Der Steppenwolf

I have long been a fan of Hermann Hess and have read Steppenwolf innumerable times and will most likely reread it many more times. With this kind of familiarity of a book it would normally be quite unlikely that a movie adaptation would be found to be satisfying. This movie is the very rare exception. Max von Sydow is the perfect Harry Haller! The Magic Theatre was done very well! I highly recommend this movie to all who Herman Hesse fans.

This movie communicates only bits and pieces of what the book itself does. It doesn't show well the actual character of Haller at all and, not understanding his personality well, the rest of the film doesn't pass on the original message very well except through occasional one line sum-ups of an idea by a character. This movie includes tons of lines taken directly from the book but I found that the movie uses some of the weaker lines at times while leaving out most of the best. I found the first half of this movie to be utterly boring however the second half was moderately well done. I like the feel to the second half although I barely made it through the first. That said I give this 5 stars because of the nice surrealism (really psychedelic more than just surreal) and I found the film to be overall very poor considering the material its based. I don't particularly like some of the acting selections either. Overall if you just read this book or ever have for that matter I would say don't watch this film because it leaves me with much less feeling than the book did and really calmed down some of the feelings racing in me for days after reading the book. If you've never read the book I would say watch the film but know that the book is a masterpiece and this film is not. But like I said if your into psychedelic feels to films this has plenty to offer there. All that said I believe my review is biased because of comparing it to the book and had I never read the book some of the ideas presented in the film would have really hit home. But that's not hard to do when your script is pretty much taken directly from the book. I think being disappointed is what I feel. I also particularly dislike the scene with the war against machines where in the book the attorney or whatever he was was (I forget) wasn't treated the same as in the film. I think the last few sentences of Gustav and his conversation in the book really hit at what was being said in that section and that the film didn't.

I read Hesse's "Journey To The East" and "Siddhartha" in my early twenties and thought they were excellent, but, when I then tried to read "Steppenwolf", it defeated me after a dozen or so pages. I put it to one side for a few weeks, then tried again, with the same result. The same thing happened for a third time.

Then I saw that the movie was showing at a local art-cinema, so thought I'd go and watch it. I allowed myself to suspend judgement until the end, and found it to be an unforgettable movie. OK - it has several flaws, as other reviewers have highlighted, but it certainly made a strong impression on me. I then went home and read the book from cover to cover. It's still not my favourite Hesse book (that honour goes to Siddhartha), but it is definitely a worthwhile read, and I probably would never have finished it if I hadn't seen the movie.

I first saw this film back in 76 or 77, I think. A strange little underground art-house cinema (which is now a Burger King) in Melbourne...

It remains with me as a thing of beauty, its environments and music always evoking a wave of optimism. This is an exploration of the possibilities of the human spirit, as well as a joyous declaration of non serviam. An aesthetic revolt into surrealism, it suited the time well.

The animated sequences in particular are very impressive: as a means of dealing with the concepts of 'The Treatise on the Steppenwolf' within the film, but separate from the body of the narrative.

The film is not Hesse's novel, but a magical gesture towards the novel. As an adaptation of a complex and sophisticated novel it is a valiant effort. I will cheerfully admit that this, along with Lindsay Anderson's if... was what ultimately interested me in studying cinema.

22 January 2010. Perhaps it was the primitive special effects/animation technology, but the by end of the movie the chaotic last third of the movie seemed vastly outdated, outmoded and the fantastic visions of the book seemed to pale into imitation and distortion, losing much of the emotional/surreal impact required of such a movie endeavor. The magical chemistry between the two leads (Harry Haller and Hermine) do not result in a believable intimate relationship by the end of the movie and perhaps thusly the shocking end isn't quite as meaningful nor poignant as it might be. Somehow this movie version doesn't quite have the immersive impact and the dichotomy of the book. While the basic elements of the storyline are captured, the editing and the feel seem less pungent and captivating. 6/10.