Werner Herzog Collection

Starring:Werner Herzog Collection
Studio: Anchor Bay
Product Type: DVD

Average customer rating:

A must for Herzog fans
Wonderful films, Anchor Bay has a few problems
Lost & Found: "Fata Morgana"
Manufacturing defect?
Werner Herzog - An Unconventional Study

Werner Herzog Collection
Starring: Werner Herzog Collection
Manufacturer: Starz / Anchor Bay
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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Werner Herzog and Klaus Kinski: A Film Legacy
The White Diamond
Herzog on Herzog
The Wild Blue Yonder
Burden of Dreams - Criterion Collection

ASIN: B0001ZX0F6
Release Date: 2004-08-03

Customer Reviews:

A must for Herzog fans.......2007-05-30

With or without Klaus Kinski, Werner Herzog takes us into strange realms of the human spirit. This collection is eclectic, wonderful, and an absolute must for Herzog fans. Hypnotized actors, evil little people, gorgeous, capable Eva Mattes, and the indescribable Bruno S. make up this disturbing, brilliant collection. Ann Doreen

Wonderful films, Anchor Bay has a few problems.......2006-04-17

These are stunning films. "The Enigma of Kaspar Hauser" is one of the classics; the shot of the rye field in the wind alone is worth the price of admission. It's good that Anchor Bay is emphasizing that they'll rectify defective disks, though, because problems abound. Thanks to an earlier reviewer for posting their complaints URL! On my copy of "Kaspar Hauser" the commentary simply won't turn off (and it's not that I haven't figured out how, because it turns off on the other disks). Then occasionally it turns off all by itself, but if you try to get the subtitles, it turns back on -- so you can't watch the film WITH subtitles but WITHOUT commentary. Exasperating! While I was fiddling with commentaries, however, I managed to watch the whole of "Heart of Glass" with commentary. "Heart of Glass" is not the most accessible film -- not because, as Herzog says, it's slow, but because hypnotized actors are more like zombies than actors. But the film with the commentary on is the most surreal, fascinating experience -- the stories behind the making of the film are an artwork in themselves. The same is true of "Kaspar Hauser" -- an unintended benefit of the disk problem. Providing Anchor Bay makes good on their defective disks, this is a great set.

Lost & Found: "Fata Morgana" .......2005-12-29

I've encountered a snag with "Fata Morgana" as well-- in my case, it was missing entirely. However, I contacted Anchor Bay's feedback department (http://www.anchorbayentertainment.com/index.asp?p=FAQ_Problem) and they sent me a fully functional DVD pretty quickly. I'm glad they did, as it's a gorgeous piece well worth seeing.

Manufacturing defect?.......2005-08-03

Has anyone else had a problem with 'Lessons of Darkness/Fata Morgana'? I've tried two different copies of this box set and the same few minutes at the end of Fata Morgana won't play. It skips and goes back to the DVD menu.

Regardless of that, the box set is worth it. An amazing collection of films, well put together. I want to see the end of 'Fata Morgana', but the other six movies are spectacular.

Werner Herzog - An Unconventional Study.......2005-03-14

Those that are new to the world of Werner Herzog are advised to stay away from this boxset until they discover his collaborations with actor Klaus Kinski... The HERZOG/KINSKI boxset (also from Anchor Bay) is essential, and should be your first exposure to this challenging director's work.

Those of you that have seen his more famous works (AGUIRRE, NOSFERATU, FITZCARRALDO, etc.) and want to explore further into Herzog's catalogue, then this is the ideal boxset. It's important to note, though, that it's a fairly unconventional series of films that vary wildly from style and genre.

There are only two "conventional" films in this boxset and those are THE ENIGMA OF KASPAR HAUSER and STROSZEK. Despite the fact that both films have fairly linear plots, they often slip into the director's notorious weirdness (the final few minutes of STROSZEK for instance).

There are three documentaries in this boxset. LITTLE DIETER NEEDS TO FLY is the most straightfoward of the bunch but features a riveting story of wartime survival. LESSONS OF DARKNESS is about the burning of the oil fields in Iraq, and it features an almost subliminal science-fiction approach to the material (if I wasn't told about it in the liner notes, I don't think I would have picked it up on my first viewing). FATA MORGANA is certainly a strange film, the genesis of which came about Herzog's desire to film mirages in the desert.

