SIGNS OF LIFE - DVD review

By the end of the 1970s Werner Herzog would become one of the leading lights of the New German Cinema, best known as the man who tamed not only the Peruvian jungle but also Klaus Kinski. In 1968, however, he was still a young Bavarian poet who had just won a cash prize in a national screenwriting contest. Herzog, who had previously made a few short films, used this prize money to shoot "Signs of Life", his first feature film, thus launching one of the unique careers in contemporary cinema.

"Signs of Life" is a story about German soldiers during World War II, yet, oddly enough, the film makes no mention whatsoever of Hitler, the Nazis or even the war itself. A paratrooper named Stroszek (not to be confused with the title character of Herzog's 1977 uber-masterpiece "Stroszek") is badly wounded; he is stationed on the Greek island of Kos to recuperate. With his fellow soldiers Meinhard and Becker and his fiancée Nora, Stroszek has little to do with his time; he tries to keep busy with mundane chores like painting the doors of the dilapidated fortress he is supposedly guarding (though against what, we do not know).

The first half of the film is defined entirely by its inertia. Each day blends into the next; Kos is so tranquil it is hard to believe the rest of the world is embroiled in the bloodiest war in the history of mankind. Stroszek and his friends wait and wait and wait some more; still nothing happens. Stroszek eventually marries Nora, but we can't tell whether it's out of love or out of boredom; Herzog presents the entire ceremony with one awkward shot of a very confused-looking Stroszek standing next to his wife and panting as if he is about to collapse from heat stroke.

"Signs of Life" is not one of Herzog's greatest films, but even this early effort displays several of the traits which would come to be viewed as quintessentially Herzogian. The film introduces us to the first members of the eclectic and ever-growing Herzog animal menagerie. Meinhard demonstrates to his friends how to hypnotize a chicken; you point its head to the ground and draw a straight line out from its beak and it will just stare at it unblinkingly (chickens appear in many Herzog films; he finds them frightening due to their "bottomless stupidity"). In another scene, Stroszek and Meinhard try to deduce the workings of a miniature wooden owl; they learn that its eyes and tail move only because of the flies that are trapped inside. "Signs of Life" also features many languorous, gorgeous landscape shots, another defining element of Herzog's films.

Partly from the boredom, partly from the oppressive heat, and partly because he is a character in a Herzog film, Stroszek gradually loses his grip on sanity. Herzog captures the moment when Stroszek finally tumbles over the edge altogether with a truly remarkable shot. While out on patrol, Stroszek crests a ridge and looks out onto a valley in which a thousand windmills stretch out to the horizon. The camera pans from one cluster of windmills to another then another and another until the very geography of the valley seems not only impossible but downright deranged. The sight overwhelms Stroszek's senses and he throws a fit on the spot, nearly shooting himself. He never recovers and holes himself up in the fortress, refusing to allow anyone near.

"Signs of Life" achieves greatness in its closing sequences. Herzog, already far more confident than his years and achievements would seem to justify, makes a bold choice, abandoning his protagonist almost completely; for the last twenty minutes, we see Stroszek only a few times and only in a series of increasingly long shots. Eventually he becomes nothing more than a dot in the distant background, hopping nimbly from one parapet of the fortress to another (the actor Peter Brogle was also an acrobat; Herzog has often described cinema as an athletic activity). The mad Stroszek is a cipher and we will never get close to him again.

Instead, we see the climactic events through the eyes of the other soldiers and the townsfolk as Stroszek threatens to destroy the town if anyone dares to approach him. His boasts are largely empty and he manages only to shoot a donkey but he keeps the entire town in a state of panic for days. One of the primary pleasures in Herzog's movies is the opportunity simply to stop and gawk at magnificent attractions. Towards the end Stroszek sets off all the fireworks left in storage and the narrative comes to a halt as we just watch the remarkable pyrotechnic display for several minutes; a curious way to end a film, to say the least. But then again, if there is any single word to describe the films of Werner Herzog, "curious" is surely the most apt.

Video

The film is presented in its original 1.33:1 aspect ratio. The high-contrast black and white photography in "Signs of Life" has been cleaned up considerably from the transfer previously available on VHS. In an early scene when a truck drops off the wounded Stroszek, for example, on the VHS the gate is almost a blur of white while on the DVD we can see the surface texture of the gray stone. The DVD transfer still has some specks and other debris, and the high contrast images will sometimes appear washed out to viewers (this is how they were filmed) but New Yorker has done a fine job here.

Audio

The DVD is presented in Dolby Digital. The music and dialogue are both clearly mixed though the music does sound a bit tinny (probably the way it was originally recorded). Optional English language subtitles support the audio.

Extras

The primary attraction is a feature-length commentary by Herzog and Norman Hill who previously teamed up with Herzog one some of the Anchor Bay DVD commentaries (e.g. "Fata Morgana"). A Herzog commentary is quite a treat as he is a consummate story-teller with a dry sense of humor. The disc also includes a trailer for the film.

Closing Thoughts

The protagonist of "Signs of Life" is named Stroszek, the same name of the character played by the enigmatic and wonderful Bruno S. in "Stroszek" (1977). As Herzog explains on the commentary track (and has also mentioned elsewhere) the name is a form of payment for services rendered. In his brief tenure at college Herzog was hardly a diligent student; when he had to write a paper he asked a friend to complete it for him. The friend asked, "What's in it for me?" Herzog replied, "I will make your name famous!" The friend was named Stroszek and now his name will live forever; seems like a fair exchange to me!