Heart of Glass

94 minutes • 1976 • 6.8

We are in a Bavarian town in 18th century Germany, known for its glassblowing art and its special feature in that way, the so-called ruby glass. The radiantly beautiful, bright red glass, which is not to be found anywhere else in the world. When the glazier, who also serves as factory manager, suddenly passes away, without revealing the secret behind the ruby glass, an almost epidemic depression breaks out in the small town. The local baron, who also owns the glassworks, becomes obsessed with uncovering the valuable but unfathomable secret, as he is convinced that the ruby glass has magical powers.

Director Werner Herzog consolidates a directing technique that would later become his "signature style", and tells with the film Heart of Glass a story that seems too good to be true. But despite its bizarre elements, it manages to appear credible. Herzog connoisseurs around the world agree that this must be considered one of the foremost of his earliest films.