Review of Heart of Glass (1976) by Darren E — 07 May 2009

Nothing to do with Blondie, this is a story of the insanity that takes over an 18th century Bavarian village when the foreman of the glasswork takes the secret of the town?s famed Ruby Glass to his grave.

It?s a mesmerizing film, in the true sense of the word. Werner Herzog has often sought to induce a state of trance in his audience; this one is no different, but he ups the ante by also hypnotizing most of his cast.

It?s a technique that could very easily have been a gimmick, but it really pays off, creating a unique, otherworldly atmosphere and a captivating set of intense, disturbingly detached performances. The hypnosis also adds to the allegorical nature of the film: modernity and the industrial revolution are viewed as collective madnesses in which we all sleepwalk towards our doom despite the warnings that are issued to us.

Herzog captures some of the most extraordinarily haunting images ever committed to celluloid, and there is a premonition of Grizzy Man near the end when the character of the visionary goes off into the mountains to fight an imaginary bear.

Needless to say, its obviously not for all tastes.