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20 reviews in total

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14 out of 15 people found the following review useful:
But in the flaws, the beauty, 20 May 2006

Author: Mark from Australia

I first saw this film back in 76 or 77, I think. A strange little underground art-house cinema (which is now a Burger King) in Melbourne...

It remains with me as a thing of beauty, its environments and music always evoking a wave of optimism. This is an exploration of the possibilities of the human spirit, as well as a joyous declaration of non serviam. An aesthetic revolt into surrealism, it suited the time well.

The animated sequences in particular are very impressive: as a means of dealing with the concepts of 'The Treatise on the Steppenwolf' within the film, but separate from the body of the narrative.

The film is not Hesse's novel, but a magical gesture towards the novel. As an adaptation of a complex and sophisticated novel it is a valiant effort. I will cheerfully admit that this, along with Lindsay Anderson's if... was what ultimately interested me in studying cinema.

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12 out of 13 people found the following review useful:
A flawed masterpiece, 22 March 2005

Author: YourDemonLover from United States

*** This review may contain spoilers ***

This is one of my all-time favorite films. I gave it only 9 stars, however, because there are a few obvious problems with it. Some of the editing is imperfect, and there are a couple points that suggest some additional scenes were cut. Also, there are a couple dubbing flubs, especially in the Magic Theater section, and several scenes that are poorly lit. In all, it's obviously a low-budget effort. If you want a James Cameron film, go rent one of those.

Still, the screenplay is topnotch. It even IMPROVES on Hesse's story in places, and I like the ending to this film better than the book's. Not really a spoiler - the ending is not that big a departure; it just concludes with more emotional punch, and resolves the angst better.

Max Von Sydow is the PERFECT Harry Haller, Dominique Sanda at least has the perfect look for Hermine (although I admit she could have used a retake on a couple scenes), and Pierre Clementi handles the challenge of Pablo's character admirably - and obviously relishes the role.

I've seen the comment, both here and in reviews elsewhere, about the second half being some sort of druggie trip-fest. It's true that the tone changes, but that's in keeping with the original work. But it's far from being some sort of Deadhead dance party, which is the way some critics unfairly portray it. Yes, the Magic Theater sequence has cartoon backdrops. Get over it. Personally, I think that was an excellent choice.

I would love for this to come out on DVD. The fact that it hasn't is an indication of its obscurity, not its quality. For ****'s sake, Gigli is out on DVD, so that's a ridiculous argument. I'll stop now to avoid becoming insulting.

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9 out of 10 people found the following review useful:
Landscapes of the inner mind, 27 April 2003
Author: Space Oddity_2001

An interesting, experimental and largely successful adaptation of Herman Hesse's multilayered and psychologically complex novel. Max Von Sydow is perfect as Herman Hesse's character/ alter ego Harry Haller. Haller plays a disillusioned man going through a mid life crisis who plans on commiting suicide by the time he turns fifty. Instead he goes on a spiritual journey and regains his humanity again. The first half covers the novel well while the second half and denoument seem like one self indulgent "acid" trip replete with cartoon animation during some scenes. The animation setup at the begining even reminds me of Terry Gilliam's Monty Python work.

Definetly recommended to those who have read the novel and want to see the only film version attempted yet.

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11 out of 14 people found the following review useful:
Absolutely wonderful film!, 13 January 2002

Author: (darrell@furnituremaker.com) from Seattle WA

I have long been a fan of Hermann Hess and have read Steppenwolf innumerable times and will most likely reread it many more times. With this kind of familiarity of a book it would normally be quite unlikely that a movie adaptation would be found to be satisfying. This movie is the very rare exception. Max von Sydow is the perfect Harry Haller! The Magic Theatre was done very well! I highly recommend this movie to all who Herman Hesse fans.

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10 out of 13 people found the following review useful:
Ahead of its time, 9 March 2006

Author: brian_whistler from United States

I always thought this wildly psychological Hesse book was unfilmable until I saw this movie . Even thought it contains just a portion of the ideas in the dense original, it was an amazing attempt, especially considering the technical limitations of the period. Using video techniques to pull off the kind of stuff that is done easily with cgi, Haines brings us into the surreal internal reality of Harry haller's psyche. I wish someone would clean this flick up and release it on DVD. Worth getting and watching. I think the rating it received here was really off the mark. A cult film that deserves wider recognition, Max von Sydow does a great job, as does Dominique Sanda and Pierre Clementi

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7 out of 8 people found the following review useful:
An eccentric bunch of individuals pull off a real coup., 4 April 2006

