My Journey with Werner Herzog, Part Four

So I've not posted a written discussion about a Werner Herzog film since December 2014. Blimey! Now that's tardiness! Well, I'm sure anyone familiar with his work will understand that you do need a break from it after a while.

None of what I've experienced so far has been exploitatively violent, sexual or foul-mouthed, but Herzog's work does show that you don't need any of those extreme elements to shock and depress an audience - you just need to show life in all its "naked" ugliness.

I did discuss Heart of Glass on my podcast, here: http://thewhittlingpost.blogspot.co.uk/2015/04/podcast-whittling-post-digest-episode-05.html however I may go back and write a proper entry about that film and the documentary How Much Wood Would a Woodchuck Chuck in my next written blog entry. Whenever that will be. I really did love how beautiful Heart of Glass was, so I think that'll be the first Herzog film I revisit just for pure enjoyment of the visuals.

Right... onwards!

STROSZEK

Yeah, so this film is a real bummer. The Herzog films I've watched so far have all been haunting and dour, but never bleak. Stroszek, however, is real "Kill me now!" material. It is perhaps here that one should include the oft-noted piece of dark trivia that it was apparently this film that Joy Division's Ian Curtis was watching when he committed suicide.

Anyway, moving on...

I was unexpectedly glad to see Bruno S. return after his very unique and unusual performance in The Enigma of Kaspar Hauser. He is an odd fellow to watch, and apparently he's not really acting - this is Bruno S. and some of the stories his "character" tells onscreen are the actor's actual experiences.

So - spoiler alert - the key series of events or plot of Stroszek are: Bruno gets released from a psychiatric hospital, moves in with a prostitute by the name of "Eva", gets abused by local thugs, emigrates to America with Eva and a gender-ambiguous elderly neighbour by the name of "Scheitz", gets into debt, loses Eva, loses his home, goes on the road, turns to crime then kills himself.

It starts off downbeat and proceeds to get worse and worse.

Sigh.

Some things in Stroszek don't really make much sense or just aren't explained particularly well. I guess you could call them "plot holes", but I also don't think it helps that Herzog's documentary style works against the viewer's suspension of disbelief.

I'm just going to list the plot holes that stood out to me on my one and only viewing, rather than write a weighty commentary.

1) Why did the hospital Bruno was staying at spend so much time trying to help him get better only to give him an aggressive "dressing down" just as he was about to leave?

2) What are the local thugs actually up to? Were they into drugs or prostitution? This was never really made clear, as far as I could tell.

3) Bruno seemed to know Eva from before he was in hospital. What was his relationship with her back then?

4) Why didn't Bruno simply call the police when the local thugs started violently assaulting him and Eva on a regular basis?

5) Once in America, why did Bruno and Eva get into debt? They both seemed to have steady jobs and it was not made explicitly clear that either were particularly heavy substance abusers, even though Bruno in particular had a prior criminal record relating to alcohol abuse.

6) What was wrong with Scheitz? Did he have dementia or did he have other mental health issues? He seemed fine before they got to America.

7) Why did Eva leave? The reasons why she and Bruno fell out aren't explained very well, and her leaving would almost certainly leave her in an even worse state of affairs than if she just stayed where she was. If she wasn't thinking clearly due to substance abuse then - again - that was not really shown.

8) How could the representative from the bank in good conscience or even legally goad Bruno into signing things when Bruno clearly could not speak English?

9) Where was Bruno going at the end of the film? Was he just aimlessly "on the road", or was he planning to "win" Eva back in Canada?

10) Apart from wanting to cause a distraction and to have Herzog feed us a heavy-handed visual metaphor about life going round in circles, why did Bruno leave his truck doing "doughnuts"? Why did it catch on fire?

So, there are some of the things that worked against my enjoyment of the film on a logical basis, but apart from that there were many things I did enjoy.

