Heart of Glass [Herz aus Glas] *** (1976, Josef Bierbichler, Stefan Güttler, Clemens Scheitz) – Classic Movie Review 10,195

Director Werner Herzog’s 1976 Heart of Glass [Herz aus Glas] is an odd version of a German folktale, about a Bavarian shepherd who reveals the secrets of glassblowing to a village factory boss whose expert has suddenly died without sharing the secret of the renowned ‘Ruby Glass’. Heart of Glass is a surreal experimental film from the Seventies ‘new German cinema’.

The screenplay by Herzog and Herbert Achternbusch struggles to find clarity and make its metaphorical points and legendary connections, but it remains fascinating. A (literally) hypnotised cast provides the other-worldly touch, and the film’s surface is extremely striking (photography by Jörg Schmidt-Reitwein).

The main cast are Josef Bierbichler, Stefan Güttler, Clemens Scheitz, Sepp Müller, Volker Prechtel, Brunhilde Klöckner and Sonja Skiba.

© Derek Winnert 2020 Classic Movie Review 10,195

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