Lebenszeichen
Werner Herzog / DE, 1968 / 95 min.
The Greek island Kos under German occupation. Wehrmacht soldier Stroszek is sent to guard a munitions depot, but the heat and grinding boredom overwhelm him. This story told in 16mm black-and-white in a nouvelle vague style won 26-year-old Herzog a Silver Bear at the Berlinale
We’re in the last three months of the war. Wounded soldier Stroszek is sent to Kos to recuperate, together with his wife and two other soldiers. Their job: to guard a Wehrmacht munitions depot.
From this simple situation, inspired by German Romantic author Achim von Arnim’s story ‘Der tolle Invalide auf dem Fort Ratonneau’, Herzog created his feature-length fiction debut, with Swiss actor Peter Brogle playing the lead.
Images © Werner Herzog Film
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Details
Director
Werner Herzog
Production year
1968
Country
DE
Original title
Lebenszeichen
Length
95 min.
Language
German
Subtitles
ENG
Format
DCP
Part of
Werner Herzog
Eye Filmmuseum presents an exhibition and extensive film programme around the work of celebrated filmmaker Werner Herzog. With an unorthodox oeuvre of more than seventy features, documentaries and shorts, Herzog has fascinated audiences with unforgettable stories, images and characters for more than half a century. His films grant us insights into the relationship between people and the chaotic world around them, as well as into the endless indifference of nature towards human life.
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