7.1 | / 10 |
Users | 0.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.5 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
A small village is renowned for its "Ruby Glass" glass blowing works. When the foreman of the works dies suddenly without revealing the secret of the Ruby Glass, the town slides into a deep depression, and the owner of the glassworks becomes obssessed with the lost secret.
Starring: Josef Bierbichler, Clemens Scheitz, Werner HerzogForeign | 100% |
Drama | 96% |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 1.63:1
Original aspect ratio: 1.66:1
German: DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0
English
50GB Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Region A (B, C untested)
Movie | 3.5 | |
Video | 4.0 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 2.0 | |
Overall | 3.5 |
Note: This title is currently available as part of Herzog: The Collection.
Has there ever been a more fascinating figure in film than Werner Herzog? This much debated individual, one who elicits
both hyperbolic accolades and equally exaggerated derision, has been a seeming force of nature in film for decades,
helping to define the New German Cinema (a somewhat later analog to the French New Wave). Herzog’s filmography is
rather breathtakingly diverse, traversing both traditional fiction, quasi-biographies, and a large number of
documentaries.
Through it all, Herzog himself has become the subject of considerable controversy, at times seeming to be as
obsessively
motivated as some of his film subjects. The auteur’s off kilter blend of nihilism and often black humor has given
him and his films a decidedly unique place in contemporary media, to the point that a supposed note Herzog jotted off to his
cleaning lady became an internet sensation (it’s actually a brilliantly written parody by Dale Shaw). Shout! Factory, a
label
which repeatedly stubbed its corporate toe on its last big deluxe boxed set built around the talents of one person (Bruce Lee: The Legacy
Collection, the only time in my reviewing career I have had to start over from scratch due to a complete recall
and reissue) may seem to be throwing caution to the wind by upping the ante with this release. Here there are no
fewer than 16 films by Herzog, housed in a handsome hardback booklike case that also features a wealth of text and
information about each of the films. Fifteen of the films are new to Blu-ray (Shout's horror imprint Scream Factory
released Herzog's Nosferatu the
Vampyre as a standalone a few months ago), and the offerings here cover both iconic films in Herzog's
oeuvre as well as some oddities. The extremely handsome packaging offers a 7.5" x 7.5" x 1.5" hardback book
exterior casing which houses heavy cardstock pocket holders that contain the discs. Also included are The Werner
Herzog Condition by Stephen J. Smith, an appreciation of the director's work with essays about each of the films.
The films get even more text in write-ups by Chris Wahl and Brad Prager. Each of the pocket holder pages details the
film (or in some cases, films) on each disc, with audio options and special features listed.
Heart of Glass features an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.63:1. The bulk of this transfer looks very good, with a natural, if at times light, grain field, and nicely saturated colors. Clarity is generally above average, and the image is stable throughout. There are several moments when some of Herzog's location photography (he evidently traveled the world looking for unusual landscapes to film) is surprisingly ragged looking. This includes the opening time lapse montage, which suffers from a weird almost graphic pattern on the image that may be some kind of print through. Something similar happens later during the vistas filmed in Alaska. Colors are accurate looking, though Herzog deals here in a burnished palette that is probably intentionally reminiscent of such painters as Brueghel. That also means a lot of jet black backgrounds, and black levels are nicely deep, with no splotchy compression artifacts intruding on the image.
Heart of Glass's lossless DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 mono tracks sounds very good, with the evocative music of Popul Vuh (as well as other source cues Herzog inserts into the film) reverberating with clarity and good, full midrange. Dialogue and environmental effects are both delivered clearly and cleanly, and the track exhibits no major damage or issues of any kind.
I know a lot of Herzog fans who frankly can't stand Heart of Glass, finding its hypnotism angle too twee for the film's own good. I find the film oddly compelling, with an undeniably hallucinatory ambience that immerses the viewer in what amounts to an alternate reality. The film does echo themes Herzog explores perhaps more convincingly in other films, but it's still an incredibly unique viewing experience. Technical merits on this Blu-ray are generally strong, and Heart of Glass comes Recommended.
(Still not reliable for this title)
1979
1987
Jeder für sich und Gott gegen alle
1974
1977
Wo die grünen Ameisen träumen
1984
1971
Auch Zwerge haben klein angefangen
1970
1997
1982
Ballade vom kleinen Soldaten
1984
Land des Schweigens und der Dunkelheit
1971
Lektionen in Finsternis
1992
Mein liebster Feind - Klaus Kinski
1999
Aguirre, der Zorn Gottes
1972
1976
1981
1981
1974
Nosferatu: Phantom der Nacht
1979
Vivre sa vie: Film en douze tableaux / My Life to Live
1962