Stroszek

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Stroszek
Bruno S. as Der Bruno Stroszek
Directed by	Werner Herzog
Produced by	Willi Segler
Written by	Werner Herzog
Starring	Bruno S. Eva Mattes Clemens Scheitz
Music by	Chet Atkins Sonny Terry
Cinematography	Thomas Mauch
Editing by	Beate Mainka-Jellinghaus
Release date(s)	1977
Running time	115 min
Language	German
IMDb profile

Stroszek is a 1977 film by German director Werner Herzog.

[edit] Plot

Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.

Bruno Stroszek (Bruno S.) is a Berlin street singer. Released from prison and warned to stop drinking, he immediately goes to a bar where he befriends Eva (Eva Mattes), a prostitute down on her luck whom he lets stay with him. After they are harried and beaten by the thugs who have been Eva's pimps, they decide to leave Germany and accompany Bruno's eccentric elderly neighbour Scheitz (Clemens Scheitz), who was planning to move to Wisconsin to live with his American nephew. In that winter-bound, barren prairie, Bruno works as a mechanic, Eva as a waitress and Scheitz pursues his interest in animal magnetism. The pair buy a trailer but, as bills mount, the bank threatens to repossess it. Eva wants privacy and, inexorably, the promise of a new life in the U.S.A. deserts Bruno. Finally Eva runs away with two truck drivers while Bruno and Scheitz make a catastrophic hold-up attempt.

[edit] Analysis

One of the most interesting aspects of the film is Herzog's use of local talent for the many smaller parts, including the mechanic and bank official (Scott McKain). During a trip to Wisconsin, Herzog met the auto mechanic (Clayton Szalpinski) who would later play the part in the film. His intent was to use local talent to portray characters in a naturalistic fashion. One of the most memorable political points in the film is found in Bruno's discussion of politics under the Nazis and politics in the U.S. He finds that Nazi brutality was displayed in the open while U.S. political/economic oppression occurs in the fine print of contracts. The ending of the film is much debated, and it involves an enigmatic scene of dancing chickens and rabbits inside a local tourist trap.

[edit] Trivia

Ian Curtis, the lead singer of the band Joy Division, reportedly committed suicide a few hours after watching the film on BBC 2 on May 18, 1980. The original vinyl release version of Joy Division's posthumous album Still featured the following groove notation: "The chicken won't stop" (side A), etched chicken tracks across the grooves (sides B & C), and "The chicken stops here" (side D). These are all in reference to the film's grim finale.

Herzog wrote the script for Stroszek in four days specifically for Bruno S.

The apartment and instruments used in the film were all property of Bruno S..

Herzog discovered Bruno S. in a documentary about street musicians. Herzog was facinated with Bruno and despite the fact that he had no training as an actor Herzog casted him as the lead in two of his films, The Enigma of Kaspar Hauser and Stroszek.