On a shortlist with Eiichi Yamamoto’s BELLADONNA OF SADNESS and René Laloux’s FANTASTIC PLANET as one of the most surreal, psychedelic and truly cosmic animated features ever made, German director Helmut Herbst’s utterly insane THE CATHEDRAL OF NEW EMOTIONS follows a commune of Berlin stoners and intellectuals who get set adrift in space in 1972 in a packing container clutched in a giant flying hand. Various space flotsam smashes into the windshield – enormous insects, Mighty Mouse, a Bird Man from “Flash Gordon” – while hypnotic Krautrock drones in the background moaning “Where am I??”, and a naked man bounces up and down off a massive red pepper. So begins our descent down the psychotic rabbit hole of CATHEDRAL, a true hallucinogenic Space Freakout if there ever was one: imagine Ralph Bakshi animating an R-rated version of John Carpenter’s DARK STAR, or the cartoon equivalent of Can’s “Ege Bamyasi” or Pink Floyd’s “Astronomy Domine.” In other words: set the controls for the heart of the sun.

Narrated by the ship’s doctor Quistard in the same synthesized voice everyone uses, the crew includes the female commander Bakunskaja with long gray hair and a pink hippie frock; lizard-tongued head of security Dierksen; and James and Jones, a pair of redheaded and often bare-breasted twins. The crew spend their days staring into the pulsating light of the fusion reactor wondering about the outcome of the Vietnam War, or bemoaning their sexual inertia: “Do you know what an erotically stale situation is? … Eternal lust and unspeakable horror. All empty promises.” Their descent into moral and political lethargy is interrupted by the arrival of a very attractive young man, Mulligan, who’s discovered in their monthly supply shipment from the discount store. Eventually this screwy crew of seriously baked stoners find themselves searching for the enigmatic Matthew Madson, a Yeti-like wild man who may be the mysterious astronaut who first convinced them to embark on their deranged odyssey. Visually the film is like no other, filled with holographic blue phallus plants and characters morphing into gray fleshy blobs every time they pass a Black Hole, constantly disrobing and attempting to seduce each other (and despite the random nudity, the crewmembers are weirdly androgynous as if genders are becoming meaningless.)

The dialogue is equally bizarre, littered with cryptic sound bites: “Did you know that neutrons can smile?”, “I think you are also just fiction” and the film’s mantra, “My eyes are cast down in awe.” The movie’s genesis is equally strange: based on a 1974 film by Herbst called DIE PHANTASTISCHE WELT DES MATTHEW MADSON, CATHEDRAL was finished after a decades-long gestation in 2006 (Herbst passed away in 2021.) One of the rarest and most obscure tiles in world animation and never before officially released on physical media, CATHEDRAL has been newly restored from the original camera negative and sound elements by Deaf Crocodile with the cooperation of Herbst’s wife, Renate Merck. In German with English subtitles.

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Video Quality

The Cathedral of New Emotions debuts on Blu-Ray in its original 1.78:1 aspect ratio with a 1080p master derived from a 2K scan of the 35mm Original Camera Negative conducted by Common Film Production GmbH in Germany. Deaf Crocodile provided additional digital restoration and color grading to get the film to its ideal state. Deaf Crocodile continues to be a leader in serving up animated oddities to the world, and they never give less than the utmost care to preserving them for audiences.

The bold splashes of color present in this transfer are exquisite with these sumptuous hues oscillating in and out for pure aesthetic transcendence. Black levels are firm with no major issues with banding or compression issues. The film has been spruced up to remove all dirt, scratches, and the like, but the film keeps its texture instead of becoming a smoothed-over eyesore. This journey is very fluid in form, but every single line and artistic flourish is carefully preserved and allowed to look crisp and natural. The distinct character designs pulsate and swirl, but it never becomes a visual mess. This Blu-Ray is a dazzling experience that treats this title with the utmost respect. Deaf Crocodile is a godsend for animation.

Audio Quality

This Blu-Ray comes with the original DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio track in the original German (with optional English subtitles) which brings this to life perfectly. The occasionally inscrutable dialogue comes through clearly without sound effects or the music drowning out important information. The journey deploys distinct sound effects that are given precise placement within the mix. The track handles atmospheric effects without a hint of an issue. The music is a key element that fills the room with a formidable presence and clear fidelity. There are no crackles or signs of strain here. The audio track delivers everything it needs to.

Special Features

The Deluxe Edition Blu-Ray of The Cathedral of New Emotions arrives in a hard slipcase package that is a beauty in person. The release also includes a 58-page bound book featuring essays by film programmer Alex McDonald and film critic Walter Chaw. This provides great insight into the film, the themes, the creatives, and the behind-the-scenes details in a thoughtfully written style. The on-disc special features are as follows:

Audio Commentary: film historian Rolf Giesen delivers an informative commentary track in which he discusses the history of animation in Germany, the style of the animation, the work of director Helmut Herbst, the deeper thematic content of the story, and much more.

Container Interstellar: A seven-minute animated 2001 short from the director is provided that shows some early ideas that would be expanded in The Cathedral of New Emotions. This has been restored as well as the main feature.

Downcast Eyes – Dada and Metamorphosis in The Cathedral of New Emotions: An 18-minute visual essay that explores the Dada art movement in Germany, examines some of the artwork in the The Cathedral of New Emotions, the journey of Helmut Herbst, and more.

Werkinterview Filmkunst – Helmut Herbst: A 26-minute documentary from 2013 broadcast on German television that includes interviews with Helmut Herbst that gives a lot of great insight into his career, what he wa trying to say in his work, and more.

Final Thoughts

The Cathedral of New Emotions is a viewing experience that makes you question if you are chemically altered while viewing it even when you are stone-cold sober. There is a plot you can follow, yet it never seems of paramount importance compared to riding the vibes the film is pushing out. The animation is engaging, occasionally disgusting, and singular in its vision. The brief runtime is a benefit as this could easily be an artistic expression that could overstay its welcome if the creatives were too self-indulgent. Deaf Crocodile has released a Blu-Ray which sports a fabulous A/V presentation and a wonderful assortment of special features. If you like the weird corners of animation, give it a shot. Recommended

The Cathedral of New Emotions is currently available to purchase on Standard Edition Blu-Ray or with a Deluxe Edition Slipcase exclusively through Deaf Crocodile and DiabolikDVD.

Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the Blu-Ray.

Disclaimer: Deaf Crocodile has supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.