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 STROSZEK
(Anchor
Bay) 1976. DVD. Drama. 107 minutes. Not rated. In German with optional
English subtitles. Directed by Werner Herzog. Fresh out of a German
prison, Bruno walks into a bar for a beer and leaves with his new
girlfriend Eva, a prostitute. After hanging around Germany for a while and
not making much of a life for themselves, Bruno and Eva decide to join
their friend Scheitz (makes Yoda look like a spring chicken) and embark
for America. Overflowing with hopes and dreams, the German trio root
themselves in Railroad Flats, Wisconsin with Scheitz’s extended family.
Although things start off well enough and everyone has a smile on their
face, things turn ugly and Bruno and Eva soon find themselves right back
in the same rut they occupied before leaving Germany.
Yet another wacky movie by Werner Herzog loaded with even wackier
characters. Bruno (played by Bruno S. This guy is supposedly a pain in the
can to work with and why anyone would is beyond me.) borders on
retardation. Nobody has a more clueless look going than this guy. Make no
mistakes, this man can not act, he’s just being himself. I’ve seen
this guy in another movie (Enigma of
Kaspar Hauser) and he “acts” exactly the same. Bruno is also a
disturbing looking fellow. So disturbing in fact that Anchor Bay didn’t
even put him on the DVD cover. Instead, pictured is another character,
Eli, who’s not even in the movie much. Weird. Then there’s old Scheitz
and his handy dandy electrical charge tester thing. God, where did that
storyline come from? The characters not only behave and look oddly, they
each tend to run off on weird tangents that really make no sense at all.
To me anyway. Stroszek does
have a point, but I’ll let you figure it out on your own when/if you
watch this movie. The DVD includes commentary by Herzog and some guy named
Norman Hill. The commentary does explain a lot about the movie. Other
extras include; production notes, trailer, and a Herzog bio. Hey, great
job working the subtitles around the opening credits! Typical odd and
enjoyable Herzog fare. Hey, what’s the deal with the dancing chicken (so
weird it’s almost frightening)?- Denis Sheehan
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