Rounding out the package are the two feature length experimental films, and the real highlight of this boxset. HEART OF GLASS is a bizarre twist on a local folk tale in which the entire cast (with the exception of one character) performed under hypnosis... the effect is startling and quite eerie. EVEN DWARFS STARTED SMALL is my favorite of the director's non-Kinski films, and simply defies explanation... dwarfs, camels, cars riding around in circles, chickens. It's all an exercise in absurdist anarchy, and you simply can't stop watching it.

Recommended for fans of the surreal.

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Ozu's Late Spring
A zephyr's touch
Quietly Stated, Profoundly Moving
Magnificent --- one of the most touching films I have ever seen
There've always been people from good and bad families

Late Spring - Criterion Collection
Starring: Chishu Ryu , Setsuko Hara , Yumeji Tsukioka , Haruko Sugimura , and Hohi Aoki
Director: Yasujiro Ozu , and Wim Wenders
Manufacturer: Criterion
ProductGroup: DVD
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ASIN: B000EOTWIS
Release Date: 2006-05-09

Amazon.com

A masterpiece of postwar Japanese cinema, Yasujiro Ozu's Late Spring serves as an elegant primer for many of the themes that would define Ozu's later career. As with other Ozu classics, this is a calm, meditative drama about the dynamics of family, in this case the inevitable separation of 56-year-old father and widower Shukichi (Chishu Ryu) and his adult daughter Noriko (Setsuko Hara), who is content to care for her father and remain unmarried, despite the urging of friends and relatives to find a suitable husband. There are some viable candidates, and several attempts at matchmaking, but the likeliest match is a man who's already engaged. Noriko simply wishes for things to remain as they are, but when she does eventually marry a handsome chemist who "looks like Gary Cooper," Ozu's drama remains intimately focused on the subtle emotions at play; there's not a scene or sequence that feels out of place, and Late Spring serves a secondary function as a light and lively portrait of post-war Japan, as hints of Western influence (like a Coca-Cola sign in one of the film's most memorable scenes) that signal Japan's transition toward a modern commercial economy. Most of all, however, Late Spring is a carefully observed and quietly heartbreaking story of a parent who yearns to set things right for his daughter who must balance her father's love with her own prospects for a fulfilling future. And while Ozu would go on to examine familial issues in later, equally noteworthy films, Late Spring represents a milestone that would ensure Ozu his rightful place among the greatest of all Japanese directors. --Jeff Shannon

On the DVDs
Criterion's release of Late Spring contains a few minor flaws in terms of image quality (such as occasional emulsion scratches), but viewers can rest assured that this DVD was mastered from the finest available materials, and the film looks very good considering the conditions of post-war Japan that were typically harsh on films of that period. The "windowbox" framing format accurately preserves the film's original 1.33:1 aspect ratio. There's a new and improved English subtitle translation, and the audio commentary by Richard Peña (an Ozu expert and program director of New York's Film Society of Lincoln Center) emphasizes the literary traditions that inform Ozu's films, in addition to the director's signature fixed-camera, low-angle style. Disc 2 includes Tokyo-ga, the 1985 feature by German director (and avid Ozu admirer) Wim Wenders. It's a tribute to Ozu's Japan, in which Wenders wanders the city searching for remnants of Tokyo as seen in Ozu's films, including interviews with Late Spring actor Chishu Ryu and Ozu's long-time cameraman Yuharu Atsuta. In keeping with Criterion tradition, a 21-page booklet is also included, containing informative essays by critic Michael Atkinson and renowned Japanese-film historian Donald Richie. --Jeff Shannon

Description

The first of a series of intimate family portraits that would cement Yasujiro Ozu's reputation as one of the most important directors in cinema history, Late Spring tells the story of a widowed father who feels compelled to marry off his only, beloved daughter. In the hands of two of the director's finest actors—Chishu Ryu and Setsuko Hara—this poignant tale of love and loss in postwar Japan remains as potent and meaningful today as ever.

