To be honest I was underimpressed by the first half of the movie. After the freak show is over Hauser becomes intelligable and speaks from the most basic human level. Then on is everything I like about Herzog. A case of the end that justifies the means. Kaspar the Dispossessed.

In my review I'm just going to parrot what some other users had to say: "contemplative", "haunting" and "zen-like" are all dead-on in my mind. The true story is even stranger than what Herzog presents here. Was Kaspar the product of royal inbreeding? We will never know...

Very strange, but in a fascinating way. Bruno S. does a perfect job in his role of being a very foreign man. It's at times sad, at times uplifting but knows it doesn't always have to feel serious.

Unusual and thought provoking. Herzog has a real talent for finding fantastic true tales.

Per usual Werner Herzog, civilization vies with the untamed. As Kaspar is integrated into society you can't help but feel he is being mechanized and corrupted. But he resists and questions social conventions, and it becomes clear he is actually the most thoughtful, sympathetic, and humane character in the entire film. True to the title, Herzog poses questions but doesn't presume to have all the answers. Highlighted by beautiful period visuals and an amazing performance from Bruno S.

great story and some awesome acting, it's facinating to watch a person in their "teens" (played by a middle-aged man) develop intellectually from an infant to an adult, but i cant help feel that this could have been done better, especially the ending.

A quiet and enigmatic study that I found very intriguing and haunting. Bruno S's eccentricities work very well for the character.

Interesting to watch, but not a master-piece for me

A very interesting film by Herzog (And to think I was foolish enough not to like 'Aguirre' when I saw it!), with an intriguing beggining that once you saw you can't help but watch the whole film. Bruno S. is no less then fantastic, and the production - rather it is rumors or not (And in the case of Herzog it is very possible), it is very interesting to see how unique was the production of such a unique film.

Fascinatingly bizarre. A very interesting story and Herzog is just the person to tell it. At times it's slow but it has a charm and mystery that draws you in.

The beginning was pretty slow - But watching Kasper learning things was the best part. All togehter a great story und it proofs it again that real life writes the best movies.

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Herzog definitely has an eye for aesthetics and prefers to painstakingly make this the focus of his narrative--in other words this film is very slow. But unlike, Tarkovsky and Kubrick who usually manage to charge the atmosphere with emotions, this film concentrates too much on the real. It's beautiful and at times haunting, but mostly hollow.

Kaspar Hauser is one of Herzog's most interesting movies and is surely among his best work overall.

Another excellent Herzog movie. Bruno S. is quite a find, I couldn't imagine anyone else doing this. What an odd and amazing story. It's very haunting and beautiful, and has a Zen quality to it. Also the application of the much-abused Pachebel's Canon is one of the best I know of.

The story of Kaspar Hauser is both bizarre and human. Bruno S. does a great job as Kaspar. The film is, as others have pointed out, a bit slow and not as extraordinary as, say, Aguirre, but I think it succeeds admirably on its own terms.

typical herzog, bizarre and entrancing story about rehabilitating a mysterious wild retard

"The Enigma of Kaspar Hauser" is as mysterious as it is intoxicating. Bruno S. is amazing as the troubled, traumatized Kaspar. This films didn't necessarily open my eyes, but rather re-affirmed my view of the world. The work of a genius ? Not really... this is a work of a humanist.

seriously, i thought this was really great. i've just had it up to fucking here with all this arty farty bullshit.

Herzog is true to form, painting a vivid tale suffused with poignant imagery and the protagonist's introspection. It's by no means Werner's best, but it is quite easy to sympathize with Kaspar and the film reveals the subjectivity of human interpretation regarding our developed and environmentally influenced worldviews, so doubtless there are some clever and thoughtful themes to be mused over. Beautifully shot and framed as Herzog's standards required, while being entertaining and complex.

The story of Kaspar Hauser is absolutely incredible, and when Herzog directs the story his own way, you end up watching a masterpiece. Bruno S. is absolutely amazing as Hauser, considering a 42 year old is playing a 16 year old. The entire film is brimming with emotion. The character of Kaspar Hauser is so well done, that it felt like he was alongside me. I guarantee, from start to finish, you will not be disappointed.

Hauser's innocence is quite touching, something that is obviously connected to Bruno's real life. Of course all of the good things that are usually in Herzog's films are here, but it's the charming honesty from Kaspar Hauser that creates emotional impact. The ending is also among Herzog's best, really powerful.

An uneasy film to watch...almost like watching a horror flick.

This story, which I had never heard of before, is absolutely captivating. It took me several sittings to get through the movie, even though I was memorized by Kasper Hauser while when he was on screen. This makes this film hard to rate. I loved that Herzog didn't try to romanticize Hauser the way that that those in the 19th century did. If there was any hint of idealizing Hauser as a "noble savage," Herzog tears it to pieces in the final scene of the film. My God, how depressing.