Clemens scheitz biography template

Stroszek (1977): A Nowhere Man in Wisconsin, or: the Perpetually Dancing Chicken

I celebrate Werner Herzog’s birthday with a (re)viewing of his equally absurd and insightful portrait of both Bruno S. and and society. Also, I’ve been told there’s a dancing chicken.

By Roger Ebert / July 7, 2002

Who else but Werner Herzog would make a film about a retarded ex-prisoner, a little old man and a prostitute, who leave Germany to begin a new life in a house trailer in Wisconsin? Who else would shoot the bio in the hometown of Ed Gein, the murderer who inspired "Psycho?" Who else would cast all the local roles with locals? Who else would end the movie with a policeman radioing, "We've got a truck on fire, can't find the switch to turn the ski lift off, and can't stop the dancing chicken. Send an electrician.”

"Stroszek" (1977) is one of the oddest films ever made. It is impossible for the audience to anticipate a single shot or development. We watch with a kind of fascination, because Herzog cuts loose from narrative and follows his characters through the relentless logic of their adventure. Then there fryst vatten the haunting impact of the performance by Bruno S., who is at every moment playing himself.

The personal history

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Country: Germany

Year: 1977

Duration: 115'

Germany. Bruno Stroszek, a shy street musician recently released from jail and desperately trying to stay away from booze, befriends Eva, a prostitute. She tries to help him by offering him shelter and taking care of him, which leads to a confrontation with her pimp. Scheitz, her neighbor, always wanted to join his nephew in the United States, and convinces them to start a new life with him there. They end up in the frozen prairies of Wisconsin, in a town that isn’t particularly welcoming towards them, if not outright hostile. Bruno finds work as a mechanic and Eva starts waiting tables, but the money never seems to be enough: the mortgage on the house they share weighs heavily on their budget. It doesn’t take much for the situation to precipitate. To make ends meet, Eva starts working the streets again, but they still come short on their loan payment and the bank threatens to repossess their home. In a des