The Enigma of Kaspar Hauser

One of Herzog's lesser films. The premise is certainly interesting enough, but the film itself is poorly paced, the performances aren't great and the styling is disappointing. I felt like I had a good handle on the film early on and as I didn't like what I saw, it was tough to get through two hours of the same thing.

Kaspar Hauser was found in Neurenberg, unable to talk and unaware of his whereabouts. He spent his early years in a dark cellar and was released only with a letter on him. A wild benefactor takes him in and tries to prepare him for civilization. While he is quick to learn, he doesn't accept everything they try to teach him.

The Enigma of Kaspar Hauser grants us a look at humanity through the eyes of someone who wasn't raised in our civilization. The idea is interesting enough, but the film is set two centuries ago and quite a lot has changed since then. More so, the film focuses on obvious quirks and easy targets (like religion), which felt cheap. I didn't care for it at all.