HEART OF GLASS
“Heart of Glass” is about the trials of trying to recreate a lost art. A local village foreman has died and his Glassworks might never recover the formula for ruby glass. Risk and commitment are the issues onscreen, as Herzog focuses on the battle to try and reclaim the past by any means necessary. People go insane, but we don’t get Herzog’s trademark use of monkeys to underscore the point. Still, I’d go so far as to say that it’s one of the best films about crafting that I’ve ever seen. Herzog loves relishing in people who think they control their lives, only to find out that they are gnashing their teeth in the void.
The film comes with a commentary track featuring Werner Herzog as the only special feature. The 1080p transfer blows away the old DVD. While the colors appear washed out, the palette does open to show off a dark village trying to find itself. If anything, it’s the dark underbelly counterpoint to period films like Barry Lyndon. Would you expect anything else from Herzog?