From Kammerspiele to Existential Tragedy: the Role of Music in "Stroszek" and "Woyzeck" by Werner Herzog

Abstract

In 1970s – 1980s, the Golden age of German cinema was for the film director Werner Herzog an encyclopaedia of genres. Implementing the stylistics of the movies of the past era, Herzog, nonetheless, pursued the path of revival, and not of imitating, adding psychological aspect to typified narrative and filling it with new meanings. The main means for adding psychological aspect for Herzog was classical music. Thus, due to music, the features of Kammerspiele in the films “Stroszek” and “Woyzeck” become less distinct and instead of chamber bourgeois dramas there are existential tragedies.

Keywords

Werner Herzog, «Stroszek», Georg Büchner, «Woyzeck», Kammerspiele, Beethoven, film music