FILM: Woyzeck

Woyzeck is the story of a soldier who provides for his lover, Marie, and illegitimate child by doing odd jobs around the town. He works as the doctor's experiment subject who puts him on strange diets. As a result, Franz slowly goes mad, while discovering Marie's affair with the local drum major, ending in violence. It is based off an unfinished play by Georg Büchner.


Here is Klaus Kinski in his element - playing a mad man. It is common knowledge that Kinski was considered by many to be mad himself, only a lot louder than the madness of his characters. He brilliantly plays this simple character and the development of his madness is interesting to watch.

The plot is quite simple for a Herzog film, as are the characters.
Kinski began filming this film only days after the filming of Nosferatu had finished, so reached the set in a state of exhaustion which definitely adds to the confused and mad look in the character's face.

Of the Herzog films I have seen so far, this is my least favourite, simply because it is rather simple - there's not much depth in the topics - and because I have already seen Kinski play a mad character in Aguirre, Wrath of God, which he did so magnificently. Having said that, Woyzeck is definitely worth a watch - it may be my least favourite Herzog film but it is, by all means, still a good film. What I mean to say is, Herzog may not out-do himself in this film, but it still is a Herzog film - and Herzog, it seems, cannot go wrong.