Customer Reviews:

Ozu's Late Spring.......2007-06-25

A lovingly crafted fable about family relations in mid-century Japan, "Late Spring" is a testament to Ozu's elegant visual style and tranquil humanism. Two of his favorite actors, Ryu and the resplendent Hara, have an especially beautiful rapport in this touching story of sacrifice, which hinges on Noriko's cheerful willingness to forego freedom, and Somiya's desire to see Noriko married, though he knows he'll lead a lonely life without her. With consummate skill, Ozu uses shots of parks, walkways, and gardens to illustrate his characters' emotional states. Poignant and languorously paced, this is a masterful study of father-daughter affection.

A zephyr's touch.......2007-06-23

LATE SPRING's story is so airy that it is best watched on an lazy late afternoon. It's so subtle that it would be a shame to reveal too many details and possibly ruin your 'experience' of this. If you're the type who wants some, check out other reviews. I intend to reveal as little as possible.

After some 20 minutes of glimpses into the everyday lives of the widower and his 27-year-old daughter living near Tokyo around 1949, the story eases into first gear. And quite a bit after that, we see the main conflict float into view. It resonates and grows at an unlikely setting, becoming an aching poignancy that carries to the end of the film.

There's no real outburst of emotion. Only a couple almost understated moments of honest expression amid tons of near-ritualistic etiquette, often with the people wearing broad masking smiles. (I'm part Japanese and it still seems somewhat alien to me.)

All filmed in director Ozu's exquisite style, still potent despite being in black and white. (I'm glad I first saw the Criterion DVD of FLOATING WEEDS by the same director because it had Roger Ebert's film commentary which taught me how to watch an Ozu film.)

As for DVD extras, I skipped thru most of Wim Wender's 90-minute tribute to Ozu, altho, near the end, it has a fascinating piece on Ozu's camera setups. In the commentary by Richard Peña, background information gives way to extensive interpretion the scenes (I prefer the other way around).

Sadly, this is film that could use some first class restoration work to eliminate the signs of decay. It certainly deserves it.

Quietly Stated, Profoundly Moving.......2007-05-23

There might not be a director that personifies "profundity through simplicity" like Ozu. Unlike Kurosawa and Mizoguchi, Ozu relied on the deepest humanities of his strong characterizations to create a dynamic and moving rendering of his simplest of narratives. In all honesty, I've not seen anything or anyone in film like Ozu. With that, I get to Late Spring. If there was ever a simpler narrative premise I don't know of one. A daughter - Noriko, played perfectly by Ozu mainstay Setsuko Hara - stays at home to help her aging father - Shukichi, played perfectly by Ozu mainstay Chishu Ryu. The father soon realizes it's time for his daughter to marry. The daughter's ambivalent feelings towards marriage are inclined towards not doing so out of love and dedication to her father. So the father crafts a small white lie of his impending re-marriage to gently nudge the daughter out of the nest.

No description of the narrative however could give any insight into the immense and poignant power of this film. The gentle interplay between Noriko and Shukichi is largely what makes this film so great. Through this, we get to know these characters so intimately we feel as if we know them not as fictional characters, but as very real ones. It's not just the fact that they are so likable, it's the fact that they're so human. Ozu's depictions of everyday people in everyday life confronting life's small but meaningful moments is what drives it all. Late Spring simply allows us a look into the lives of two people we feel we know from the beginning. By the end, their emotions effect us as much as them. The final scene of Ryu peeling a fruit (and I'll leave it there so as not to spoil it) carries infinitely more weight and emotion than it should. But this scene perfectly illustrates Ozu's ability to take the simple and make it profound.

The moving scenes are not just saved for the closing however. The extended Noh play serves as the film's centerpiece, and the turning point for its main characters. For 7 minutes we're allowed to view something that is likely completely alien to all of America, if not Western Civilization. But the words in the play actually reflect many of the underlying themes of the film. And a simple look and smile on Shukichi's part to his potential wife, and the noticing of this by Noriko, serves as the catalyst for the rest of the film. The scene immediately afterwards of Noriko and Shukichi walking side by side, only to have Noriko separate to go her own way, is perhaps my favorite scene in the film for what it represents.

