Invincible

Of the filmmaker Werner Herzog, I've heard and read strange things about him and his films. That two of his works, Aguirre: The Wrath of God, and Fitzceraldo, are two of the most bizarre modern European films. That he once ate a shoe from a bet with Errol Morris, and made a documentary about it. That he once said (and I'm paraphrasing) "some people make movies with their minds and hearts, I make them with my (expletive)." So, when I saw this film at the rental store, Invincible, and the image of Tim Roth in a truly Gothic pose on the cover, I expected it to be a dark, brooding film about pre-war, pre-dictator Hitler Germany. In a way it is, and in a way its not. Although the film is rated PG-13, I would imagine that for the die-hard Herzog fans this is like his family film, or at the least kids might not be too freaked out to watch it. Surprisingly, Herzog brings a fable out of a true story, about how each side of the coin is a certain way, black or white, and whichever role you choose defines you, though there can be an exception.

There was one sequence, however, where I saw that Herzog brilliantly had a kind of surreal, one-of-a-kind filmed scene that I expected amongst the more typical dramatic scenes. It involves a dream of Zishe's (played by near unknown Jouko Ahola in a mostly one-note performance) where he walks around on a rocky beach. He is surrounded by bright red crabs, and steps around on the rock trying not to knock them down or get snipped by their claws. But he does so casually, with the searing Hans Zimmer/Klaus Blaudet music in the background. This dream occurs again towards the end of the film, as his younger brother leads him by the hand through the crabs on the rocks, somehow giving him strength. These are powerful scenes in a movie that could've been even more powerful.

Take Tim Roth's performance- it towers above all the others because most (aside from Udo Kier whom I recognized) are non-professionals. It's to Herzog's credit that he makes these people in Poland shtetels and in Berlin to be believable, but he's not a great director of them like the neo-realists in Italy were. And because Roth, as this brooding, tragic anti-hero witnesses what happens with his strongman from Poland, is so good and subtle at his role, he out-acts pretty much anyone else in the film. Watching him is fascinating, especially when he's quiet and subtle, or in the scenes when he's on stage performing his acts. It shows how versatile he can be in this film. I just wish it was the same for the others. (strong) B+

Invincible (Werner Herzog).

Set in the years before WWII, a simpleton cum Jewish Pole strong man, was recruited by a German mystic cum showman, who's intent on dressing him up into Aryan legends, to perform legendary feats of strength on a hybrid cabaret-like show for Nazis patrons?

I wouldn't believe it either, but its supposedly inspired by a true story. Thank god for the inspiration of mad geniuses!

I laughed so hard at the first few chapters of this movie, its embarassing. But I regretted my rash reaction by film's midpoint. For what was deemed funny early on (weird mix of acting styles, idiosyncratic dramatic developments, and outlandishly funny English accents etc), got into me like second skin. And I realised by some point, I have seen one of the most oddly "moving" films in recent memory.

Two words, child-like innocence (or was it three?). Whatever. This flick me liked and it comes with my highest recommendation. Watch it, and learn.

Next up, Herzog's Heart of Glass.....

This is a film about a Jewish young man who witnessed the hatred and discrimination towards the Jews by the German Nazis before the Second World War.

I found the first half of the film boring. It was slow, and there was not much to offer. The scenes were not emotional, and lack climax. The acting was bad too, as the actors lacked emotion. It only plainly told the viewers what happened in Berlin's entertainment shows. Zishe was indeed very strong, and the film concentrated on this aspect. The director filmed many shots of Zishe lifting very heavy weights, bending metal object etc. However, all these displays become like a bodybuilding show.

The second half of the movie was more pleasant to watch. Zishe saw the Nazis starting to harm the Jews, and he urged the Jews to leave Germany. However, no one believed him. In this latter half, there are more scenes which makes people think. For example, there was a scene which Zishe walked among an island full of red crabs. I think it means that the Jews were like the red crabs, they could not escape from the island.

In the end, Zishe died of an infection caused by a wound in the leg. His death was two days before the Second World War. I think the directors want to carry a secret message here. As Zishe was the hero among the Jewish population in Germany, his death means that even the strongest Jew could die. Without Zishe the Jewish population became vulnerable. Then two days after that, extermination of the Jews began. Overall, I think this film is thought provoking, but the acting is not good. The actors and actresses showed no emotion, and the story is not convincing.

The great Werner Herzog uses grandly designed set pieces to deliver a foreboding period piece about the nature of facism in pre-WW2 Berlin. The focus of the story revolves around the opposing philosophies of the sinister, renowned clairvoyant Hanussen, and one of his performers, a naive strongman, lured off the farm to make his fortune in the big city. Needless to say, both of these powerful characters provide the symbolic thrust of Herzog's visionary statement, and he presents them as extreme opposites. Roth really delivers as a refined cynic, while real-life strongman Ahola is a childlike brute, an amateur hero challenging the authority of a professional villain. While parts of the picture are heavy-handed and obvious, it has a refreshing, unsentimental neutrality about it's subject matter, and it's mise-en-scene pleasures are many. My favorite scene follows our hero on his way to Berlin: he's picked up by a couple of farmers, one of them unable to control wild outbursts of laughter as he listens to the naive strongman tell about his dreams. A worthy film in the Herzog repertoire and interesting enough even for non-enthusiasts.

A film broadcast at 2am on channel 4 and starring Tim Roth ! I remember the last movie broadcast on channel 4 with Tim Roth in the credits which was THE WAR ZONE , one of the few movies I've regretted watching due to the depressing content and since INVINCIBLE centres around the birth of Nazism I wasn't expecting too many uplifting moments but I certainly recommend Werner Herzog's strange and interesting drama based on a true story

!!!! SPOILERS !!!!

In a Polish town the circus arrives and blacksmith's son Zishe Brietbart beats the strongman in a competition and impressed with Zishe's physical strength a theater agent signs him up where he performs at Berlin's Cabaret Of The Occult which is owned by Danish nobleman Hanussen . Since it's 1932 the Nazis are on the rise so Hanussen reinvents Zishe as " Siegfried " and shows his predominantly Nazi audience the physical strength of this Ayran . Hanussen shows this as proof of Ayran superiority while at the same time impressing his audience with his own occult powers . However despite his own naked opportunist agenda Hanussen has a secret of his own that he doesn't want known to his audience ...

Some people may claim how ridiculously ironic it is having a Jew pretending to be an Ayran strongman in order to put forward a racist agenda but this I feel is the whole point of the story which one has a feeling has been turned into a fable rather than a story that has stuck to rigid facts . Certainly the most bitter irony about the rise of Nazism is that one of the architects of Nazi philosophy Alfred Rosenberg had a Jewish name while Hitler , Heydrich and Eichmann were of Jewish descent themselves ( Though technically not Jews - According to tradition if your mother wasn't a Jew neither are you ) so people with an irony deficency will have a problem understanding this beautiful and intelligent film

And I don't apologise for thinking this is a beautiful and intelligent film , it might not have the reputation of Herzog's other films like the painfully overrated FITZCARRALDO but it's one I can certainly recommend for a mainstream audience . However there is one serious flaw that stands out and that is the casting of Jouko Ahola as Zishe . You do get the gut instinct that Herzog wanted to cast a certain Austrian body builder turned politician in the lead role and it's impossible to watch Ahola without being reminded of Big Arnie except Ahola is an even more wooden actor and his lack of thespian skills is made even more obvious when he's playing opposite Tim Roth is one of his most impressive roles which slightly damages the movie