Herzog: The Collection Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		3.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		4.0
Overall		4.0

Herzog: The Collection Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman July 20, 2014

Note: The scores above are averages for the entire set taken together. Please see individual reviews (linked below) for scores on each film.

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.

To read complete reviews of each of the films in this set, please click on the following links:

Even Dwarfs Started Small Blu-ray review

Land of Silence and Darkness Blu-ray review

Fata Morgana Blu-ray review

Aguirre: The Wrath of God Blu-ray review

The Enigma of Kaspar Hauser Blu-ray review

Heart of Glass Blu-ray review

Stroszek Blu-ray review

Woyzeck Blu-ray review

Nosferatu the Vampyre Blu- ray review (Note: The Herzog set contains the same contents as the standalone, albeit with different artwork on the disc face.)

Fitzcarraldo Blu-ray review

Ballad of the Little Soldier Blu-ray review

Where the Green Ants Dream Blu-ray review

Cobra Verde Blu-ray review

Lessons of Darkness Blu-ray review

Little Dieter Needs to Fly Blu-ray review

My Best Fiend Blu-ray review

Herzog: The Collection Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

For assessments of the video quality of each film, please see the reviews linked above.

Herzog: The Collection Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

For assessments of the audio quality of each film, please see the reviews linked above.

Herzog: The Collection Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

For assessments of the supplements of each film (if any), please see the reviews linked above.

Herzog: The Collection Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Werner Herzog fans are suddenly awash in an embarrassment of riches, what with this huge new boxed set and the eagerly anticipated The Werner Herzog Collection coming from BFI soon. Many with region free players will want to wait to see what that BFI set holds in terms of overall quality. The bad news is, even those who opt for the BFI set won't get everything in this set, and vice versa. For those without region free players, this offers a reasonably priced "instant collection" of some Herzog classics along with a good selection of lesser known (or at least lesser seen) gems. There's a rather wide gamut of video (and to a lesser extent, audio) quality here, and while there will probably be a fair amount of hand wringing that everything isn't perfect here, overall this is a very good to excellent set. Yes, there are stumbles here (some of them probably avoidable), but taken as a whole, Herzog: The Collection comes Highly recommended.