In particular, our three leads are wonderfully naturalistic, with Bruno perhaps unintentionally so. You will truly fall in love with Eva Mattes as the beautiful and warm-hearted Eva and smile every time Clemens Scheitz is onscreen as the increasingly paranoid mad-inventor Scheitz. Herzog's reliance on non-professional actors tends to work against him with some of the "actors" in the America portion of the film, though. Here they are flat-out distractingly awful, apart from Scott McKain as the man from the bank, who has three scenes in which to shine as a very gentle and patient bureaucrat. He's also rather cute in a geeky-sort-of-way. It's a shame he's only made two appearances on screen in his life.

McKain and the auctioneer both appeared in Herzog's How Much Wood Would a Woodchuck Chuck documentary, which I'm assuming was shot while they were making Stroszek... or maybe Stroszek was shot while they were making How Much Wood Would a Woodchuck Chuck. I'm sure the facts are listed somewhere, but I mainly want to give my first impressions here.

And that's it, really. The film doesn't carry on the visual beauty of Heart of Glass, unfortunately, so we're back to it being hard to discuss the cinematography or camera direction, so I think I'll end this discussion here.

Stroszek is a sad film, but that so many elements were left unexplained, especially why Bruno and Eva's dreams were so easily dashed, makes it hard to really believe. As an examination of the difficulties of getting oneself out of poverty, though, it's very sympathetic and probably relatable to many people watching out there.

And I can't stop the dancing chickens.

NEXT UP: HEART OF GLASS and HOW MUCH WOOD WOULD A WOODCHUCK CHUCK

Podcast: The Whittling Post Digest - Episode 24

THIS EPISODE: LOST SOUL, COMMUNITY, UNBREAKABLE KIMMY SCHMIDT, THE GOLDEN GIRLS, RAISED BY WOLVES, THE ROCKY HORROR SHOW LIVE and MORE!

A roundup of my recent cultural experiences in podcast form! The average adventures of a geek with too much time on his hands. Not to be confused with better, more professional cultural review podcasts, of which there are plenty.

Podcast: The Whittling Post Digest - Episode 23 (SPOILERS!)

THIS EPISODE: STAR WARS EPISODE VII THE FORCE AWAKENS AUDIO COMMENTARY (INCLUDING SPOILERS)!

A roundup of my recent cultural experiences in podcast form! The average adventures of a geek with too much time on his hands. Not to be confused with better, more professional cultural review podcasts, of which there are plenty.

Podcast: The Whittling Post Digest - Episode 22

THIS EPISODE: PRISCILLA QUEEN OF THE DESERT, BEAUTIFUL THING, TOMBOY, FALLOUT 4, RAINBOW SIX SIEGE, ALIEN ISOLATION, ROCKET LEAGUE, FINDING HOME and MORE!

A roundup of my recent cultural experiences in podcast form! The average adventures of a geek with too much time on his hands. Not to be confused with better, more professional cultural review podcasts, of which there are plenty.

Podcast: The Whittling Post Digest - Episode 21

THIS EPISODE: MIDDLE-EARTHATHON, FUTURE SHOCK, INSIDE OUT, MISSION IMPOSSIBLE ROGUE NATION, TURBO KID, JODOROWSKY'S DUNE SOUNDTRACK, THE ROCKY HORROR SHOW, ROCKET LEAGUE, THE LAST CONTINENT, THE FIFTH ELEPHANT and MORE!

A roundup of my recent cultural experiences in podcast form! The average adventures of a geek with too much time on his hands. Not to be confused with better, more professional cultural review podcasts, of which there are plenty.

Persistence of Vision – documentary review

“But what have I got if I haven’t got those awards? I’ve got nothing. I got the building and the staff that’s in it, you know, and an unmade picture.” – Richard Williams

It says something about the ultimate fate of Richard Williams’ long-gestated project The Thief and the Cobbler that I only heard about it a month or so before watching this documentary, which follows its inception, prolonged pre-production and final, disastrous animation phase.