Much has been said of Ozu's style in technical terms - low angle shots, sparse camera movement. But I'd like to comment on the emotional effect this style has. I would describe Ozu's style as one that's as minimally intrusive and obtrusive as possible. This essentially creates a window in the lives of very real people. One can almost gets the impression that they're not watching a brilliant film, but a real life documentary into the lives of its characters. What we end up with is a snapshot of a time and place, and most importantly of people whose lives end up mattering to us. It's startling how many subtleties this film reveals with repeat viewings. The reason for this is because of the underlying themes that Ozu expresses throughout the film. They are told in such intricate, subtle ways, that the complex depths of those ideas are revealed only with repeat viewings.

I honestly don't know if I can heap enough acclaim onto this film. Although not for everyone and every taste, this is a film unlike any other you're likely to ever see. The phrase "They sure don't make them like this anymore" springs to mind. Also, no review of this size could bring into light everything that makes this film so rich. Ozu's style combines with emotional characterization and an elaborate world in which they exist with underlying themes that are delicate, but extremely subtle and important. This creates a work that is so multi-layered, one can only choose a few layers while leaving out many others.

It's astounding to think that in this day of Plasma screens and 1080p and 5.1 surround sound and all the effects that CGI and computers can generate, a film as simple and quiet as this can be as effectively affecting as it is. Indeed, Late Spring as well as Ozu's other masterworks are more real in their fiction than all of reality television put together, and more deeply rich and rewarding than most anything you're likely to ever see.

Magnificent --- one of the most touching films I have ever seen.......2007-02-27

I almost hate writing reviews about movies like this, because there are only so many superlatives I know. Simply put, this is one of the most beautiful & touching films ever --- an utterly convincing portrait of a father/daughter relationship which must be forever changed. Noriko is perfectly content with this idyllic relationship as it is, but her father knows that ultimately she will be unfulfilled if she does not move on with her life, and in what has to be one of the most wonderful scenes I have ever seen in a film, he explains the essence of marriage & the creation of a new life & persona within the marriage. That scene alone is worth the price of the DVD.

Of course, with Criterion, you get what you pay for --- lots of really good commentary (discussing this movie within the greater context of Ozu's career, as well as an examination of everyday life in Occupied Japan) and other features. Five stars really doesn't seem to be enough for this. Every father of a daughter ought to watch this, I think.

There've always been people from good and bad families.......2007-02-26

They haven't made any films like this in decades, anywhere in the world. From a time when the word decency could be used more as a weapon than as a boomerang. Traditional family values is what we have here exposed, without lecturing. Those film critics that talk so much nonsense about Japanese films are just a bunch of hippies with bow ties, proletarians in nike shoes. John Ford himself made many movies like this one, where family values are proclaimed and sanctified thru his artistry, but critics don't want to see that, they only see what they want. Well, here's this director from Japan, right after WWII, giving us a last tour of the good old times when they are about to change.

Sure, it's about a father and his lovely daughter. But at the same time it's about those times I was talking about. The daughter doesn't want to change, just like all the decent people wouldn't want to change; but it's inevitable. It's life's law. Progress cannot be stopped, and daughters must marry off, to start a new family, maybe new societies.

There are such things as good and bad families. Just as there's right and wrong. This is a wonderful film. But I've seen more old films like this one, and they weren't Japanese. They were American and European. Why not give them the same Criterion treatment? Are "traditional values" only nice when they apply to foreign cultures? I see a double standard in these phony critics. Whatever they say about this film, it is not one that disfunctional families can feel identified with.

Average customer rating:

Could be more complete
Werner Herzhog is a God
for Herzog fans
Proves why Herzog is as great as he is...
BORING!