Author: ianlouisiana from United Kingdom

*** This review may contain spoilers ***

What a very useful word "apparently" is.Along with "allegedly" it can be used to preface a paragraph of unsubstantiated statements in order to bestow immunity upon the writer against the possibility that the facts he or she is reporting in good faith may not be 100% er,factual. Apparently Herman Hesse wrote a clause into his will that expressly forbade his novel "Steppenwolf" from being made into a movie. Allegedly it took the producer three years to persuade his heirs to option him the rights. Apparently a bit of a hustler,he rustled up money from American businessmen including Richard Sprague,chairman of "American Semiconductor". Allegedly Timothy Leary was tested for a major role. Apparently the use of certain substances was not uncommon amongst members of the production team during the making of "Steppenwolf",despite which Mr Leary never got the part. The very distinguished actor Mr Max von Sydow plays Harry Haller. A Limo was supplied to drive him around Basle.He would rather have walked,being keen on physical exercise,but he allowed himself to be driven because he didn't want the chauffeuse to be out of a job. He frequently got out of the vehicle and opened the front door for her. All these details and more are recounted by Mike Zwerin in his "The Paris Jazz Chronicles".what he calls "an improvisational memoir" that follows on to "Close enough for jazz" an earlier volume in similar vein. Mr Zwerin was employed as Press Attache on the movie,his wife was Mr von Sydow's driver. In all probability unless you're a committed admirer of Mr Hesse's book Mr von Sydow is the main reason to watch this movie. He is an actor who does not act.Only in very bad films does he find it necessary to do actorish things.In "Steppenwolf" there are no false notes.It may not rank with his early Bergman performances but it is a tribute to director Mr Fred Haines that it might be mentioned in the same breath. Despite its rather strange birth-pangs "Steppenwolf" is a brave and praiseworthy attempt to translate onto film a complex novel of ideas. There is absolutely no way that it would get made today.When movies are made from cash-cows like John Grisham,Robert Ludlum and Dan Browne why should anyone bother with an obscure book from some European intellectual who never wrote a best-seller in his life.Screw him. Thanks to a bunch of hustlers,businessmen ,retired hippies and dopefiends things were just a little different in 1974.We should be grateful for that.Who said the seventies was the decade that style forgot?

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7 out of 8 people found the following review useful:
I really liked the film, 4 January 2006

Author: bodhidharma from Madison, WI

I feel like a minority of one by saying I liked Haines' adaptation of Steppenwolf. I first ran across it in 1989 when I found it mis-filed under horror in the video store I was living above my senior year in college. I was already a fan of Hesse, I especially liked the Glass Bead Game, Steppenwolf, Demian and Siddhartha.

I loved Max von Sydow's performance as Harry Haller. I found Dominique Sandia to be a captivating Hermine.

It is definitely a weird film but that adds to its charm. This film captured the spirit of the book quite well -- better than David Lynch's adaptation of Dune. I'm speaking as a fan of David Lynch and of Dune. Some of the animated exposition looked a little awkward but I'm inclined to overlook that because some of it was funny and the live action parts worked really well.

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2 out of 3 people found the following review useful:
Wind from another planet., 19 December 2007

Author: (Nedmilly) from Montreal, Canada

This adaptation of the novel is a really interesting movie - in ways, I feel like it's so unique that it makes it difficult to judge how "good" the film really is. There are a lot of colorful, unusual and even rather creepy special effects, including animation of several kinds.

The quality of the acting is also difficult to gauge because the interactions between characters are already supposed to be so far removed from the kinds of things that people in your life most likely say and do. Max von Sydow's performance was very different from how the character of Harry Haller existed in my head before seeing the movie: I had read the book first and couldn't quite see Harry as being so silly-looking or laughable throughout the whole story. Dominique Sanda did convey an appropriate mystique as Hermine, and has a really interesting speaking voice. A very nationally and sexually ambiguous guy named Pierre Clementi seemed to have a lot of fun with his crazy take on Pablo. Hilarious! The music and the whole sound concept of the movie were also.. can anyone think of another word for "unique"? But in this case, I also thought they were excellently conceived.

Part of me found that the movie's endearing irregularities were a great way to reflect the absurdity and awkwardness that are felt by the main character, but another part was not entirely convinced. So, I give the movie a 7/10 after some deliberation, partly out of the respect I have for works of true originality, of which this is certainly one.

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4 out of 7 people found the following review useful:
In Search of One's self, 3 June 2007

Author: thinker1691 from USA

Max Von Sydow is perhaps one of the finest versatile actors of all time. In any film which originate in Europe, one can expect not only finally crafted and intricate drama, but also superb acting. In this complex tale, he is convincing as Herman Hess, a soul in search of himself. Tragic in his troubled journey is the fact that like his character, Max Von Sydow will always fills the bill for classic theater as he does in this dark tale. With supporting actors like Pierre Clémenti who plays Pablo and Dominique Sanda as Hermine the film is both mysterious and deep. Expect the best from both author and actor as you follow along in a surreal life man scratching for the inner man. ***

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Film is not as good as the book, 3 April 2012

Author: brandon-334-69272 from United States

*** This review may contain spoilers ***

This movie adaptation of one of Hermann Hesse's classic works really just does not do the book justice in my opinion. For one the language of the film and the overly pronounced accents were too much for me. I am afraid that the script and the direction of Hesse's state of mind is just not conveyed the way that Hesse portrayed it in his book. The chaotic scenes, especially towards the end when he finally falls deep into madness, sparks too many memories of Monty Python. I give the film just 5 stars. I give it 5 stars because I honestly believe that a good filmed version of this book would be difficult even in the hands of even the truly great directors.

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