Persistence of Vision tells the story of Williams starting his London-based animation studio in the 1960s, becoming a prolific, award-winning commercials animator, before boldly attempting a long-form feature animated film. Kevin Schreck’s documentary takes the stance that The Thief and the Cobbler is a lost masterpiece, a work of genius that the public can now only see glimpses of in either the studio-completed release, or the rough workprint that Williams produced before production was taken over by a completion bond company.

I feel that pre-empting what the viewer would take from this story was jumping the gun a little, as coming to it relatively cold and only knowing the basics of what happened before my viewing, I found my reaction to it a little different.

But, although the documentary is selling Williams’ film as a lost artwork, it balances things out by detailing his out-of-control perfectionism, naïve vision and surprisingly poor planning skills. Assertions of a Dickensian-style workplace are perhaps objective, as other artists who worked on the project don’t seem as traumatised and bitter as others, however the message is clear: Williams saw his talented crew as a mere means to an end, squandering their contributions and ultimately taking personal and professional credit for their work.

Hey, that sounds familiar, doesn’t it? Remember that George Lucas guy? No, me neither. Anyway…

The agonising thing you realise while watching the Williams-directed The Thief and the Cobbler footage is how dated his visual style looks. It’s too intricate and detailed for the eye to cope with and fully appreciate when animated, and seems mired in flower power-era flourishes that now appear grotesque. When PoV shows you clips of Disney’s Aladdin, which allegedly ripped-off The Thief and the Cobbler, it feels like a breath of fresh air – its designs are simpler and more elegant, while the backgrounds uncluttered and striking. Williams’ vision was not only thirty years in the making but thirty years behind the times – an amazing revelation considering his groundbreaking work on Who Framed Roger Rabbit.

Much like with the similarly themed documentary Jodorowsky’s Dune, we are treated to a fascinating and often inspiring “what if?” story but, when you stop to think about it for a second, you realise that maybe we dodged a bullet by not being given Williams’ final product. The man failed to lock down a script to work from, storyboard his film properly or employ a counterbalancing producer to reign him in and tell him when to stop. Apparently, he refused to be interviewed for PoV, and I think I understand why. This was all his fault, and he probably knows it.

If anything, this is a lesson in the importance of not listening so much to someone’s fast talk and confidence, which Williams seemed to have far more of than he did a clear, defined vision. In fact, by the end, one of the animators tells us that, at best, The Thief and the Cobbler probably would have been received by the public as a novel experimental piece, rather than a family-friendly blockbuster. Williams might have been better off taking a step back and acting as the film’s producer, rather than being its creative force. His energetic hyperbole is just what a costly production needs.

Persistence of Vision is a valuable and worthwhile documentary, but prepare yourself to feel more frustrated at its obsessive protagonist than sympathetic. And also slightly confused, sadly at how horrid The Thief and the Cobbler actually looks, despite what you’re constantly being told.

But, as the title suggests, this isn’t a film about whether a man’s vision is misguided or not – it’s about its persistence.

You can buy Persistence of Vision on DVD here: http://kevinschreck.com/#persistence-of-vision-on-dvd

Fan Fiction: Return of the Jedi v2 – A Film Re-Imagined

NOTE: This is a basic story outline or treatment with an incredibly sparse use of dialogue. I’ve tried to use as many characters and sequences that appear in the original 1983 Return of the Jedi film as possible, just placed elsewhere and under different circumstances. There are three planets that are visited in the text but are not named properly (instead being referred to simply as “Planet One” “Planet Two” and Planet Three” respectively) as I thought taking it upon myself to name things would be more confusing than not, plus I didn’t want to use Expanded Universe or prequel terminology. Last but not least, please keep in mind that this has been done only for fun and as a “what if” exercise, so be nice.

A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away…

THE ADVENTURES OF LUKE SKYWALKER
RETURN OF THE JEDI
As taken from THE JOURNAL OF WHILLS

SCENE 01

The Super Star Destroyer Executor arrives in orbit around the Emperor’s homeworld Had Abaddon and a shuttle descends into a vast fortress. Within the fortress walls the shuttle continues to descend down into the cavernous bowels of the planet where the Emperor’s sumptuous lair lies safely amidst rivers of lava.

