Werner Herzog Box Set 1

Customer Reviews:

Some of the greatest movies ever made, all in one place.......2006-12-19

Kinski is probably my favourite actor of all time, and Herzog is easily one of my favourite directors. Naturally, I find their five collaborations to be nothing short of genius. Here we have a selection of brilliant, varied films, from the claustrophobic intensity of Aguirre, the brooding horror of Nosferatu, the tortured insanity of Woyzeck, the powerful obsession of Fitzcarraldo and the brutally poignant Cobra Verde, my only regret is that they didn't make more films together. My Best Fiend tops it off, a fascinating and insightful documentary into this incredible partnership.

The picture and sound are good, most films offering the choice between original German with English subtitles and English dubbing, but the former is always the best choice. One reviewer complained that Fitzcarraldo suffered from poor subtitling - but why watch it with German dubbing when the movie was originally filmed in English?

The films come nicely packaged in six thin DVD cases, each one colour-coded and revealing a picture of the movie's poster. These all slot comfortably into a stylish two-piece cardboard box. There's a booklet with production notes on each film as well, and most of the films have on-disc biographies and commentaries.

Absolutely essential.

Film making and acting of genius, but is that enough?.......2006-05-18

In this fine DVD set we are in the presence of genius, Herzog the director and Kinski the actor.

Kinski projects onto the screen his own manic personality and tortured relationship with Herzog, he is simply unforgettable.

But Herzog fascinates me far more. Nosferatu and Woyzeck are superb dramatic films, it is the other three that leave me with the question what is the point of his films?

The main plot elements seem to be the combination of exploration and exploitation. In Aguirre it is the conquistadors stealing Inca gold, in Fitzcarraldo it is exploiting the native Indians for their rubber, in Cobra Verde the slave trade. These are pretty grim plots, but shot in locations of haunting natural beauty and superb cinematography. To a degree the locations dominate the films overshadowing the action and giving them a documentary character.

Strangely Herzog seems to underplay tension, an excellent example in Fitzcarraldo is when the boat is out of control in rapids we just see the boat spinning around, no scenes of frantic activity to try and correct the situation. We admire everything but are never involved.

I watch the films fascinated, but apart from Nosferatu and Woyzeck I afterwards feel let down as the stories are so broadly conceived and a niggling feeling this is art for its own sake.

Another comment about subtitles.......2006-02-06

..being that in some cases they are carelessly, or maybe wilfully wrong. In Nosferatu Harker accepts the commission from Renfield to go to Transylvania because he wants to buy a nicer house for Lucy, but this is mistranslated twice as bigger. In Aguirre, near the start, Pizzarro and Aguirre are talking by the river. In German the exchange goes:

P: It's all downhill from here [he is speaking both literally and metaphorically - they've just come over a colossal mountain range to a river valley]
A: It's all *uphill* from here!

The subtitles manage to lose the sense and the rhetoric, and add in a dramatic intention that the screenwriter (WH) didn't intend:

P: Things will get better from now on [banal, loses the rhetorical connection with the landscape and the dramatic action of the previous ten minutes]
A: We're all going under! [unwarranted, at odds with the actual line]

This sort of niggling inconsistency to no benefit dogs the subtitling in all the ones in the set I've watched so far. OK, if you don't understand German, it won't matter that much, but if you do, it grates a little.

Nevertheless, if you love European art cinema and don't have these titles, rectify the situation immediately!

Kinski, one of the Greatest actors of his generation?.......2006-01-30

I think that he is, his on screen presence is as powerful as any actor I have ever seen. From the dark ferocity, burning evil of Kinskis portrayal of 'Nosferatu'; without question he is the greatest 'vampire' to have ever graced cinema. To the manic depressive/shockingly haunting eyes of his portrayal of 'Woyzeck' his character in the films name-sake; indeed one of the most troubled yet somehow believeable characters seen on film.

Woyzeck versus Travis Bickle?....that would be an interesting answer.

Outstanding.

Excellent films, but technically flawed.......2005-01-16

I was recommended this in HMV without having even heard of Herzog and Kinski (I've only been exploring foreign cinema for a year now), and I bought it on the spot, and as far as the films are concerned I have not been disappointed. Herzog seems to be a master of directing cinematic beauty, and these five films show it. Personally, I think Aguirre is the best film of the box. And kinski is without doubt one of the most fascinating actors that i've ever come across.

The packaging is fantastic (Anchor Bay are usually good at this), but the films are let down by its subtitling. Sometimes the actors are speaking and there is nothing on the screen to indicate what they are talking about, with the only alternative being to switch to English audio. Fitzcaraldo is by far the worst film for this, where at times a good twenty seconds of dialougue can be missed.

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