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IMDbPro

Signs of Life

Original title: Lebenszeichen
  • 19681968
  • Not RatedNot Rated
  • 1h 31m
IMDb RATING
7.1/10
2.2K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
42,752
6,659
Signs of Life (1968)
Drama
A wounded German paratrooper named Stroszek is sent to the quiet island of Kos with his wife Nora, a Greek nurse, and two other soldiers recovering from minor wounds. Billeted in a decaying ... Read allA wounded German paratrooper named Stroszek is sent to the quiet island of Kos with his wife Nora, a Greek nurse, and two other soldiers recovering from minor wounds. Billeted in a decaying fortress, they guard a munitions depot. There's little to do: Becker, a classicist, transl... Read allA wounded German paratrooper named Stroszek is sent to the quiet island of Kos with his wife Nora, a Greek nurse, and two other soldiers recovering from minor wounds. Billeted in a decaying fortress, they guard a munitions depot. There's little to do: Becker, a classicist, translates inscriptions on ancient tablets found in the fortress, Meinhart devises traps for coc... Read all
IMDb RATING
7.1/10
2.2K
YOUR RATING
POPULARITY
42,752
6,659
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Director
      • Werner Herzog
    • Writers
      • Werner Herzog(screenplay)
      • Achim von Arnim(inspired by the short story 'Der tolle Invalide auf dem Fort Ratonneau')
    • Stars
      • Peter Brogle
      • Wolfgang Reichmann
      • Athina Zacharopoulou
    Top credits
    • Director
      • Werner Herzog
    • Writers
      • Werner Herzog(screenplay)
      • Achim von Arnim(inspired by the short story 'Der tolle Invalide auf dem Fort Ratonneau')
    • Stars
      • Peter Brogle
      • Wolfgang Reichmann
      • Athina Zacharopoulou
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 15User reviews
    • 27Critic reviews
  • See production, box office & company info
    • Awards
      • 2 wins & 2 nominations

    Photos17

    Signs of Life (1968)
    Signs of Life (1968)
    Signs of Life (1968)
    Signs of Life (1968)
    Signs of Life (1968)
    Signs of Life (1968)
    Signs of Life (1968)
    Signs of Life (1968)
    Signs of Life (1968)
    Peter Brogle, Wolfgang Reichmann, Wolfgang von Ungern-Sternberg, and Athina Zacharopoulou in Signs of Life (1968)
    Peter Brogle, Wolfgang Reichmann, and Wolfgang von Ungern-Sternberg in Signs of Life (1968)
    Wolfgang Reichmann in Signs of Life (1968)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Peter Brogle
    Peter Brogle
    • Stroszek
    Wolfgang Reichmann
    Wolfgang Reichmann
    • Meinhard
    Athina Zacharopoulou
    • Nora
    Wolfgang von Ungern-Sternberg
    • Becker
    Wolfgang Stumpf
    Wolfgang Stumpf
    • Captain
    Henry van Lyck
    Henry van Lyck
    • Lieutenant
    Julio Pinheiro
    Julio Pinheiro
    • Gypsy
    Florian Fricke
    • Pianist
    Heinz Usener
    • Doctor
    Achmed Hafiz
    • Greek resident
    Jannakis Frasakis
    Eleni Katerinaki
    Werner Herzog
    Werner Herzog
    • Soldat
    • (uncredited)
    • Director
      • Werner Herzog
    • Writers
      • Werner Herzog(screenplay)
      • Achim von Arnim(inspired by the short story 'Der tolle Invalide auf dem Fort Ratonneau')
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      Werner Herzog's first feature film.
    • Quotes

      Young Child: Now that I can talk, what shall I say?

    • Connections
      Featured in I Am My Films (1978)

    User reviews15

    Review
    Top review
    immersion
    into a strange culture, in this case WW II German soldiers occupying a Greek island, three of them recuperating in an ancient fortress while a Nazi garrison is billeted in the town below. Herzog captures the exotic setting with brilliant photography, and at the same time the strangeness not only of culture clash but ultimately of the war itself. Intense Greek music on the soundtrack and the crystalline sunlight bring a sharp focus on the madness that comes to inhabit Stroszek's mind, the madness of seeing through what has been done in the name of the fatherland. Herzog's first major film is as much political meditation as it is psychological travelogue.
    helpful•7
    9
    • jimi99
    • Jun 9, 2003

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • December 9, 1981 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • West Germany
    • Languages
      • German
      • Greek
    • Also known as
      • Feuerzeichen
    • Filming locations
      • Kos, Greece
    • Production company
      • Werner Herzog Filmproduktion
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • DEM 25,000 (estimated)
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 31 minutes
    • Color
      • Black and White
    • Sound mix
      • Mono
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.37 : 1

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