Darth Vader exits the shuttle with his second in command Admiral Piett and they meet the Emperor, who is now weak and feeble; surrounded by medical staff and aids, including the venal Grand Moff Jerjerrod.

Vader bids them all to leave – including Piett – and he and the Emperor are left alone.

Vader explains to the Emperor that his hold over the galaxy has been drastically weakened by the destruction of the Death Star, a fact he seems unaware of due to his aids shielding him from the truth after the space station’s obliteration by the rebels.

The Emperor accuses Vader of failing to acquire Luke Skywalker, a potentially powerful ally, and goes so far as to accuse Vader of plotting against him.

Vader makes a subtle hand gesture and the room fills with Piett and a garrison of stormtroopers. Vader murders the old, decrepit man with his cold, black, robot hands. The witnesses are stunned into silence.

Vader commands Jerjerrod to act as an interim leader while the Empire is dismantled.

On their way back to the shuttle. Vader instructs Piett to sack the palace and throw the Emperor’s aids into the rivers of lava. When asked “And what then?” Vader replies that it is to be made public that the Emperor is dead and his Empire at its knees so that the rebels attempt to converge on Had Abaddon to take control. “And what then, my lord?” Piett asks again, Vader replies “They will not make it this far.”

SCENE 02

The rebels receive word that the Emperor is dead and make plans to move on Had Abaddon, but Princess Leia is unsure, offering the alternative theory that maybe it is a trap. Admiral Ackbar and Mon Mothma dismiss her fears.

Threepio conveys spy data that reveals the Emperor’s fortress on Had Abaddon is now under siege from rebel-friendly forces, however a strong Imperial fleet is still in orbit around the planet and remain in charge on the ground.

Admiral Ackbar lays out their plan to travel from system to system gaining extra support and manpower before their final march on the Imperial fortress.

SCENE 03

On Tatooine we find Lando Calrissian and Chewbacca poised ready to intercept Han Solo’s frozen body in Jabba’s possession.

Suddenly the palace is attacked by Imperial forces and there is much chaos and destruction. Lando and Chewie fight for their lives.

Darth Vader appears and uses The Force to wrap a chain around Jabba’s great neck and choke him to death. He has everyone else – including Lando and Chewie – taken as prisoners. Boba Fett appears from the shadows and attempts to attack Vader but he is struck down and killed by Vader’s lightsaber.

Vader stands before the frozen body of Han Solo, contemplating his next move.

SCENE 04

Luke arrives back at the rebel fleet with Artoo and tells Leis that he found Jabba’s palace destroyed. The rendezvous with Lando and Chewie never took place as they were nowhere to be found. Han’s body was also not found and Luke presumed it to be buried under the rubble of Jabba’s palace.

Threepio and Artoo bicker about Artoo not finding Han Solo.

Leia accuses Luke of not trying hard enough to find them and they briefly argue, but soon they temper their emotions and embrace.

Leia tells Luke that the fleet is going to head for Had Abaddon now that the Emperor is apparently dead. Luke offers her the opportunity to go with him to search elsewhere for their friends. She refuses, citing her commitment to the rebellion. Luke agrees to go along… for now.

In private, Luke attempts to call out to Obi-Wan Kenobi or Yoda, but all is silent. He is visibly weary and ashamed of leaving his training so early and looks to his robot hand as a reminder.

SCENE 05

The rebels arrive at PLANET ONE where many POWs are kept on a prison sail barge. The rebels, including Luke and Leia, storm the barge and free the prisoners, who agree to join them in their march on Had Abaddon.

Amongst the prisoners they find Lando and Chewie, who tell Luke and Leia of Darth Vader attacking Jabba’s palace. When asked what became of Han Solo, Lando and Chewie admit they do not know.

Leia is distraught and begins to believe that all hope is lost for finding her beloved.

