''Signs of Life'' (german: Lebenszeichen) is a

1968 The year was highlighted by protests and other unrests that occurred worldwide. Events January–February * January 5 – " Prague Spring": Alexander Dubček is chosen as leader of the Communist Party of Czechoslovakia. * J ...

feature film A feature film or feature-length film is a narrative film (motion picture or "movie") with a running time long enough to be considered the principal or sole presentation in a commercial entertainment program. The term ''feature film'' originall ...

written, directed, and produced by

Werner Herzog Werner Herzog (; born 5 September 1942) is a German film director, screenwriter, author, actor, and opera director, regarded as a pioneer of New German Cinema. His films often feature ambitious protagonists with impossible dreams, people with u ...

. It was his first feature film, and his first major commercial and critical success. The story is roughly based on the short story "Der Tolle Invalide auf dem Fort Ratonneau" by

Achim von Arnim Carl Joachim Friedrich Ludwig von Arnim (26 January 1781 – 21 January 1831), better known as Achim von Arnim, was a German poet, novelist, and together with Clemens Brentano and Joseph von Eichendorff, a leading figure of German Romanticism. ...

Plot

During

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

, three German soldiers are withdrawn from combat when one of them, Stroszek, is wounded. They are assigned to a small coastal community on the Greek island of

Kos Kos or Cos (; el, Κως ) is a Greek island, part of the Dodecanese island chain in the southeastern Aegean Sea. Kos is the third largest island of the Dodecanese by area, after Rhodes and Karpathos; it has a population of 36,986 (2021 census), ...

while Stroszek recuperates. The men become increasingly stir crazy in their uneventful new assignment. Stroszek eventually goes mad.

Cast

Peter Brogle Peter Brogle (22 June 1933 – 27 March 2006) was a Swiss film actor. He appeared in 14 films between 1955 and 1987. He starred in the 1968 film '' Signs of Life'' by Werner Herzog, which won the Silver Bear Extraordinary Prize of the Jury ...

- Stroszek *

Wolfgang Reichmann Wolfgang Reichmann (7 January 1932 – 7 May 1991) was a German actor. He appeared in more than 60 films and television shows between 1954 and 1991. He starred in the film '' The Fair'', which was entered into the 10th Berlin International Fi ...

- Meinhard * Athina Zacharopoulou - Nora * Wolfgang von Ungern-Sternberg - Becker * Wolfgang Stumpf - Captain *

Henry van Lyck Henry van Lyck (born Rüdiger Leberecht; 15 January 1941 in Cologne, Germany) is a German actor. Selected filmography * '' Freddy and the Millionaire'' (1961) * ''Snow White and the Seven Jugglers'' (1962) * ' (1965, TV miniseries) * '' Go for ...

- Lieutenant *

Julio Pinheiro Julio is the Spanish equivalent of the month July and may refer to: * Julio (given name) * Julio (surname) * Júlio de Castilhos, a municipality of the western part of the state of Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil * ''Julio'' (album), a 1983 compilation a ...

- Gypsy *

Florian Fricke Florian Fricke (23 February 1944 – 29 December 2001) was a German musician who started his professional career with electronic music using the Moog synthesizer within the krautrock group Popol Vuh. His music and that of the band however soon evo ...

- Pianist * Heinz Usener - Doctor * Achmed Hafiz - Greek resident

Production

The fortress which gives the film's main setting is a real 14th-century fortress built by the

Knights Hospitaller The Order of Knights of the Hospital of Saint John of Jerusalem ( la, Ordo Fratrum Hospitalis Sancti Ioannis Hierosolymitani), commonly known as the Knights Hospitaller (), was a medieval and early modern Catholic military order. It was headq ...

. Herzog's grandfather, Rudolf Herzog, lived and worked for several years as an

archaeologist Archaeology or archeology is the scientific study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture. The archaeological record consists of artifacts, architecture, biofacts or ecofacts, sites, and cultural landsca ...

at this site, and published translations of the ancient Greek engravings which appear in the film. The old Turkish man who appears in the film with a written translation was the last surviving worker from Rudolf Herzog's archaeological project.Werner Herzog, audio commentary for ''Signs of Life'' DVD During several shots, Peter Brogle could only be filmed from the waist up after he had been injured in a tight-rope accident and spent several months in a walking cast. The man who appears as a pianist in one scene is keyboardist

Popol Vuh ''Popol Vuh'' (also ''Popol Wuj'' or ''Popul Vuh'' or ''Pop Vuj'') is a text recounting the mythology and history of the Kʼicheʼ people, one of the Maya peoples, who inhabit Guatemala and the Mexican states of Chiapas, Campeche, Yucatan and ...

, who composed and performed the music for many of Herzog's later films.

Themes

Many of Herzog's later films reference elements of ''Signs of Life''. ''

Stroszek ''Stroszek'' is a 1977 German tragicomedy film directed by Werner Herzog and starring Bruno S., Eva Mattes, and Clemens Scheitz. Written specifically for Bruno S., the film was shot in Plainfield, Wisconsin, and North Carolina. Most of the l ...

'' includes a scene with a hypnotized chicken, and the main character's name is reused in Herzog's film ''

''. ''

The Wild Blue Yonder ''The Wild Blue Yonder'' is a 2005 science fiction fantasy film by German director Werner Herzog. It was presented at the 62nd Venice Film Festival, where it won the FIPRESCI Award. It was screened in competition at the Mar del Plata Interna ...

'' contains a shot of a valley of windmills.

Critical responses

The film was entered into the

18th Berlin International Film Festival The 18th annual Berlin International Film Festival was held from 21 June to 2 July 1968. The Golden Bear was awarded to the Swedish film '' Ole dole doff'' directed by Jan Troell. Jury The following people were announced as being on the jury fo ...

, where it won the Silver Bear Extraordinary Prize of the Jury. The film won a

German Film Award The German Film Award (), also known as Lola after its prize statuette, is the national film award of Germany. It is presented at an annual ceremony honouring cinematic achievements in the German film industry. Besides being the most important ...

. ''Signs of Life'' has a 91% approval rating on

Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wan ...

References

External links

* {{Authority control 1968 films 1968 drama films German drama films West German films 1960s German-language films German black-and-white films Films directed by Werner Herzog German World War II films Films set in Greece Films set on islands Films set in the Mediterranean Sea Films shot in Crete Films about mental health Films based on short fiction Silver Bear Grand Jury Prize winners 1968 directorial debut films 1960s German films