Stroszek (1977)

Featured Audience Ratings

• Elvira B

  
  <p>Stroszek is my first look into Werner Herzog's take on a "normal" reality; or rather, his treatment of contemporary (1976, at least) culture. In it, Bruno, an alcoholic street musician, Eva, his prostitute girlfriend, and their elderly neighbor move to America… More
  <p>Stroszek is my first look into Werner Herzog's take on a "normal" reality; or rather, his treatment of contemporary (1976, at least) culture. In it, Bruno, an alcoholic street musician, Eva, his prostitute girlfriend, and their elderly neighbor move to America in an attempt to leave behind the hardships of their lives in Berlin. </p> <p>The characters are, in one way or another, weighed down by one defeat after the other. Bruno, just out of jail, is misunderstood by his society, and his soft, naive personality often works against him in his gritty Berlin neighborhood. Nobody respects or stands up for him. Eva has a difficult, impulsive temperament that keeps getting her into trouble, no matter where she is: she's constantly taking leaps of faith and never measures the consequences of her actions. In short, they seem to be completely doomed to failure for reasons beyond their control. Fed up of taking beatings from Eva's pimps and falling over their heads time after time, they find an opportunity to move to Wisconsin with their neighbor's nephew. This does not improve things.</p> <p>In America, Bruno is no longer subject to leading an existence on the margins of the law; everything seems very civilized, organized, and clearly laid-out. However, language limitations, mortgage, and Eva's restless character end up leaving him bankrupt, unemployed, alone, and more misunderstood than ever before. The film then takes a 180 degree turn and centers on Bruno's disappointment and breakdown. Enter the dancing chicken.</p> <p>Stroszek is surprisingly non-preachy for a film about how dehumazing Western culture can be, no matter where you meet it. I guess this is because Herzog never chooses to show things in an easy, matter-of-fact way; rather, it's a premise that looms over the entire movie. The story is never downright tragic until the very end, except in showing the physical threats of the pimps in Berlin, and it even has some very funny moments. There are no real 'bad' guys, no big corporation against small farmer, no corrupt police versus good-at-heart small time crooks. None of that, because that would be too obvious and too specific. I disagree that this film is simply about the American dream and how it doesn't exist... I think this is really about the <i>whole world</i>, how it functions, against the illusions of one man. It sounds very ambitious, but it is so well done. And Herzog is known for ambitious projects.</p> <p>It's unnecessary to comment on its great script because such a complex message could never be delivered with a bad script - Bruno S's performance, on the other hand, deserves some emphasis: he was cast in a perfect role for him. It's hard to tell whether he's actually playing himself, but it hardly matters when he so perfectly conveys Stroszek's good nature, vulnerability, and strong will. Think of a stronger Kaspar Hauser, with considerably more wit.</p> <p>Finally, that famous ending. It makes the whole film worthwhile. It could not have been different. If in a correct mood, it makes your head explode: music so happy it's frightening and farm animals doing "cute" tasks moved by who knows what horrific conditioning. I don't know how to describe it better, watch it and see if it makes as much sense as it did to me. </p>

• Arash X

  
  Succeedes where a film like Dancer In the Dark fails miserably, it gives a fair, realistic & relentless portrayal of a man's downfall, Evil is everywhere & yes when you're falling no dream or illusion will save you

• Anthony L

  
  A bleak but beautiful film by Herzog. Bruno S is quite mesmerising to watch, it?s amazing that he put himself through really considering that the film is mostly autobiographical! I think Ian Curtis missed the point really (He watched this film just before he hung himself), there is a… More
  A bleak but beautiful film by Herzog. Bruno S is quite mesmerising to watch, it?s amazing that he put himself through really considering that the film is mostly autobiographical! I think Ian Curtis missed the point really (He watched this film just before he hung himself), there is a lot of good to take from this film. Bruno S. is actually a good example of how things can turn out for the best. Anyone else notice the nods to Herzog?s previous films? Great film but if your unfamiliar with Herzog?s work I wouldn't recommend watching this one first!

• Pierluigi P

  
  Downright brilliant tragicomedy from one of the masters when it comes to capture unconventional people chasing illusions. Bleak, offbeat and funny as hell.

• Stephen M

  
  On the evidence of this movie, the topical practise of banks lending huge sums of money to people with no earthly hope of paying it back began in 1977 Wisconsin, with three misfits, a mortgage and a mobile home! Bruno (Bruno S), a street musician with a history of… More
  On the evidence of this movie, the topical practise of banks lending huge sums of money to people with no earthly hope of paying it back began in 1977 Wisconsin, with three misfits, a mortgage and a mobile home! Bruno (Bruno S), a street musician with a history of institutionalisation, his prostitute girlfriend (Eva Mattes) and their eccentric elderly neighbour escape Berlin and a pair of thuggish pimps for a new life in the United States, but when his girlfriend gets itchy feet and he finds himself up to his eyes in debt, Bruno begins to despair. My only criticism of <I>Stroszek</I> is that the off-the-cuff, episodic script does not take enough time to establish Eva's malaise, thus her eventual betrayal of Bruno feels a little out of character. Herzog's use of music - Sonny Terry via Chet Atkins and Beethoven, Bruno's oompah-pah accordion playing and a close-to-muzak version of <I>By the Time I Get To Phoenix</I> - is exemplary, and the film looks great too. One shot I especially liked, featuring an obscenely large static caravan being towed into position, for some reason reminded me of the famous opening of <I>Star Wars</I>, where the Star Destroyer drifts onto the screen and seems to go on forever. There are some great lines: "Eva? What kind of a country would confiscate Bruno's mynah bird?" I've no idea what the infamous dancing chicken is all about but it encapsulates the mood of the film perfectly: funny on the surface, tragic beneath. Joy Division's Ian Curtis is supposed to have watched this movie and listened to Iggy Pop's <I>The Idiot</I> prior to hanging himself in 1980; one wishes he'd watched <I>Blazing Saddles</I> and listened to <I>Rock 'n' Roll with The Modern Lovers</I> instead.

