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Woyzeck

Play trailer Poster for Woyzeck Released Aug 24, 1979 1h 22m Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
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86% Tomatometer 14 Reviews 76% Popcornmeter 2,500+ Ratings
Having fathered an illegitimate child with his lover, Marie (Eva Mattes), feckless soldier Franz Woyzeck (Klaus Kinski) takes odd jobs around his small town to provide some extra money for them. One of them is volunteering for experiments conducted by a local doctor, who puts Woyzeck on a diet of peas. This serves to drive him close to madness, and the discovery that Marie is conducting an affair with the local drum major exacerbates the situation. Pushed too far, Woyzeck resorts to violence.

Critics Reviews

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Richard Combs Sight & Sound What Herzog does is to make his own contrary film inside the original, elevating Jonathan Harker from functionary to dual protagonist. Mar 17, 2020 Full Review Vincent Canby New York Times Woyzeck is, if possible, ever more mysterious by the time we reach the end than it is at the beginning. Rated: 4/5 May 9, 2005 Full Review Keith Phipps AV Club Handsomely mounting each scene, the director has trouble attaining any forward momentum, though he achieves some powerful moments while trying. Feb 3, 2003 Full Review Dennis Harvey 48 Hills Kinski lends burning charisma... Nov 10, 2023 Full Review José Ramon Pérez Ornia El Pais (Spain) Woyzeck's tragedy and crime is one of the most beautiful crimes in the history of film. [Full Review in Spanish] Aug 7, 2019 Full Review Cole Smithey ColeSmithey.com Rated: 4/5 Sep 26, 2005 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Liam D Featuring a stand out performance by Klaus Kinski (For A Few Dollars More, Doctor Zhivago) this film shows an psychological breakdown of an soldier that is an incredibly short but fascinating piece of German cinema Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 07/04/25 Full Review Alec B I sort of understand the mixed response here but that's still impressive since you'd think any attempt to adapt the play to the screen would be doomed to fail. One of Kinski's more subdued performances which is something to see. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 01/10/24 Full Review Georgan G This film is like spoken poetry showing the futility of the poor. Woyzeck is treated horribly by all those above his station in life. As he goes insane, his delusions turn violent. The slow-motion murder scene is pretty amazing and the best part of the picture. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 08/17/23 Full Review Audience Member Superb film by Werner Herzog. This is a classical, often repeated story, about a good hearted, feeble-minded simpleton, abused by everyone, who decides in despair to take revenge against those that oppress him. It's a cautionary tale never to underestimate anyone. Today it would probably be canceled, due to its subject-matter, which only adds to its worth. The photography is astonishingly raw, as it is typical of Herzog's films from that era, contributing to its realism. Kinski's performance is absolutely breathtaking, mangnificent, he can really inspire life into the character (especially with his expressive eyes). Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 02/06/23 Full Review Audience Member An excellent version of Büchner's fragment with terrific performance. The placid scenery beautifully contrasts Woyzeck's disrupted pace. Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 02/22/23 Full Review andy f I Love Herzog and Kinski and this film does have a wonderful dramatic and visual quality, plus of course a powerhouse performance from Kinski. However this is a case of artistic style over substance and it is certainly not their best work. (Visit Wrath of God, Fitzcarraldo or Nosferatu) Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 03/30/23 Full Review Read all reviews
Woyzeck

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Cast & Crew

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Werner Herzog

Director

Klaus Kinski

Friedrich Johann Franz Woyzeck

Eva Mattes

Marie

Wolfgang Reichmann

Captain

Willy Semmelrogge

Doctor

Josef Bierbichler

Drum Major

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Woyzeck

Woyzeck (1979) Woyzeck (1979) Woyzeck (1979) View more photos

Movie Info

Synopsis Having fathered an illegitimate child with his lover, Marie (Eva Mattes), feckless soldier Franz Woyzeck (Klaus Kinski) takes odd jobs around his small town to provide some extra money for them. One of them is volunteering for experiments conducted by a local doctor, who puts Woyzeck on a diet of peas. This serves to drive him close to madness, and the discovery that Marie is conducting an affair with the local drum major exacerbates the situation. Pushed too far, Woyzeck resorts to violence.
Director
Werner Herzog
Screenwriter
Werner Herzog
Distributor
New Yorker Films
Production Co
Zweites Deutsches Fernsehen, Werner Herzog Filmproduktion
Genre
Drama
Original Language
German
Release Date (Theaters)
Aug 24, 1979, Original
Release Date (Streaming)
Feb 26, 2016
Runtime
1h 22m
Sound Mix
Mono
Aspect Ratio
35mm