Rent Heart of Glass (1976)

heart of mud - Heart of Glass review by matt

Confused, pretentious dreck from the usually reliable werner herzog. Could only stand ten minutes of this. Avoid at all costs.

A FIlm in Stasis - Heart of Glass review by griggs

Every great director has an off day, and Heart of Glass feels like Herzog’s. The idea of hypnotised actors is interesting in theory, but it makes everything feel slow and lifeless in practice. Unsurprisingly, the characters seem stuck, like they’re sleepwalking through a film where very little happens for long stretches. The actors can’t follow direction, talk to inanimate objects for extended periods, and often ignore other characters or events unfolding around them. It’s an interesting experiment but, ultimately, a curious misfire from a brilliant filmmaker.

Look Into My Eyes... - Heart of Glass review by Steve

Experimental absurdism from peak-period Werner Herzog. Naturally, this description will turn off many viewers, which is fair enough as this is a slow, psychedelic allegory rather than accessible arthouse. But like all his German films, it is unique, personal and eccentric. So, a must-see for hardcore fans of the director.

At face value this is a hallucinatory fantasy about an 18th century Bavarian village shocked by the sudden death of an artisan who takes the secret of their distinctive local glass to the grave. So how will the left behind survive without the formula? This is the basis for some visionary subtext on the end of society...

Famously, Herzog placed his actors under hypnosis to create an impression of group hysteria. This inevitably makes it feel soporific. But then, it's this which makes it so totally Herzog. The prog-rock soundtrack and far-out digressions of the voiceover also convey a pungent blast of mid-70s/late-hippie ambience...

Which isn't ever cool, but the reflections on a post-industrial apocalypse seem quite relevant now, when some (like anti-vaxxers) are turning away from science, and experts. It's an oddity, and I'm not sure I'd take my date to see Heart of Glass 2, but it's certainly a highlight in the career of a capricious maverick.