No One Will Play With Me
Encyclopedia
No One Will Play With Me is a 1976 short film by Werner Herzog
. The film focuses on a boy, Martin, who is outcast from the other children at his school. The film was made with pre-school children in Munich
, and is partially based on true stories which Herzog heard from the children themselves. The use of a raven as a central plot element was inspired by the story of the raven from Herzog's earlier film The Great Ecstasy of Woodcarver Steiner
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. Martin explains that his mother is sick with cancer and cannot cook for him, and consequently he eats only popcorn
. Martin's father beats him. Nicole becomes Martin's only friend, and he is so thankful that he gives his raven to her as a gift. Nicole then collects money from the other children to buy Martin a pair of guinea pigs.
Werner Herzog
Werner Herzog Stipetić , known as Werner Herzog, is a German film director, producer, screenwriter, actor, and opera director.He is often considered as one of the greatest figures of the New German Cinema, along with Rainer Werner Fassbinder, Margarethe von Trotta, Volker Schlöndorff, Werner...
. The film focuses on a boy, Martin, who is outcast from the other children at his school. The film was made with pre-school children in Munich
Munich
Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
, and is partially based on true stories which Herzog heard from the children themselves. The use of a raven as a central plot element was inspired by the story of the raven from Herzog's earlier film The Great Ecstasy of Woodcarver Steiner
The Great Ecstasy of Woodcarver Steiner
The Great Ecstasy of Woodcarver Steiner is a 1974 documentary film by German filmmaker Werner Herzog. It is about celebrated ski-jumper Walter Steiner who works as a carpenter for his full-time occupation...
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Plot summary
Martin is a young boy who sits in a corner while the children play at school. The other children dislike his shabby appearance, and refuse to play with him. With some effort, Martin convinces a classmate, Nicole, to come to his house and play with his talking ravenRaven
Raven is the common name given to several larger-bodied members of the genus Corvus—but in Europe and North America the Common Raven is normally implied...
. Martin explains that his mother is sick with cancer and cannot cook for him, and consequently he eats only popcorn
Popcorn
Popcorn, or popping corn, is corn which expands from the kernel and puffs up when heated. Corn is able to pop because, like sorghum, quinoa and millet, its kernels have a hard moisture-sealed hull and a dense starchy interior. This allows pressure to build inside the kernel until an explosive...
. Martin's father beats him. Nicole becomes Martin's only friend, and he is so thankful that he gives his raven to her as a gift. Nicole then collects money from the other children to buy Martin a pair of guinea pigs.