Art Film: Bergman and Herzog

Pacey says:

I haven't seen all of the movies by these two directors, but I've seen a good selection of their reputable classic films. These two artists appear to approach film from two very different angles, and it may in some way reflect each one's ability to dream. Ingmar Bergman, reportedly, gets many of the ideas for filmography from his rich dreaming habits, whereas Werner Herzog self reports that he is incapable of dreaming. An insight can be reached in each directors state of mind while understanding their films.

Bergman movies -- (I've seen include Seventh Seal, Wild Strawberries, Persona, Passion of Anna, and Cries and Whispers). In some of these movies, the protagonist often drift into dreams where they sort out internal conflicts, where characters have blurred roles in the film's reality and the scenery becomes oddly structured. Flashbacks are often used in the plots, and some movies even create scenes of seemingly uncorrelated nonsense. One who dreams can somewhat appreciate the episodic impressionism of the dreamlike movies of Bergman.

Herzog movies -- (I've seen Aguirre, The Enigma of Kasper Hauser, Stroszek and have Heart of Glass and Fitzcarraldo signed out from the library). Herzog movies tend to be extraordinarily realistic, where the actors themselves become characters in the movie in a personal way. Consider Aguirre, where the movie was shot in chronological order while the actors actually built and carried boats on location in Peru and sailed the Amazon. And consider Kasper Hauser, where Herzog actually located someone who can (in some ways) be considered a feral child (Bruno S.) to play a feral child Kasper Hauser. In Heart of Glass, in order to have the actors appear disoriented, Herzog had the cast hypnotized before acting each scene. In perhaps the most daring movie ever made, the actors of Fitzarraldo physically carried a 320 ton steamboat over a mountain from one river to another. In these movies, acting and reality are often one in the same.



Perhaps one can consider that Bergman uses his dreamstate as a crutch, although he does use that crutch with impeccable skill. Conversely, the lack of dream perhaps drives Herzog to create an ultra-reality. In both cases, however, these movies are not for your average Hollywood moviegoer, and I think these directors have made these movies as self-conscious personal artistic documents without much regard for profitability (although many of these films have become part of the canon of classic cinema).


Take your Valentine to experience the movie aesthetic, Hollywood or otherwise.