I remember picking this one up incredibly cheaply; it was about £12. There is a second box set available featuring Heart Of Glass and The Enigma Of Kaspar Hauser among others. Fitzcarraldo and Aguire are my two favourites. It's a pity he's moved away from feature film making to documentaries. Does anyone know why he did this?
Even Dwarfs Started Small should not be missed. I guarantee that you've never seen another film like it.
He hasn't, he's always made his "documentaries", funding is probably easier to come by for these projects and he continues to direct features, the recent "Rescue Dawn" a case in point....also, "Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans" is finished as far as I'm aware and due for release next year starring Nicolas Cage and Eva Mendes, a project met with a certain amount of mirth and disbelief in cineast circles...see this http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1095217/ and look at the comments at the bottom of the page..... "....So, yes or no: Is Bad Lieutenant a project you're working on with Nicolas Cage? HERZOG: Yes, but its not a remake. It's like, for example, you wouldn't call a new James Bond movie a remake of the previous one — although the name of the bad lieutenant is a different one, and the story is completely different. It's very interesting because Nicolas Cage really wants to work with me, and just anticipating working with an actor of his caliber is just wonderful. Why this project, though? You could have worked on anything. HERZOG: There's an interesting screenplay; it's a very, very dark story. It's great because it seems to reflect a side of the collective psyche — sometimes there are just good times for film noir. They don't come out of nowhere. There was some sort of a mysterious context with the understanding of people in that particular time. And it's going to be in New Orleans, which is a fascinating place. Part of it was the decision of the producers for tax incentives — which is totally legitimate. However, I thought to myself: "We have seen a lot of New York in movies; we have not seen New Orleans in feature films." Or very few feature films. After Katrina it's a particularly interesting set-up. The neglect and politics after the hurricane struck are something quite amazing. It has to do with public morality. Speaking of which, the original film's director, Abel Ferrara, has vowed to fight this project, and — HERZOG: Wonderful, yes! Let him fight! He thinks I'm doing a remake. Have you talked to him? HERZOG: No. I have no idea who Abel Ferrara is. But let him fight the windmills, like Don Quixote. Have you heard his comments at all? He says he hopes "these people die in Hell." HERZOG: That's beautiful! Do you relate to that passion? HERZOG: No, because it's like theater thunder. It's like being backstage in the 19th century, with the machines that make thunder. It has nothing do with with his film. But let him rave and rant; it's good music in the background. You did a remake before with Nosferatu, but — HERZOG: It was not so much a remake as an homage to Murnau. But I don't feel like doing an homage to Abel Ferrara because I don't know what he did — I've never seen a film by him. I have no idea who he is. Is he Italian? Is he French? Who is he? Oh, come on. HERZOG: Maybe I could invite him to act in a movie! Except I don't know what he look...."
I had a look at his filmography at IMDB. Am I right in thinking prior to Rescue Dawn his last major film was Cobra Verde back in '87? Most of the list since then appears to consist of documentaries and television work.
I think Herzog's films are all over the place. If you want to see two really strange early films of his try 'Even dwarves started small' and "Fata Morgana' There is a certain something that runs through his films that I'm very drawn to. 'Heart of Glass' is visually (probably) the most beautiful film I've ever seen. Joe
And "Scream of Stone", before that in 1991...Werners' own site is here..http://www.wernerherzog.com/main/index.htm
He has made the odd feature film since the mid 80s -- but nothing like the run of movies he made in the 70s. And it's only in the last couple of years that his current work has started to have any kind of profile in North America again -- it's like he completely disappeared between, say, Fitzcarraldo and Grizzly Man.
I really want to see Nosferatu but have never seen it on cable anywhere. Anyone know if it's due to run sometime soon? It was just shown last night at the IFC theatre in NYC.
Nothing to add here - But every time I scroll through this page, I catch a glimpse of the title of this thread and think it says Wernham Hogg. I get a little excited and then realize...
