The Enigma of Kaspar Hauser (PG)

★★★★★ Visionary New German Cinema director Werner Herzog's U.S. breakthrough, Jeder für Sich und Gott Gegen Alle or The Mystery of Kaspar Hauser is a poignant, visually exquisite allegory of how civilization breeds despair. ~ AllMovie.

---

Back in cinemas for its 50th anniversary, The Enigma of Kaspar Hauser is a film of great poetic and philosophical resonance.

Based on the remarkable true story of the foundling Kaspar Hauser, it is an eloquent, deeply moving account of a grown man, barely able to walk or talk, who appears suddenly in the town square of Nuremberg, Germany, in 1828, clutching a letter which claims that his name is Kaspar. His origins are shrouded in mystery but it seems that he has been imprisoned without human contact since childhood. He learns to speak and some attempt is made to integrate him into society. He is puzzled over and examined by a series of learned minds, some sympathetic, some hostile, yet he seems to defy analysis.

Featuring a mesmerizing performance by non-actor Bruno S. in the lead role, the film picked up three awards at the Cannes Film Festival. Other films have been made about Kaspar Hauser but Werner Herzog’s affecting, sensitive interpretation is surely the best of them. 

---

★★★★★ Herzog's '70s classic is still as moving and involving as ever. ~ Empire.

★★★★★ An unmissable film, Herzog's captivating The Enigma of Kaspar Hauser, now on re-release, has the elegance and simplicity of a woodcut. ~ The Guardian.

★★★★★ Stories of humans raised in the wild range from Tarzan to Mama, but none compare to the resonance of Werner Herzog's 1974 film. ~ Total Film.

★★★★★ Where others see freakshows, Werner Herzog finds poetry and wonder.  ~ Time Out.

★★★★★ A great among greats. Bruno S's performance is surely one of the best ever? ~ Little White Lies.

★★★★★ One of Herzog's two or three finest films, not to mention surely his most humane. ~ The Telegraph.