Werner Herzog is a German filmmaker with a different style of directing. As a potential director myself, I find Herzog to be rather intriguing, to say the least, particularly with his approach in the film Stroszek. A few days ago I viewed this film with the commentary and discovered so much in depth of his vision. There are major sections in the film that is improvisational, completely off script. There are different locations in the movie that Herzog decided to capture in the spare of the moment. To put the cherry on top, out of all places in America to film a movie, Plainfield, Wisconsin was where he shot much of the film. Why not Chicago, Illinois? Why not Los Angeles, California? Why not New York City? I think Herzog had a perception of America being this place where immigrants come for that typical “Rags to Riches” story. Interesting enough, our main character’s dreams of success in America didn’t come true.
In chapter 5 of a reading titled, “Herzog on Herzog”, Werner said, “Musical influences have always been very strong, maybe the strongest. He went on by saying he does not read much, but when he does, it is always a very intense experience. He especially likes poetry by Holderlin. I thought that was ironic because I too am influenced by music. For the purpose of my final project, both poetry and music are deep elements to the entire project. Music and poetry does not just influence the piece, it is my piece. Herzog collaborated with magnificent artists, such as Bruno S, so will I. Jinglei Xiao, who is a classmate of mine, has agreed to collaborate with me on this project. With his extraordinary editing skills, and both of our creative minds, there’s no telling what the finished project will convey. However, I can say this much, it will be revelating.
I really agree with the fact that music does play a very influential role in film-making but honestly, i felt like Herzog's choice of music in this documentary was very distorting and didn't add much to the story. On the other hand, I thought it was very ironic that he used a folk music of that kind to end his film. Maybe, after watching the entire film next week I will better understand how music help in his film-making process.
ReplyDeleteHis choices often seem associative and by chance. Some how each piece of music brings with it certain mental images that play against what he has filmed or add complexity to what he is expressing. The dancing chicken at the end of Strosek will always mystify us but Herzog feels it is one of the most important messages in his films.
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