Woyzeck

A small garrison town in the mid-19th century. The soldier Woyzeck (Klaus Kinski) earns a little extra money through various odd jobs to support his lover Marie (Eva Mattes) and their illegitimate child. But when Marie begins an affair with a major, Woyzeck’s jealousy and despair know no bounds…

Werner Herzog’s adaptation is the most well-known film version of Georg Büchner’s fragmentary play of the same name, which is based on an authentic 19th-century murder case. Herzog insisted on staying very close to the literary source, which he greatly admires, and deliberately refrained from a contemporary reinterpretation of the material. His WOYZECK was nominated for the Palme d’Or at the 1979 Cannes Film Festival, and Eva Mattes received the award for Best Supporting Actress.