is part of the New German Cinema of the 1960s and 1970s. During this time, some directors in the German film industry made for a drastic make-over after years of post-war stagnation. Herzog, Fassbinder, Wenders and Schlöndorff are some of the remarkable auteurs of this period.Herzog’s films are characteristic of portraying weird characters on the verge of insanity. They usually end up forging a vision of the world that collides with reality and reveals the catastrophes which reality hides. The impregnable, massive and indifferent nature usually crushes the minds of these peculiar dreamers. That’s the case of the conqueror Lope de Aguirre in Aguirre, The Wrath of God (1972) or the rubber businessman Fitzcarraldo in the film of the same name from 1982. The Enigma of Kaspar Hauser is no exception. Here, the protagonist is played by Bruno Schleinstein, a self-taught actor who was the illegitimate son of a prostitute. He suffered severe physical and psychological abuse throughout his life. With just three years old, he was sent to an orphanage and spent the next 23 years in reformatories and mental health institutions- despite not mentally being ill according to Herzog. The blows and indifferences of life had shaped Schleinstein into a man of intense concentration, tunnel vision and narrow social skills. Three years after the release of The Enigma of Kaspar Hauser, Herzog casted Bruno again for Stroszek (1977). […]
Very cool to see one of the lesser-known Herzog films highlighted. The trailer kept reminding me of STRANGER THAN PARADISE. I know Jarmusch had a thing for the German cinema, so I’m guessing that’s not an accident. Any thoughts on that? And, that chicken quote…I wonder if I can find it on a coffee mug.
Completely forgot about this movie. There are many social and political undertones. Top-notch review, thanks!
The best Herzog film with the best film ending ever.
Must watch this, I only know Herzog’s films with Klaus Kinski so far. The documentary on their unique relationship is one of the best things I have ever seen. Not only is it a miracle that Herzog survived manic Kinski, but his calm and ‘Zen’ attitude is just as spectacular. Thank you for the recommendation, love the film features on here.
Thank you for taking the time to read. I agree, the documentary “Mein leibster Feind” deals perfectly with the symbiotic and destructive relationship that Herzog had with Kinski. I think that “Fitzcarraldo” is a titanical achievement , one of the most remarkable stories in the history of filmmaking (that’s for another article). I think that “Stroszek” won’t be a challenge for you, hope you enjoy it !
The trailer looks absolutely strange, and not in an appealing way. Maybe I’m not used to such ‘actors’ and the german language, but your review is much better than the actual trailer.
You always bring such a special view to the films you review, Octavio. This idea of human exploitation in the falseness of an American Dream that is no longer a reality (if it ever was) is an important topic. At least to those who seek that raw, pure life you eloquently capture in your review. Thank you.
So glad that you enjoyed the read, Shawn. I truly value your opinions and points of view about my reviews, thank you so much. I agree, the idea of the “American Dream” has vanished over the years. “Stroszek” points out how tragedy, despair and absurdity aren’t found inside an specific country, they are everywhere. That’s why I think this movie is more than a simple criticism of the American Dream. Thank you.
Thank you for reading, Simon. If you’re not familiar with Herzog’s movies, I think this one is a great place to start. It’s a challenging and really odd experience. Enjoy it !
Great review, and extra love for the Herzog chicken-quote, because honestly all his quotes on nature express exactly my thoughts on it, this one included.
Stroszek is a brilliant ‘Neuer Deutscher Film’, although it is a difficult watch, like so many Herzog movies. I cannot decide how rewarding it is in the end. As far as I remember, Ian Curtis watched this the night before going on his first US tour, and then decided to kill himself.
For me the highlight of the film is America and it’s similarity to the wilderness in ‘Aguirre’. The three arrive to a tourist postcard America and move on to the real heart of it : a misanthropic region with indecipherable natives with unfathomable customs and traditions. Four killers live in that little nest in Wisconsin alone. America as an abysmal madhouse, the only responsible inmates of which are two weirdos from Berlin-Kreuzberg. Which draws a nice circle to Bruno Schleinstein’s past.
I knew you’ll like the chicken quote, he is very honest about his fears and views about the immensity of nature.
I know, it’s not an easy watch, I’ve shown this movie to some people that consider themselves “cinephiles”, and they had real trouble to finish it.
Herzog is always willing to show the rarity, uniqueness and details of the landscape and its characters.
On the other hand, I understand why Ian Curtis decided that this was going to be his last movie before the tragedy, as you just said “before the US tour”.
Loved your description: “a misanthropic region with indecipherable natives with unfathomable customs and traditions.”
Bruno Schleinstein’s real story broke (and fascinated) me, he isn’t even acting in the movie ! (still gives me chills). I think that Herzog succeded in culminating and tying all the riddles of the story, the heights of visual and physical intensity will always be there. Thank you for the amazing collaboration, Saliha. Another worthy addition for this internet paradise.