Woyzeck

The unfinished nature of Georg Bückner’s play has proved inspiring across different artforms since the playwright’s death in 1837 (one of the most notable adaptations being Robert Wilson’s stage musical with songs by Tom Waits and Kathleen Brennan). Herzog, for whom this was a dream project, collaborated with Kinski for the third time on their version, which saw Kinski take the title role as the tortured soldier pushed to the brink of insanity by jealousy.

Relegated to a lowly provincial posting, Woyzeck earns extra money to support his mistress Marie (Eva Mattes) and their illegitimate child by, amongst other things, taking part in bizarre medical experiments under the watchful eye of the local Doctor (Willy Semmelrogge), experiments that have had a deleterious effect on his mental health, predisposing him to a violent reaction when he discovers Eva’s infidelity.