“Don’t you hear all that horrible screaming all around you? That screaming men call silence?”Meet a young man who was abandoned from birth and grew up locked in a dark cellar without any human contact or external world. He can barely do simple things: speak, walk, eat or dress himself. He knows nothing about what we called human civilization. One fine day he was left abandoned in a town; with a letter in a hand he was standing like a statue unaware about his innocent role playing in the world full of smart, civilized people. I won’t ruin the charm of this classic by saying more about the plot.
In my experimental search of world cinema’s auteur film makers, I would like to add the proud name of Werner Herzog and I must say I become fan of him after watching this gut wrenching film. It’s such a unique humanitarian and adorable film and Herzog without sermonizing told the story through the eyes of innocent Kasper. Unlike many films dealing with such enigmatic mysteries, it does not even attempt to explain the central mystery, but rather to see the world through the point of view of its protagonist and we come to know what a cruel but beautiful world it is!!!
Its revealing thing to know that the actor playing Kaspar Hauser, by almost a non professional actor named as Bruno S. was beaten by his prostitute mother when he was three in his real life, leaving him deaf and leading to his institutionalization, as a mental case, for a quarter-century. But Bruno S. is just striking one with all nuances and it’s the finest natural act I’ve seen in a long run, and I doubt whether any trained actor could do justice to it. Even there is so touchy part about Kasper’s being, his whole existence that frequently challenges the established social notions. Outwardly he may look like a savage or village idiot, but inside he is a soulful man of great tenderness and for us he’s still big enigma and Herzog left it to audience’s own interpretation like Reader Response Theory suggested by Allen Tate. Any fine day I would like to watch it again…and again…and again…For those who’ve enjoyed David Lynch’s masterpiece ‘The Elephant Man’, it’s mandatory watch. It’s must for all who loves sensible, subtle cinema which introspects and boils many questions than feeds easy solutions or answers of enigma called humanity.
Ratings- 10/10
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