If you look at IMDB for a movie you want to see periodically, it will state when the movie will be on, if it's going to be on in a certain time period. You could keep checking there. BTW I just watched this the other night, and apparently netflix doesn't have it listed as being in their library.
Thanks for the tip on this one! I rented it the other night and now getting through all the easter eggs and special bits. At first, I didn't know what to make of it. Love all the inside jokes. Helps to have at least seen at least Aguirre and Fitzcarraldo and know something about his films and documentaries and legends and stuff, to catch the jokes. ("at least I didn't try to drag the boat over the mountain"). Not as hilarious as say, Spinal Tap, but quite entertaining mockumentary.
As you can see from the credits, he didn't write or direct this film. He has appeared in several films, and in Loch Ness he plays himself. It cleverly adds to the confusion as to whether the film is documentary or fiction (comedy). He played a significant part in Harmony Korine's Julien Donkey Boy, a truly odd movie. The first film of his I saw was The Mystery of Kaspar Hauser, a fictional adaptation of a true story of sensory deprivation and abuse. It concerns the life of a man who lives in a cellar until sometime in his teens or twenties. Excellent. I also recommend Little Dieter Needs to Fly, a documentary account of the events shown in Rescue Dawn. Basically, Dieter tells you the true and unbelievable story of his life. The first movie I took my spouse to on a date was Aguirre, The Wrath of God. Somehow, the relationship continues to this day. We both agree that Fitzcarraldo is stunning. Finally, The Ecstasy of the Sculptor Steiner and La Soufrierre are recommended. The first is about a ski flier and has outstanding visuals of the sport. The second is an unintentionally funny movie of Herzog insisting on climbing a volcano in Guadeloupe that is supposed to blow at any moment.
Sure Incident at Loch Ness isn't directed or written by Herzog, but it's more about Herzog than it is about the Loch Ness monster. Herzog has even done some fake documentaries in his time, and they looked real. Little Dieter is excellent.
Not clear about your post. Which are his fake documentaries? Is Little Dieter fake? If so, I missed that. I was just sayin', Loch Ness isn't a 'Herzog' film. Doesn't look like one, doesn't feel like one. If it's more about Herzog than the Loch Ness monster, in your opinion, that still doesn't make it a Herzog film. I've seen David Cronenberg as a TV actor. That doesn't make those 'David Cronenberg' shows. Just sayin'.
No Little Dieter is real, but apparently he did a documentary on these people who believed that angels lived under ice, and another one that escapes me, that really wasn't real. He has said he will add things to kind of show an emotion or feeling, such as in Little Dieter, when Dieter Dengler open and closes the door, he doesn't really do that, but Herzog thought it portrayed how he feels.
" Bells from the Deep" was presented as a documentary, but he's on record as saying that he made it up. "Dieter" wasn't fake, though he (Dieter) said that he was "directed" by Herzog, AFAIR. Dreamwhip, you beat me to it...the city under the ice is in "Bells..."
has anybody seen or watched the documentary series on DVD that is only available in Europe? http://www.wernerherzog.com/main/index.htm
After taking a break from my self imposed Werner Herzog fest (I watched Stroszek just a few days ago) I find this article in today's New York Times (well someone found it and sent it to me knowing I had been on a Herzog fest). Thank you to everyone for suggestions, I plan to watch some more after a break. http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/25/arts/design/25abroad.html?hp
Possibly the most awe-inspiring film. I love the fact that when Herzog originally brought the idea of the film to some Hollywood producers, they said how they would be able to shoot this film in studios and back-lots. Herzog looked in disgust and said the only way to shoot this film was to actually shoot in the hellhole that the jungle was and to actually transport the boat from one river to the next. Kinski is simply breathtaking in the role (and thank God Jason Robards and Mick Jagger were not able to complete the film). Look at Kinski's scene on top of the church screaming that there will be an opera house and when he arrives at a party with Caruso playing on the gramophone and protecting it with his life shows you what true acting is. I wish I had 1/100th of the balls Herzog has....
