Customer Reviews

Kaspar Hauser [VHS]

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There are presently two films out about the unfortunate person of Kaspar Hauser, a man who was dumped in the city of Nuremburg, Germany, in 1831 after what must have been nearly 20 years living tied up in a cellar without human contact. The first film is by Werner Herzog which hardly touches upon the mysteries of this poor man's origins, nor does it give much information about the diligent efforts to find the criminals who did this to him before he was mysteriously murdered. Peter Sehr's film takes on the difficult riddles of Hauser's origins and upbringing and does so in a most humane and insightful way. With this film we get a real picture of a Nature child, someone growing up without human contact or civilization, and the efforts to civilize him to the societal norms of his day. He presents us with a heartwarming character who trajicly falls from grace as the newborn son of the King of Bavaria only to be a pawn of the powers that be in his day. A must see film for every film goer.

This is a brilliant film, superbly acted. Save for the conspirational aspects, it keeps fairly close to the documented facts in the case -- but that is pretty much irrelevant. One does not expect historical accuracy in films, after all. What one *does* get is Andre Eisermann's touching depiction of a young man who, after years of growing up in isolation becomes the sweet and naive centre of a whirlwind of courtly intrigue; and Jeremy Clyde's equally intriguing performance as the enigmatic and ultimately dastardly Lord Stanhope. (Clyde might also be remembered by viewers as half of "Chad and Jeremy", the 1960s pop duo.) The sub-titled translation is reasonably accurate, although it does (inevitably) miss some of the nuances of the German. Very highly recommended ... although, alas, most of us will have to wait until the price comes down.

This film is intriguing and provides a stunning plot which keeps one in suspense throughtout the entire movie. The viewer begins to see the world around them in an entirely new way, through exploration of the circumstances surrounding a young man's lack of contact with other people and his mysterious origin. Also gives fascinating insight and historical facts about one of Germany's royal families.

I have seen this film at Paris, some years ago. I did not know anything about it yet. It have been a real serendipity. It's involving, deep and inner moving. It have an delicate and "magic" understanding of child vision of the world, and of the purity against violence and perversion. The first actor is really wonderful and "surreal" (as real+soul+spirit)within its role.

Despite its title, this film isn't really about Kaspar Hauser. Like the underground prison into which he is thrown for years, Kaspar is a black hole into which his story is sucked. This film is really about two connected themes, both reflecting German anxieties about its past. Hauser's treatment and fate exposes the Enlightenment society that destroys him, just as his seemingly primitive characteristics (grunting etc.) undermine its insistence on artificiality, manners and wit.

Secondly, a film set in Nuremberg, with a hero twice wrenched from his home and incarcerated, and who has his diary burnt, is clearly 'explaining' a more recent notorious past, that of the Nazis, showing how Germany would rather couch uncomfortable history in vague mythology. A comparison between this tricksy, paranoid, exhausting film, and Herzog's restrained, enigmatic version of the same story would be instructive. The latter is a masterpiece.