SCENE 06

On the Executor, it is revealed that Vader has now thawed out Han Solo and is keeping him in a trance-like state. Vader reprograms Han using a combination of hypnosis and The Force, giving him instructions to return to the rebel fleet and assassinate the high command, including Leia, Ackbar and Mothma.

Piett asks Vader if Han will betray them once he is back with the rebels. Vader assures him that Han will have no knowledge of his reprogramming or any memory of having been on the Executor.

SCENE 07

On PLANET TWO the rebels recruit the native, oppressed populace into helping them attack an Imperial communications installation on the planet that operates as an early attack warning system for Had Abaddon.

Here they send false signals to the Imperial fortress informing them that all is well.

SCENE 08

Piett informs Vader that they are getting conflicting reports of events on PLANET TWO. He also tells Vader that Han Solo has been delivered to the required location.

Vader is satisfied with both pieces of information.

SCENE 09

While celebrating their victory on PLANET TWO the rebels find Han Solo, seemingly by chance, in a bar as he is talking to the locals. He claims that he escaped from Jabba single-handedly, took revenge on Boba Fett and is now using Slave 1 to search for the whereabouts of the Millennium Falcon, which he believes has been sold for scrap.

Leia confides to Luke that she is hurt that Han does not remember their romantic relationship prior to his being put into carbon freeze. Luke shares with her that Han’s story does not hold water and finds it hard to believe that he would prioritise revenge over returning to his friends and loved ones.

They both agree to keep an eye on him.

SCENE 10

In seclusion Darth Vader makes psychic contact with Han Solo to learn properly of the fall of PLANET TWO and the rebels’ plans. During the link Han asks Vader what course of action he is to take next. Vader tells him to just remain undetected for now.

SCENE 11

On PLANET THREE the rebels arrive to arrest the fleeing top ranking Imperial officials who are making their getaways via a massive spaceport.

There is a speederbike chase involving Luke, Leia and wanted officials.

The captured officials tell of the mass execution of the Emperor’s entourage on Had Abaddon and that Vader will not be found there.

Leia asserts her belief to the rebel high command that it maybe a trap. They begin to believe her and choose to approach their final target with caution.

Han, Chewie and Lando find the Millennium Falcon at the spaceport and steal it back in a light-hearted sequence intended to show Han integrating back in well with the rebels and his friends.

SCENE 12

Darth Vader receives a message from Jerjerrod that the fortress on Had Abaddon is still under his control but he is receiving requests by the rebels to surrender. Vader tells him to maintain silence and the integrity of the fortress.

Vader also tells Jerjerrod to expect a mysterious shipment very soon, which he is to handle with extreme caution and proceed with the instructions that arrive with it.

Vader discusses the situation with Admiral Piett, who seems annoyed that Vader refuses to disclose his plans with him. He tells Vader that discontent is spreading amongst his men. Vader reassures him that everything is proceeding as he has foreseen it and that Piett is to execute traitors or anyone spreading malcontent.

Piett leaves, frustrated.

In another psychic link, Vader instructs Han Solo to illuminate his targets.

SCENE 13

On the rebel fleet Lando and Chewie relax at an onboard bar. They are getting drunk and telling stories. Han, still unaware of Vader’s hold over him, joins the two and they discuss the past, present and future. Lando asks Han whether Leia is “available” to be romanced since Han has not shown any interest in her since returning. Han says he no longer has any interest in Leia romantically.

Chewie becomes suspicious.

Han asks where both Luke and Leia are and Lando tells him they are in conference with the rebel high command planning the invasion. Han leaves the bar, to the bemusement of both Lando and Chewie.

SCENE 14

With their guard down Luke, Leia, Ackbar and Mothma are attacked by Han. A fight ensues. Lando and Chewie, having sensed something is wrong with Han, appear and join in the battle. Leia is badly injured in the chaos – but not directly by Han. Eventually Chewie overpowers Han and then Luke uses The Force to break Darth Vader’s programming of him.

During Luke’s searching of Han’s mind he and Vader have a brief exchange. Vader taunts Luke about being his son. Luke calls him a liar and a manipulator. before banishing him from Han’s mind for good.