Burden of Dreams - Criterion Collection
Starring: Miguel Ángel Fuentes , José Lewgoy , Alfredo De Rio Tambo , Father Mariano Gagnon , and Ángela Reina
Director: Les Blank
Manufacturer: Criterion
ProductGroup: DVD
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Similar Items:

Fitzcarraldo
Werner Herzog and Klaus Kinski: A Film Legacy
The White Diamond
Werner Herzog Collection
Grizzly Man

ASIN: B0007WFYB6
Release Date: 2005-05-10

Description

For nearly five years, acclaimed German filmmaker Werner Herzog desperately tried to complete the most ambitious and difficult film of his career-Fitzcarraldo, the story of one man's attempt to build an opera house deep in the Amazon jungle. Documentary filmmaker Les Blank captured the unfolding of this production, made all the more perilous by Herzog's determination to shoot the most daunting scenes without models or special effects, including a sequence requiring hundreds of natives to pull a full-sized, 320-ton steamship over a small mountain. The result is an extraordinary document of the filmmaking process and a unique look into the single-minded passion of one of cinema#s most fearless directors.

Customer Reviews:

Could be more complete.......2007-06-18

Documentary buffs and those already familiar with Werner Herzog's career will probably really enjoy this film. I, however, tend to buy "Criterion Collection" DVDs because they are like taking film studies classes in a box (a major they didnt have back in my day). In other words, they are fun, fully informative DVDs: movie, background, and all relevant materials to understand why and how a film is "classic" or "important". I guess. I would have liked to have had a boxed set that included Fitzcaraldo. See that movie first. Read a little on Herzog. THEN get this movie.

Werner Herzhog is a God.......2007-02-17

If your ever having a bad watch this movie!! This documentary exhibits the extreme case of a movie production gone sideways. All forces of nature were against the making of this movie. Somehow Herzhog stayed focused and comitted pushing it though to its completion. We get a personal insite into the philosophies that make Herzhog a great filmaker and human being. THe extras are great in this dvd as well.

for Herzog fans.......2006-12-30

This documentary is a bit haphazard, jumping from one thing to the next, without much filler. At once it focuses on the politics of the native tribes and then jumps to clips of Jason Robards and Mick Jagger. However, I do think that this effect does illustrate the chaos surrounding the making of the film. The biggest weakness is the high pitched, plaintive narration by the woman narrator. The type of documentation of such a dreadfull film experience calls for something more authoritative. I suspect this documentary is best enjoyed by Herzog fans. I could be captivated for an hour listening to Herzog talk about washing clothes. He is such a charasmatic figure in his own right. What is really inspiring is despite every possible road block thrown his way--local politics, hostile German press, lead actors having to quit half way through the filming, the huge personality of Kinski, not to mention the sheer insurmountable effort to get the film produced---Herzog persists. It is really quite amazing, and the overwhelming impression is that his passion for film is such that he has absolutely no other option but move forward.

Proves why Herzog is as great as he is..........2006-11-18

Werner Herzog is one of the greatest directors in the history of moviemaking. This documents arguably his greatest achievement, Fitzcarraldo. So much went wrong on this film, it was absolutely amazing that Herzog not only finished the film, but that it was as brilliant and as enthralling as it was. He had to deal with Jason Robards getting sick and quitting, Mick Jagger dropping out, dealing with Klaus Kinski (make sure you watch the special features for a tantrum by Kinski, which Herzog describes as "rather mild", so one wonders what a full blown tantrum is like), filming in the Amazon jungle, dealing with the natives, enduring a drought, etc., etc.. Some have said that Herzog is/was an egomaniac. They're wrong. I don't think he was reckless at all. He's a great filmmaker in pursuit of his art. That's all, and that's enough. Herzog spent a lot of himself after this film. He didn't really regain his footing until the 1990's, when he concentrated on documentaries, some of which are amazing. The DVD features another Les Blank film called Werner Herzog Eats His Shoe. It's hilarious, and Werner's comments on TV talk shows are prophetic. The man is a genius. One of the greatest filmmakers ever.

BORING!.......2006-11-02

This was a disappointment. It is boring and does not go into the most interesting aspects of the movie Fitzcarraldo which would be;

1) How did they pull the ship over the mountain?

2) how did they have the steam ship go over teh rapids and waterfall? and

3) how did they deal with the wild cannibal/savages/indians.

When the movie touches (very lightly) on these subjects they merely use photos rather than film.

The only good part is in the outtakes when Klaus Kinski has some type of hissyfit with the cameraman.

This film sounds fascinating on paper but it's boring, real boring!

Average customer rating:

Herzog Collection
Starring: Werner Herzog & Klaus Kinski
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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