There doesn't seem to be a dedicated thread for this, but the coming Herzog Blu-ray set is getting good reviews. I'm looking forward to this set more than the coming Twin Peaks collection! http://www.blu-ray.com/movies/Herzog-The-Collection-Blu-ray/100688/#Review To read complete reviews of each of the films in this set, please click on the following links: Even Dwarfs Started Small Blu-ray review Land of Silence and Darkness Blu-ray review Fata Morgana Blu-ray review Aguirre: The Wrath of God Blu-ray review The Enigma of Kaspar Hauser Blu-ray review Heart of Glass Blu-ray review Stroszek Blu-ray review Woyzeck Blu-ray review Nosferatu the Vampyre Blu- ray review Fitzcarraldo Blu-ray review Ballad of the Little Soldier Blu-ray review Where the Green Ants Dream Blu-ray review Cobra Verde Blu-ray review Lessons of Darkness Blu-ray review Little Dieter Needs to Fly Blu-ray review My Best Fiend Blu-ray review
I was very impressed by Grizzly Man. Don't even know where to begin when it comes to the duo infernale Herzog/Kinski. A unique combination of genius,madness and megalomania. The doku My best fiend is highly recommended if you haven't already seen it. About Fitzcarraldo: I guess many remember one of Kinski's tantrums at the set(Kinski vs. production manager Walter Saxer): There exists an rather amateurish but interesting interview with Saxer many years after the movie(2012)and he spoke quite positive about Kinski and that he was the man that made Herzog and not vice versa. He also accused Herzog of telling lies about some of the infamous things that happened on the Fitzcarraldo set. Unfortunately it's only in german language without subs:
Fitzcarraldo was an interesting movie that my brother turned me onto. I was surprised to see it had music by Popol Vuh.
I also was surprised and enthralled and horrified with Herzog's Grizzly Man documentary. The scene when he listens to the deaths on tape and says "You must never listen to this. You must destroy it." was truly horrific.
Just looking at the list of films in the Herzog collection, I have not seen any of these to my recollection, must get crackin'!
Yes, the biggies (Aguirre, Fitzcarraldo) are wonderful, but I'd like to give another shoutout to The Great Ecstasy of Woodcarver Steiner, mentioned only once before in this thread, eight years ago. It's a small masterpiece about the compulsion of the human spirit in reaching for unobtainable goals, and, as such, it touches on the same themes that inform Herzog's greatest works. Poetically shot, it's breathtaking and heart-wrenching in equal measure. Not bad for a 45-minute documentary film about a ski jumper. Beat that, Eddie the Eagle.
I'll second that. Herzog's early work - Even dwarfs, Aguirre, Fata morgana, Woodcarver Steiner - is utterly unique. Great film.
Also, he's an endlessly engaging interview guest with a neat line in banter. After living with Klaus Kinski I imagine he ceased to care about objective reality. He has surprising comedic talents as well:
I've got about 15 of his films in my collection, and while I can't say I liked every single one, I still find him to be a fascinating director.... and of course, several of movies are definitely classics (Nosferatu, Aguirre, Fitzcarraldo). I just saw Into the Abyss today for the first time and thought it was quite good... Herzog's documentaries are often just as interesting as his "proper" films.
The whole genius of Herzog is encapsulated in that moment when he stumbles onto a little anecdote about a squirrel and releases all the anguish the prison padre is holding back.
I thought it was great too but later learned that some of the goings on weren't presented in the doc...can't remember off the top of my head. Left me feeling a little less moved by it, though it's still good. Oh I think it was the fact that Grizzly man was a bit mental in some ways but Herzog doesn't touch on his personality, just the story of what happened which is one perspective but I think that it leaves us with some perspectives that aren't necessarily representative of the whole situatation.