Han, completely back to how he was before being frozen, has the romantic reunion with Leia that she has been waiting for.

When asked what he remembers about his conversations with Vader, Han honestly admits to not remembering anything.

SCENE 15

As Vader’s psychic link with Han is broken, he awakens to find himself surrounded by Admiral Piett and a host of stormtroopers.

Piett announces his intention to mutiny and surrender to the approaching rebel fleet now that the Emperor is dead and the Empire crumbling.

Vader, outnumbered even with his evil powers, simply says “As you wish, Admiral” and is taken into custody.

SCENE 16

The rebels receive word from the Executor of the Empire’s willingness to surrender, citing a military coupe by Admiral Piett. Piett informs them that Darth Vader is in his custody and that Jerjerrod on Had Abaddon is under orders to meet them to discuss peace terms.

Leia, Ackbar and Mon Mothma agree to go down to the planet as a peace envoy, with Luke there as their bodyguard and Threepio as an interpreter if needed.

Mothma is concerned that Leia is not well enough after the battle with Han Solo, but the plucky young princess asserts her determination to join them.

SCENE 17

A rebel unit, headed by Lando Calrissian, arrive on the Executor. Admiral Piett releases Darth Vader into their custody and agrees to comply fully with the rebels’ wishes, assuring them that they will find no resistance amongst the Imperial crew.

SCENE 18

Luke, Leia, Ackbar, Mothma and Threepio leave the rebel fleet in a shuttle and head down to the fortress on Had Abaddon.

SCENE 19

Now in custody on the rebel ship, Darth Vader is mocked and taunted by Han Solo and Chewie, who play cards and joke in front of their silent captor.

There is an open communications channel allowing Han and Chewie (and us) to hear what is going on over at the Executor and, most importantly, down on Had Abaddon.

SCENE 20

Lando Calrissian is informed by rebel tech staff that Vader had sent down a large, dangerous shipment to Had Abaddon before the fleet’s surrender and that the rebel high command might want to be vigilant on their arrival.

Lando relays this information to Luke over the radio.

SCENE 21

Down on Had Abaddon Luke, Leia, Ackbar, Mothma and Threepio are escorted through the Imperial fortress and down into the bowels of the planet where the meeting will take place.

The halls and corridors down here are vast and seemingly endless. It must have taken years for it to be carved or blasted out.

Everyone is on guard.

Luke receives a message on his radio transmitter from Lando and acknowledges it.

Suddenly there are screams from another room. Imperial staff turn a corner and run past our heroes towards the exit in terror as… a RANCOR monster appears and charges towards Luke, Leia, Ackbar, Mothma and Threepio. Luke tells his comrades to flee except for Threepio who he uses as a diversion as he battles the rancor single-handedly.

A fight between the budding jedi and enormous beast ensues.

SCENE 22

Han is distracted by the commotion down on the planet, which gives Darth Vader his opportunity to break his shackles, subdue his captors and head for a shuttle to escape.

Han and Chewie go in hot pursuit.

SCENE 23

Luke kills the rancor and order is restored.

SCENE 24

Han and Chewie chase Darth Vader using the Millennium Falcon. Both ships fly down to the fortress on Had Abaddon and into its immense, labyrinthine substructure.

Vader and his shuttle are destroyed as he converges on our heroes as they stand over the rancor’s body – a feat achieved through a combination of Han and Chewie’s piloting and Luke’s use of The Force.

SCENE 25

Our heroes part ways.

Leia is to stay on Had Abaddon to help supervise the dismantling of the Empire; Lando is to go back to Bespin and reclaim his mining business; Luke is to go back to Dagobah to complete his jedi training as promised; and Han and Chewie are to return to their old life, albeit as honest traders.

There is a romantic parting between Han and Leia, however Han says they will meet again once Leia’s important work on Had Abaddon is complete.

Luke Skywalker flies off into the stars with Artoo in search of new adventures.

THE END

UP NEXT: A COMMENTARY ON THE TEXT