Review of Heart of Glass (1976) by Lori B — 14 Sep 2013

When I first saw this movie in June, my only comment was that it is bizarre. That opinion hasn't changed, but time and reflection have deepened my understanding and appreciation of this movie for me.

The people of the village have lost their ability to create rose-colored glass, and this loss has changed them into a people without hope. Some grasp desperately to rediscover what is essentially a skill in happiness via self-delusion, but it seems impossible.

Herzog infers that there is a required malevolence in creating the rose-colored glass. But he also points out the despair inherent in an inability to look at the world through a rosy filter.

Essentially, Heart of Glass is the human condition sans illusion clarified before our eyes. And it is terrifying.