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Stroszek

  • 19771977
  • Not RatedNot Rated
  • 1h 55m
IMDb RATING
7.7/10
15K
YOUR RATING
Stroszek (1977)
ComedyDrama
In Berlin, an alcoholic man, recently released from prison, joins his elderly friend and a prostitute in a determined dream to leave Germany and seek a better life in Wisconsin.In Berlin, an alcoholic man, recently released from prison, joins his elderly friend and a prostitute in a determined dream to leave Germany and seek a better life in Wisconsin.In Berlin, an alcoholic man, recently released from prison, joins his elderly friend and a prostitute in a determined dream to leave Germany and seek a better life in Wisconsin.
IMDb RATING
7.7/10
15K
YOUR RATING
  • Director
    • Werner Herzog
  • Writer
    • Werner Herzog(book)
  • Stars
    • Bruno S.
    • Eva Mattes
    • Clemens Scheitz
  • Director
    • Werner Herzog
  • Writer
    • Werner Herzog(book)
  • Stars
    • Bruno S.
    • Eva Mattes
    • Clemens Scheitz
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 66User reviews
    • 57Critic reviews
  • See production, box office & company info
  • See more at IMDbPro
    • Awards
      • 2 wins & 2 nominations

    Videos1

    Sneak Previews Season 4 Episode 10
    Video 29:08
    Watch Sneak Previews Season 4 Episode 10

    Photos72

    Stroszek (1977)
    Stroszek (1977)
    Stroszek (1977)
    Stroszek (1977)
    Stroszek (1977)
    Stroszek (1977)
    Stroszek (1977)
    Stroszek (1977)
    Stroszek (1977)
    Stroszek (1977)
    Stroszek (1977)
    Stroszek (1977)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Bruno S.
    Bruno S.
    • Der Bruno Stroszek
    Eva Mattes
    Eva Mattes
    • Eva
    Clemens Scheitz
    Clemens Scheitz
    • Scheitz
    Wilhelm von Homburg
    Wilhelm von Homburg
    • Souteneur
    Burkhard Driest
    Burkhard Driest
    • Souteneur
    Clayton Szalpinski
    • Mechanic
    Ely Rodriguez
    • Indian mechanic's helper
    Alfred Edel
    • Jail headmaster
    Scott McKain
    • Scott
    • (as Scott Mc Kain)
    Ralph Wade
    • Auctioneer
    Michael Gahr
    • Prisoner Hoss
    Vaclav Vojta
    • Doctor
    • (as Dr. Vaclav Vojta)
    Yüksel Topkugürler
    • Turk prisoner
    • (as Yücsel Topcugürler)
    Bob Evans
    • Bob Evans
    Der Brave Beo
    • Beo
    Al
    • Trucker Pimp
    • (uncredited)
    • Director
      • Werner Herzog
    • Writer
      • Werner Herzog(book)
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

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    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Trivia
      The entire crew disliked the last sequence so much that director Werner Herzog had to shoot it by himself. Incidentally, he considers this scene the best he has filmed.
    • Goofs
      After Bruno, Eva and Scheitz buy a used car, they drive out to Wisconsin. The camera's shadow is visible on the car as Eva drives.
    • Quotes

      [last lines]

      Deputy Sheriff: We have a 10-80 out here, a truck on fire, we have a man on the lift. We are unable to find the switch to turn the lift off, can't stop the dancing chickens. Send an electrician, we're standing by.

    • Connections
      Featured in Century of Cinema: Die Nacht der Regisseure (1995)
    • Soundtracks
      On the Way Down to Phoenix
      Written and Performed by Chet Atkins

    User reviews66

    Review
    Review
    Featured review
    10/10
    Brilliant
    I discovered Werner Herzog first through his remake of Nosferatu and then through Fitzcarraldo and Aguirre: The Wrath of God. Though the brilliance of those movies is unimpeachable, Stroszek, at least for me, stands at the apex of Herzog's oeuvre.

    This intensely moving and satisfying film which begins in Germany and winds up in Wisconsin is solid through and through. There's not a weak moment or weak element to be found. The acting, especially by Bruno S., is completely unaffected and without over-stylization (there is, perhaps, a reason for this - they aren't acting, simply being). The story itself deals with melodramatic elements without steering into soap opera territory and the film's ideology is not black in white. There's subtlety and complexity to the ideas put forth in this film about America, Germany, human beings, life, etc. Moreover, Stroszek avoids beating the audience's brains with its ideas; Herzog presents them in the context of the story, smoothly integrated.

    And then there's the beautiful photography, particularly of the American Midwest; Herzog and his cameramen capture perfectly the cold, stark, desolate magnificence of the upper-Plains. To draw a weird comparison, the photography here is the equivalent of Husker Du's New Day Rising - crisp, harsh, and gorgeous simultaneously.

    Stroszek also has a justifiably well-known ending, both surreal and completely sensible. Though any other director would be unable to top an ending such as that in Aguirre (the slumped conqueror, floating on a monkey-covered raft), Herzog does just that here.

    Truly, if you have not seen any Herzog, this is a great place to start; then go see Aguirre, Fitzcarraldo, Nosferatu, Woyczek, and Invincible. The man is brilliant and I await with bated breath Grizzly Man, his new project.
    helpful•59
    10
    • jay4stein79-1
    • Feb 5, 2005

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • July 12, 1977 (United States)
    • Country of origin
      • West Germany
    • Languages
      • German
      • English
      • Turkish
    • Also known as
      • La balada de Bruno S
    • Filming locations
      • Plainfield, Wisconsin, USA
    • Production companies
      • Werner Herzog Filmproduktion
      • Zweites Deutsches Fernsehen (ZDF)
      • Skellig Edition
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Gross worldwide
      • $2,874
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Technical specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 55 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Sound mix
      • Mono
    • Aspect ratio
      • 1.66 : 1

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