• Christopher M

  
  A great oddity of a film based around an alcoholic and his two companions being displaced to rural Wisconsin. Herzog keeps to his standard of not delivering a Hollywood-style payoff and that is one of the things I liked about this film, and all of his movies I've seen. I wonder… More
  A great oddity of a film based around an alcoholic and his two companions being displaced to rural Wisconsin. Herzog keeps to his standard of not delivering a Hollywood-style payoff and that is one of the things I liked about this film, and all of his movies I've seen. I wonder if this film had any influence on Win Wenders' Paris, Texas - because a lot of the later stages of Stroszek seemed almost a prelude to some of the images Wenders used in that film. A good film with an ending that is a theatre of brilliant absurdity that just has to be seen.

• Chris W

  
  Definitely off the wall, but then again, so are all of Werner Herzog's films. This one's definitely open for interpretation, and that's a good thing. All great films should be open for interpretation and analysis like this one, otherwise, why else would they be great if… More
  Definitely off the wall, but then again, so are all of Werner Herzog's films. This one's definitely open for interpretation, and that's a good thing. All great films should be open for interpretation and analysis like this one, otherwise, why else would they be great if they could be analzyed and discussed?

• Walter M

  
  [font=Century Gothic]In "Stroszek", Bruno Stroszek(Bruno S.) has just been released from a mental institution after 2 1/2 years. He is warned to stay away from alcohol, so the first thing he does is have a beer in a bar where he meets Eva(Eva Mattes) who is being pushed… More
  [font=Century Gothic]In "Stroszek", Bruno Stroszek(Bruno S.) has just been released from a mental institution after 2 1/2 years. He is warned to stay away from alcohol, so the first thing he does is have a beer in a bar where he meets Eva(Eva Mattes) who is being pushed around by three men. Bruno offers his apartment for her to stay in which she accepts. Then, these same bullies come to turn their attention towards Bruno. Not liking the situation in their native land, Bruno and Eva decide to take up the offer of their kind landlord(Clemens Scheitz) and immigrate to Wisconsin where they can have a go at America's opportunities. But first, Eva has a little impromptu fundraising to do...[/font] [font=Century Gothic][/font] [font=Century Gothic]Werner Herzog's "Stroszek" is an eccentric and touching movie that gives a unique view of the immigrant experience. It also has quite a lot to say about the kindness of strangers.[/font]

• Marcus W

  
  Films like this are so difficult to review. You have a cast of non-actors. You're captivated by Bruno and saddened at what he goes through. Then the ending comes out of nowhere...and finishes with a dancing chicken. Herzog is mad in a very, VERY good way.

• Ivan D

  
  The "American Dream" at the peak of its promises, and the brutal realization of its non-existence. These are the primary themes explored in "Stroszek", one of Werner Herzog's best, and one of the finest films ever made. It's primary concern was to follow… More
  The "American Dream" at the peak of its promises, and the brutal realization of its non-existence. These are the primary themes explored in "Stroszek", one of Werner Herzog's best, and one of the finest films ever made. It's primary concern was to follow Bruno Stroszek, a complete nobody whose pursuit of the comforts America has to offer became initially fruitful, but turned out to be nothing but temporal. Majority of the picture was shot by Herzog with a certain touch of Cinema Verite, and even using non-actors to portray the characters. But the last ten minutes or so was transformed from hard reality to Herzog's trademark weird beauty, with a visible phrase in one scene that can sum up Bruno Stroszek's late realization: "Is this really me!" We have already seen many film protagonists chasing the "American Dream", and many of them, like Joe Buck and Ratso from "Midnight Cowboy", or Wyatt and Billy in "Easy Rider", tumbled down with it. But what's more painful is seeing this elusive dream through foreign eyes, whose only sin was wanting some piece of the sweet life.

• MJS M

  
  I?ve always said that Werner Herzog is probably a better icon than he is a director, which is not necessarily a bad thing. The guy is a crazy mofo, and when his movies channel that personality they are really interesting to watch. Stroszek doesn?t have the sense of danger that his… More
  I?ve always said that Werner Herzog is probably a better icon than he is a director, which is not necessarily a bad thing. The guy is a crazy mofo, and when his movies channel that personality they are really interesting to watch. Stroszek doesn?t have the sense of danger that his jungle movies like Aguirre, Fitzcarraldo, or Rescue Dawn had, nor does it have the stranger than fiction quality of his documentaries. Instead Herzog finds strangeness in rural Wisconsin, and of course there is plenty of insanity to be found in that wretched hellhole ;). The film is competently made, but I can?t really call this master-level filmmaking. There?s a lot of interesting stuff here, but Herzog has made more interesting works.

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