History Theatre / Woyzeck

In 1979, Creator/WernerHerzog had just finished filming a [[TheRemake remake]] of ''{{Film/Nosferatu}}''. After almost spending a week without making a movie, he got to work on ''Woyzeck'' with Creator/KlausKinski, which became one of his most beloved films.

In 1979, Creator/WernerHerzog had just finished filming a [[TheRemake remake]] of ''{{Film/Nosferatu}}''. After almost spending a week without making a movie, he got to work on ''Woyzeck'', which became one of his most beloved films.

%%* BellyOfTheWhale

--> '''Doctor''': ''Didn't I tell you that the'' Urethral Sphincter ''is subject to the will!?''.

%%* FracturedFairyTale: The "fairy tale" the grandmother tells the children. You can listen to it [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i2RQkTMDqW8 here]] as part of a YouTubePoop, narrated by Music/TomWaits.

A play (actually just a [[AuthorExistenceFailure fragment]]) by Georg Büchner, who died in 1837 while working on it. Revolutionary for its time because up until that period, {{tragedy}} as a genre was reserved for stories about the upper classes. Its companion piece is Büchner's play ''Leonce and Lena'', which conversely is a scathing comedy about the upper classes -- a concept that was just as taboo.

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* HumanGuineaPig:

* NoNameGiven: Drum Major. The Doctor. The Captain. The Workmen. This is important in the case of the first three, as they are upper-class authority figures who wield power over Woyzeck.

* TypeCasting: Just like in ''Film/{{Stroszek}}'', Eva Mattes plays a woman who temporarily has a crazy husband.

Music/TomWaits and Robert Wilson have written a RockOpera based on the play. Alban Berg also composed an {{opera}}, titled ''Wozzeck''.

* SoundtrackDissonance: A string quartet plays the same song over Woyzeck's humiliating PT in the opening credit, Eva dancing with the Drum Major, and [[spoiler:Woyzeck's murder of Eva]].

* GorgeousPeriodDress: Averted, but not to the point of TheDungAges.

* AxCrazy: Woyzeck himself in the end.
* CharacterFilibuster: Every character agrees, being poor sucks! It probably works better on stage.

* FracturedFairyTale: The "fairy tale" the grandmother tells the children. You can listen to it [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i2RQkTMDqW8 here]] as part of a YouTubePoop, narrated by Music/TomWaits.
* HandsomeLech: Marie starts seeing a Drum Major. Bad idea.
* HumansAreTheRealMonsters
* HumiliationConga
* KnifeNut: Woyzeck can't afford a pistol, you see.
* MadDoctor: Woyzeck is going crazy partly because he volunteers for some very unusual medical experiments.

* MushroomSamba: Described by Woyzeck and a big part of [[BasedOnATrueStory the actual case study]].
* NoNameGiven: Drum Major. The Doctor. The Captain. The Workmen.
** This is important in the case of the first three, as they are upper-class authority figures who wield power over Woyzeck.
* OutDamnedSpot: [[spoiler:A fatal variety.]]
* ShootTheShaggyDog: The grandmother's fairy tale.
* ThereAreNoPsychologists: Woyzeck is clearly mad because of the abuse he's under, but no one seems to care least of all The Doctor. His best friend tries to get him to go to the infirmary to no avail. Justified in that psychology kind of ''didn't exist yet''.

* AdaptationExpansion: Actually ''expected'' in adaptations of ''Woyzeck'', since the play was unfinished due to AuthorExistenceFailure.

* {{Yandere}}: Woyzeck could qualify as a male version of this trope.

* BellyOfTheWhale

* IronicNurseryTune: "Lullaby"
* LyricalDissonance: "Woe"
* VillainSong: "Another Man's Vine" for the Drum Major, "God's Away on Business" for the Doctor, and "Starving in the Belly of a Whale" for the Captain.
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* {{Yandere}}: Woyzeck could qualify.

* FracturedFairyTale: The "fairy tale" the grandmother tells the children. You can listen to it [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i2RQkTMDqW8 here]] as part of a YouTubePoop, narrated by Tom Waits.

* EverythingsBetterWithMonkeys: The organ grinder's mechanical monkey, which sings "Misery is the River of the World". Facially, it's a character of TomWaits, and was voiced by a recording of him.

TomWaits and Robert Wilson have written a RockOpera based on the play. Alban Berg also composed an {{opera}}, titled ''Wozzeck''.

* HeyItsThatGuy: Woyzeck is KlausKinski. And how.

* HandsomeLech: Marie starts seeing a Drum Major. [[ItGotWorse Bad idea]].

* HumansAreBastards

In 1979, WernerHerzog had just finished filming a [[TheRemake remake]] of ''{{Film/Nosferatu}}''. After almost spending a week without making a movie, he got to work on ''Woyzeck'', which became one of his most beloved films.

* TypeCasting: [[spoiler:[[{{Stroszek}} Eva Mattes plays a woman who temporarily has a crazy husband]].]]

* AlternativeCharacterInterpretation: Considering that the play was unfinished and opens for much interpretation, oh so much. If we list them, we would be here all night. There is much more than the list here.
** Andres is the last remaining piece of sanity in Woyzeck's head.
** Marie was raped.
** Is Woyzeck sympathetic or to be rightfully blamed?

* HilariousInHindsight: The doctor makes a crazy experiment with Woyzeck, feeding him nothing but peas. And in 1867, a German invented [[http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erbswurst Erbswurst]], a kind of instant soup made of peas and bacon. The {{Prussia}}n ministry of war fed some of their soldiers nothing but Erbswurst soup and bread for six weeks. Didn't stop them to win the FrancoPrussianWar, though.

* HighOctaneNightmareFuel

* TearJerker: "All the World is Green", "The Part You Throw Away"

TomWaits and Robert Wilson have written a RockOpera based on the play. Alban Berg also composed an opera, titled ''Wozzeck''.

* FracturedFairyTale: The "fairy tale" the grandmother tells the children.

!! The move ''Woyzeck'' by Werner Herzog provides examples of:

* ShootTheShaggyDog: The story told by the grandfather to the children. See it [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i2RQkTMDqW8 here]] as part of a YouTubePoop.

The rock opera by Waits/Wilson provides examples of: