Scream of Stone

Dir: Werner Herzog

1991

****

1991’s Scream of Stone is certainly one of Werner Herzog’s lesser known films and for many it is one of his least accomplished. It had been four years since Cobra Verde and a whole decade since Fitzcarraldo and I think many had thought the great director had reached his peak. Cobra Verde would be the last time Herzog would collaborate with Klaus Kinski but he was originally going to play the leading character in the film, a role which subsequently went to Vittorio Mezzogiorno instead. Mezzogiorno is a very different actor and certainly not as intensely hypnotic but a lot safer to have up a mountain for sure. It isn’t one of Werzog’s finest works but when most of his films are masterpieces it isn’t saying much. The story is about a meeting between two world famous climbers, one an experienced mountaineer called Roccia (Vittorio Mezzogiorno), the other a sport climber called Martin (Stefan Glowacz – a real climber), that results in a bet being made on which of the two is the best climber. Roccia states that Martin wouldn't survive on a 'real' climbing expedition, although he is the indoor 'world champion'. Then they both plan to climb the 'Cerro Torre' in the Patagonia region of South America, near the Argentinian/Chilean border, one of the world's most difficult mountains, especially considering the extreme weather conditions in the area. The journalist Ivan (Donald Sutherland), using the rivalry for media exploitation, joins them and reports on their progress. The rivalry among the two men results eventually in the death of a common friend. Martin claims to have been at the top of 'Cerro Torre', but can't proof it. Then Martin 'steals' Roccia's girlfriend Katrina (Mathilda May), who feels lonely and under appreciated by Roccia. After some time the two men meet again at 'Cerro Torre' and the rivalry results in a 'climb against time' in which Martin and Roccia each attempt different routes up the mountain in a race to the summit. But they're in for a surprise, involving Brad Dourif and four missing fingers. Director Kevin Macdonald who made the amazing Touching the Void in 2003 once said that Scream of Stone is his favorite film by Herzog, the subject clearly being of interest. I do think it is one of his most overlooked works but I can see why this is the case. The fact is that Herzog is responsible for some of the most glorious films ever made. Look at Aguirre, the Wrath of God, Fitzcarraldo, The Enigma of Kaspar Hauser, Stroszek and Nosferatu the Vampyre, and the many amazing documentaries he had made. The truth is that compared to these masterpieces Scream of Stone looked like a cheap made-for-television film. However, if you look past that and watch it for what it is you will be pleasantly surprised. It’s one of those odd films you might catch late at night, think you will switch off within minutes but end up watching till the end. It’s hypnotic in its content but also in how different it is to most films. This is the film that makes me believe Herzog never went to film school but it is also the film that makes me think great film makers don’t necessarily have to. The structure is totally different from the norm but it isn’t distracting enough to take your attention away from the main story. The acting isn’t always great but the passion is always believable, probably because it is mostly real. It is actually legendary actor Donald Sutherland who stands out as the piece that doesn’t quite fit the puzzle but his casting also makes the film somewhat intriguing. It’s odd and quirky, as many of Herzog’s films are, but in a totally different way. If anything Scream of Stone is far more mainstream than the directors other works, it’s ill fitting among its peers but it is very comfortable once you get into it. The filming on location looks stunning, as you’d expect, and it is true that the beautiful landscape is half the film. However, it is the human obsession that Herzog captures best once again, you just have to unlearn how to watch film to really appreciate it, and that is by no means as bad thing.