Watch: Feel 'Signs Of Vigorous Life' With Vintage 30-Minute Doc On Herzog, Fassbinder, Wenders, Schlöndorff & More

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We can’t imagine what you do with your spare time and quite frankly it’s best we never find out, but the good folks over at The Seventh Art are often scouring the internet for hidden video gems. The stuff that they’re able to find is rarely disappointing and this video in particular is quite the find.

They have uncovered a 1970s BBC documentary called “Signs of Vigorous Life” which explores the then-bourgeoning New German Cinema movement. The doc includes Werner Herzog, Rainer Werner Fassbinder, Volker Schlöndorff, Wim Wenders, and Hans-Jürgen Syberberg. “Signs of Vigorous Life” captures this special time in cinema history just as it started to rise, right when each of these directors were in their prime. We’re talking before Herzog made
Stroszek” or Schlöndorff made “The Tin Drum.” Or, better yet, years before Fassbinder would embark on his BRD trilogy.

These young German filmmakers were producing serious works of art at a time when German cinema were essentially considered dead. Luckily for us, the BBC were keen enough to capture this movement right when it was happening. Whether you’re a fan of those directors or just a fan of cinema in general, this half-hour video is an absolute must-watch. So, stop whatever it is you’re doing, and take a look.