At first glance, "Herakles" is not exactly what one would expect to be Herzog's first film. If anything, it just feels like an experimental gay fetish video, but, right when I was about to rage over the lack of Kenneth Anger's co-director credit, Herzog's intent became more and more clear. This simplistic film directly references the classic Greek myth of Hercules, as well as providing some interesting commentary on the whole idea of the traditional "hero".
Visually, the film is often creative and nice, if a bit repetitive, but when realizing the subcontext, the film definitely gets more interesting. It certainly is nowhere near Herzog's best short film, but it still provides a decent and slightly thought provoking starting point for his soon to be absolutely legendary career.
Visually, the film is often creative and nice, if a bit repetitive, but when realizing the subcontext, the film definitely gets more interesting. It certainly is nowhere near Herzog's best short film, but it still provides a decent and slightly thought provoking starting point for his soon to be absolutely legendary career.