Review of Woyzeck (1979) by Leia C — 02 Sep 2007

It seems one of Herzog's recurring themes is that of a man who is somehow mentally "off" being demeaned, humiliated, and generally ground down by society. Kinski's character, Woyzeck, begins as something rather against type: essentially a gentle, submissive family man, albeit prone to odd philosophical trains of thought, he is gradually driven to madness and violence by those around him: his captain, who openly mocks him and thinks he's an idiot; a local doctor, who unashamedly uses him as a paid guinea pig; and his wife, who has a thing for young men in uniform (can't say I blame her .

. .) and is not too shy about acting on that interest. This film's origins as a stage play are sometimes rather obvious, especially towards the beginning, but the sometimes-stagey quality is often overshadowed by Kinski's performance as a devastatingly broken man.