With no hint of hyperbole, one of the strangest films I've ever seen and, most likely, ever created. The theme here is similar to Herzog's Aguirre. Again he is flirting with the meticulous descent into madness but his scope has changed. Heart of Glass deals not with the madness of obsession but the madness of loss. Herzog has also opened up his scope from a single individual or small group to an entire village. Heart of Glass is about a small Bavarian village whose sole craft, it appears, is a glass blowing factory. The pride of the village and factory is the Ruby Glass, glass that is forged with the red tint of Ruby. The glass is beautiful and the work of an unparalleled craftsman. Then suddenly, the only man who knows the technique for creating the Ruby Glass dies. The village is thrown into grief and turmoil. This sounds straightforward but this is a Herzog film, so it is anything but. The events occur quickly and we spend the next ninety minutes simply watching people lose their minds and their self. Throughout the whole thing is a prophet who just wanders around and whom 95% of the dialogue spoken is nothing more than cryptic prophecy. This isn't what makes the film strange, though. You have to be in the right mood to watch this film. It is incredibly slow, even by Herzog's standards, and there is absolutely no plot to be seen. This film can be an absolute bore because of this and I can't blame anyone for that. It's also hypnotic to watch, my choice of words is very intentional. I could not take my eyes off the screen. Not because it was filled with on screen action and an engaging plot. No, it was because of the pure strangeness of it all. Each scene has something bizarre occur in them, the entire cast is strangely disassociated from everything else, it is the definition of alienating. We are not infused with empathy or relatability here, the madness is incredibly brazen and destructive, a strong counterpoint to Aguirre, and more reflexive on pure madness instead of a descent. One scene that stood out is within the quarters of the village baron, and owner of the now doomed factory. The baron, his maid, his father, and two butlers are propped up around the room like mannequins. They are motionless and emotionless. The camera moves between all of them and shows us their state. The woman stares terrifyingly into the corner of space, we don't know her thoughts or why she would look that way, she just expresses insanity. Then the woman screams. No reaction. She screams again, no reaction. It's like looking at a patient in a mental asylum, simply prone to fits for no reason. Then the camera moves to one of the butlers, his eyes rolled back into his head, his face sunken. He sways slightly to the sides, a living zombie. The woman screams and runs to the door next to the zombutler and opens it revealing a man playing a harp, that had served as our soundtrack thus far, the woman screams and turns. Suddenly the zombutler erupts with life and moves quickly to close and lock the door. As soon as his task is complete his eyes roll back and he becomes a horrifying husk of a person again. This scene is so striking and memorable. It is perfect in every sense yet nothing happens and could be viewed as boring, but how could one think that when it is so strange?!!After watching the film I did some reading. It all makes sense now. With the exception of the seer, every single person in every single scene is hypnotized. Let that sink in. Herzog has everyone memorize their lines and then hypnotized them. This is why everyone's perfomances are so idiosyncratic and disassociated. This is how Herzog was able to convey pure madness! He removed the personality from the person. He temporarily broke them and placed them into scenarios. It's fucking genius and it pays off so well!! Simply astounding. The simple issues that there is no real story being told and the film is more than a bit slow still stand, however. This isn't simple watching to garner entertainment or to receive a story or theme. This film is a pure exercise in craft and possibility. The film is still undeniably beautiful to look at and features some of the most gorgeous landscapes my eyes have ever befallen. It is still impeccably constructed and made. It is a fascinating work that will probably work better the second time. It is not casual viewing or for everyone's taste. There are additional themes at play and they all have the power to influence and resonate, it's just all backseat to the strangeness on display. I liked this movie a lot. A lot a lot. I am drawn to the strange with an incredible unseen force and honestly, they don't get fucking stranger than this.
