Unlimitedia Sick Product of a Sick System

Acensbart Excellent but underrated film

Beanbioca As Good As It Gets

Pacionsbo Absolutely Fantastic

Alenbalz Yes there is some stunning photography, even some great acting, but where's the story? Someone dies, with a formula for making a particular type of glass, and somehow it leads to the gradual demise of the enterprise and the owner of the business, who goes insane. It's actually insane to think that would actually happen, (except in a movie: which this clearly is): an affluent gentry businessman loosing his marbles so quickly over a product only they (his factory foreman) produce, and not having the business acumen or vision to have a back-up or alternative product to deal with an eventuality like this. With that level of stupidity and know-how about the most important product of his business, I'm surprised he didn't get fleeced by his workers, but that's not the story in this movie (remember it's a fiction movie). So apart from the idiotic lord and master (big boss) and a bunch of very talented but intellectually deficient glassblowers we also have a narrator disguised as a prophet who tells us what is about to happen in the very short term (though he doesn't foresee the mob turning against him, like they did with Jesus) and some future period (remembering that this movie is set in the 17-18 hundreds: so yeah, very easy and clever to have this prophet predict things that we know happened after the era of the movie). There's really NO character development, or reason why things happen the way they do, other than perhaps to give the narrator cum prophet some credibility. Despite being a fairly central figure in the movie, we learn absolutely nothing only about the prophet, who he is? where he came from, what his mission is (other than to take us, the viewers, a paragraph or two ahead of the current movie scene) or why the (stupid) village people don't take his prophesies more seriously, after witnessing the accuracy of his predictions. So I disagree with all those who rave about this movie being a great artistic feat, because there's really no take-home message after watching it, nor is it a very engaging or thought provoking movie, just a very simple fiction story without any real drama or direction.

sh_bronstein I like the director Werner Herzog and have watched several of his movies. But I must confess that I totally did not like "Herz aus Glas" (Heart of Glass). I do speak German, but I learned it in the North, so I totally did not understand the Bavarian dialect people were speaking. That was not only my problem, the person I was watching it with grew up in Bavaria and didn't understand the plot or some of the dialog either. I don't know why Herzog decided to make it so hard to understand, was it intentional? I did not like the editing, I thought it was confusing. The actors were incredibly ugly, which was interesting in a paradox way... Where did they find these people? They look like they walked out of a picture of a peasant tavern from 17th century Holland! Because the film was so confusing and so darn boring, I would not recommend it. Visually it was beautiful, but that is not enough to make it a good film.

christopher-underwood This is a beautifully made film and is indeed beautiful to look at. The landscapes, manipulated and natural are awe inspiring and the interiors almost painterly. However, it is undeniably slow. It is also unworldly. We have a peasant making rather odd prophesies and a cast, acting under hypnosis, responding or not as the mood takes them. Certainly a very different cinema experience but a little wayward and unfocused for my liking. I have to say, though, thanks to the wonder of DVDs, this does come with an accompanying conversation with the director. Watching the commentary track is for me a far more engaging and satisfying experience. Enjoyable too! Herzog is simply marvellous in giving full explanations in instances such as the circumstances of the hypnosis and totally uncooperative when the questioning gets a bit close to seeking 'the answer'. I always hate it when an artist is asked to interpret his work (as if there would be any point in it if it can be fully explained another way) and here Herzog slaps down his interviewer on several occasions. Quite right. Well worth watching/listening for an alternative view on the art of film.

ccscd212 Normally I don't like to know much about a film before viewing it. I feel it allows me to watch a movie with a more open mind and makes the watching experience thus more enjoyable. However, in the case of Heart of Glass, not knowing that most of the cast is hypnotized and that Hias's prophecies are the actual prophecies of a Bavarian peasant would probably lead me to deem the film pretentious and confusing. That said, knowing these facts, the film is quite remarkable. I wouldn't read to much into the allegory part of it-- which is to say that I wouldn't say it's an allegory of something specific in history. I'd say it's more allegoric of human life in general. Senselessly pursuing something unattainable, understanding the value of friendship only when it's too late, wrestling foes that only we can see, foolishly rowing into unknown waters, etc. A fine film, not Herzog's best, but an intriguing one indeed.