Jeder für sich und Gott gegen alle (The Enigma of Kaspar Hauser) 1974 M
When
6.00pm, Fri 16 Jun 2017 (110 mins)Where
Gallery of Modern Art & Cinema A
About
Based (loosely, as with all of Herzog's historical works) on the true story of Kaspar Hauser – a young German man who, in the early 19th Century, mysteriously emerged onto the streets of Nuremberg after being kept captive in a house throughout the entirety of his youth. Upon his arrival, he is taken into a circus to be gawked at, before a Professor offers to educate and raise the man – which leads to unwanted attention from the local aristocracy. The Enigma of Kaspar Hauser is a lyrical, moving portrait of an unknowable man and the inscrutability of his life. He is portrayed in an astonishing performance by the outsider artist/musician Bruno S., who perfectly renders the mystery at the heart of the story. Bruno himself had spent much of his early life institutionalised – in both hospitals and prisons - and his familiarity with the pain of being existentially restrained emerges in his deeply empathetic portrayal. It is one of the great director's finest achievements – a testament to both his singular artistic vision and his deep understanding of humanity.
Production Credits
- Director/Script: Werner Herzog
- Cinematographer: Jörg Schmidt-Reitwein
- Editor: Beate Mainka-Jellinghaus
- Production Designer: Henning Von Gierke
- Production Company: ZDF
- Print Source: Deutsche Kinemathek
- Rights: Werner Herzog Film Gmbh
- Screening Format: 35mm m, 35mm Transferred to DCP
- Year: 1974
- Runtime: 110 minutes
- Country: West Germany
- Language: German
- Sound: Mono
- Colour: Colour