Signs Of Life (DVD)

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"Signs of Life" achieves greatness in its closing sequences. Herzog, already far more confident than his years and achievements would seem to justify, makes a bold choice, abandoning his protagonist almost completely; for the last twenty minutes, we see Stroszek only a few times and only in a series of increasingly long shots. Eventually he becomes nothing more than a dot in the distant background, hopping nimbly from one parapet of the fortress to another (the actor Peter Brogle was also an acrobat; Herzog has often described cinema as an athletic activity). The mad Stroszek is a cipher and we will never get close to him again.

Instead, we see the climactic events through the eyes of the other soldiers and the townsfolk as Stroszek threatens to destroy the town if anyone dares to approach him. His boasts are largely empty and he manages only to shoot a donkey but he keeps the entire town in a state of panic for days. One of the primary pleasures in Herzog´s movies is the opportunity simply to stop and gawk at magnificent attractions. Towards the end Stroszek sets off all the fireworks left in storage and the narrative comes to a halt as we just watch the remarkable pyrotechnic display for several minutes; a curious way to end a film, to say the least. But then again, if there is any single word to describe the films of Werner Herzog, "curious" is surely the most apt.

Video

The film is presented in its original 1.33:1 aspect ratio. The high-contrast black and white photography in "Signs of Life" has been cleaned up considerably from the transfer previously available on VHS. In an early scene when a truck drops off the wounded Stroszek, for example, on the VHS the gate is almost a blur of white while on the DVD we can see the surface texture of the gray stone. The DVD transfer still has some specks and other debris, and the high contrast images will sometimes appear washed out to viewers (this is how they were filmed) but New Yorker has done a fine job here.

Audio

The DVD is presented in Dolby Digital. The music and dialogue are both clearly mixed though the music does sound a bit tinny (probably the way it was originally recorded). Optional English language subtitles support the audio.

Extras

The primary attraction is a feature-length commentary by Herzog and Norman Hill who previously teamed up with Herzog one some of the Anchor Bay DVD commentaries (e.g. "Fata Morgana"). A Herzog commentary is quite a treat as he is a consummate story-teller with a dry sense of humor. The disc also includes a trailer for the film.

Closing Thoughts

The protagonist of "Signs of Life" is named Stroszek, the same name of the character played by the enigmatic and wonderful Bruno S. in "Stroszek" (1977). As Herzog explains on the commentary track (and has also mentioned elsewhere) the name is a form of payment for services rendered. In his brief tenure at college Herzog was hardly a diligent student; when he had to write a paper he asked a friend to complete it for him. The friend asked, "What´s in it for me?" Herzog replied, "I will make your name famous!" The friend was named Stroszek and now his name will live forever; seems like a fair exchange to me!

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