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Heart of Glass

Play trailer Poster for Heart of Glass Released Dec 17, 1976 1h 33m Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
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93% Tomatometer 14 Reviews 72% Popcornmeter 2,500+ Ratings
In a rural community, a local artist known for making brilliant glass sculptures dies without passing on to anyone the skills of his trade. Huttenbesitzer (Stefan Güttler), who owns the town's glass factory, obsessively attempts to recover the deceased artist's lost knowledge. The villagers employed by Huttenbesitzer also become bewitched by the secrets of glass. Despite the warnings of Hias (Josef Bierbichler), who claims to be a prophet, the possessed locals slowly descend into madness.

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Heart of Glass

Critics Reviews

View All (14) Critics Reviews
Jill Forbes Sight & Sound Herzog is far too much of a maverick to allow us to see universal significance in these moments. He is very much the visionary outsider that Hias is. But it's the vision that counts in the end. Feb 6, 2020 Full Review Roger Ebert Chicago Sun-Times I think it should be approached like a piece of music, in which we comprehend everything in terms of mood and aura, and know how it makes us feel even if we can't say what it makes us think. Rated: 4/4 Jul 9, 2018 Full Review Janet Maslin New York Times The elusiveness of Heart of Glass makes it something of a disappointment. But it is too mysteriously lovely to be regarded as a failure. Rated: 3/5 May 9, 2005 Full Review Dennis Harvey 48 Hills Some of the auteur’s most bizarre Kinski-free features... Nov 10, 2023 Full Review Taylor Baker Drink in the Movies Episode 50: Heart of Glass / Uncle Boonmee Who Can Recall His Past Lives / Sunset Rated: 90/100 Oct 18, 2021 Full Review Fernando Trueba El Pais (Spain) Heart of Glass may not be an accomplished film, but it is a film of rare beauty. [Full Review in Spanish] Jul 25, 2019 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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John A A subtle fairy-tale kind of story told in a very ethereal kind of way Rated 3 out of 5 stars 11/25/23 Full Review georgan g The visuals in this movie are stunning. Shots that took days to set up, plus luck. To understand more than that, you must watch it with Herzog's commentary. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review Audience Member Far out is an understatement to describe this film. Its downright Dull, Dreary and dumb. The reason Im being generous to give it 2 stars is only due to the accurate depictions of our current events predictions. Some of the hypnotized actors may Very well be Biblically prophetic especially when Hias predicts our current Plandemic and Famine along side the Christian persecution from the Roman Catholics and their Anti Pope. Otherwise There is nothing interesting about this film at all. If you like watching glass making Art Id recommend a documentary about the craft itself. I might use this Dvd as a coaster to rest my actual glasses on one of these days. If Im feeling the 3 days of Darkness coming on... Could be sooner rather than later ! Rated 2 out of 5 stars 02/18/23 Full Review Audience Member Mysterious and genuinely hypnotic to watch, perhaps because the actors themselves are hypnotised throughout! A bit loose thematically, but Herzog's vision is so well realised through profound imagery. A fascinating experiment. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 02/17/23 Full Review Audience Member Herzog takes his craft to the next level in his most cerebral film, a terrifyingly topical reflection on humanity's increasing over-reliance on technology, and 90 minute odyssey that details, without any large change of time, our evolution as a species. The true companion piece to 2001. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 01/14/23 Full Review Audience Member blimey this was hard going even for Herzog Rated 3 out of 5 stars 01/15/23 Full Review Read all reviews
Heart of Glass

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Cast & Crew

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Werner Herzog

Director

Josef Bierbichler

Hias

Stefan Güttler

Huttenbesitzer

Clemens Scheitz

Adalbert

Sonja Skiba

Ludmilla

Wolf Albrecht

Actor

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Heart of Glass

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Movie Info

Synopsis In a rural community, a local artist known for making brilliant glass sculptures dies without passing on to anyone the skills of his trade. Huttenbesitzer (Stefan Güttler), who owns the town's glass factory, obsessively attempts to recover the deceased artist's lost knowledge. The villagers employed by Huttenbesitzer also become bewitched by the secrets of glass. Despite the warnings of Hias (Josef Bierbichler), who claims to be a prophet, the possessed locals slowly descend into madness.
Director
Werner Herzog
Producer
Werner Herzog
Screenwriter
Herbert Achternbusch, Werner Herzog
Distributor
New Yorker Films
Production Co
Werner Herzog Filmproduktion
Genre
Drama
Original Language
German
Release Date (Theaters)
Dec 17, 1976, Original
Release Date (Streaming)
Aug 21, 2016
Runtime
1h 33m
Sound Mix
Mono
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