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Werner Herzog is a Superhero!, or, The Films of Werner Herzog

Started by Sam, September 02, 2007, 03:11:40 AM

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Sam

Just a heads up to say there's an hour long documentary about Herzog on BBC1 on Tuesday night. Should be good.

Sam

Well that was fucking excellent! Anyone else catch it?

drberbatov

Yes, a great doc. Far, far superior to the Murakami Imagine last week.

I think the sign of a great 'artist' is that they cannot explain how they do what they do, I kind of got that impression with Herzog. We will never know what goes on in his head. The programme also showcased the utter genius of Klaus Kinski, I have never seen such a combination of passion and madness displayed from an actor.

Looknorth

Quote from: Sam on June 16, 2008, 12:28:57 AM
I thought I'd bump this to mention this clip on youtube from one of my favourite films of his, Stroszek. It's such a beautiful scene, full of tenderness.
Lovely clip that Sam. The actor, Bruno, was actually a troubled soul who grew up in homes and suffered terrible mental illness all his life. Herzog's been criticised for 'using' him like that in some of his films but I don't see it like that. He gave him a job and I don't see it as exploitation, even though, arguably it is.

thugler

That doc was rather good. Makes me want to watch the ones I hadn't yet seen. Yentob is not that great an interviewer though.

Looknorth

I like the way they left out a lot of films like Nosferatu. There was a film included that I'd never seen which was a bonus (the dwarf one). I think the thing with Herzog is he sees beauty in small things and he's open to experimenting. He's very much the nature director of the NGC. He has a lovely manner about him too, a bit like Wenders in that respect. I like Wenders a great deal, I interviewed him for my Masters. Very good of him to take the time to do that.

thugler

Quote from: Looknorth on July 02, 2008, 11:30:05 PM
I like the way they left out a lot of films like Nosferatu. There was a film included that I'd never seen which was a bonus (the dwarf one). I think the thing with Herzog is he sees beauty in small things and he's open to experimenting. He's very much the nature director of the NGC. He has a lovely manner about him too, a bit like Wenders in that respect. I like Wenders a great deal, I interviewed him for my Masters. Very good of him to take the time to do that.

Wow! that's incredibly nice of him. What sort of thing did you ask him?

That 'land of silence and darkness' film looked amazing.

Looknorth

Quote from: thugler on July 03, 2008, 10:22:47 PM
Wow! that's incredibly nice of him. What sort of thing did you ask him?

That 'land of silence and darkness' film looked amazing.

Mainly about motifs in his films with regard European/American clashes. I have the interview but it's very long and academic. I chose my dissertation director carefully, I knew he once wanted to train as a Priest and he studied medicine for a while, so I knew I stood more chance with him in terms of approachability. Also Der Himmel Uber Berlin is my favourite film (with Der Amerikanische Freund a close second).

joeyzaza

There's a double bill of "Fitzcarraldo" and "Aguirre" on BBC4 tonight, starting at 8:00PM, with a repeat of the "Imagine" documentary afterwards.

mothman

I just watched Fitzcarraldo for the first time. What a fantastic film! I felt sure it was all going to end in tears, but it all turned out lovely. Well, apart from his plan going for a ball of chalk. . .

cockle

Quote from: mothman on July 12, 2008, 10:52:37 PM
I just watched Fitzcarraldo for the first time. What a fantastic film! I felt sure it was all going to end in tears, but it all turned out lovely. Well, apart from his plan going for a ball of chalk. . .

Same for me.

What struck me as strange though was the fact that it appeared to be dubbed over. Maybe it was just a syncing issue. Dunno.

All in all, however, it had an excellent vibe. Every character was completely mental, whilst remaining sympathetic. Superb.

Sadly, I nodded off during "Wrath of God".

jaydee81

God Saturday night Fitzcarraldo, Aguirre and Imagine was awesome wasn't it?
I read that Fitzcarraldo was dubbed, most people recorded their lines in English (although I could have totally missed the point)... I would fine it hard to imagine that Claudia Cardinale (oh my god I love her so much) could speak German.
I'm gonna try and buy the Kinski/Herzog DVD boxset in HMV with birthday vouchers today, even though you can buy ALL SIX FILMS FOR £11.99 on the website!

Blumf

Just got round to watching Fitzcarraldo myself, I wasn't sure if it was going to work for me but it really does win you over, slowly, but surely.

Irritatingly the DVR cut out just on the ending which kinda put a bummer on what was a joyous ending. Bloody philistine technology.

Sam

"I swear to God I don't know the colour of my eyes"

http://www.myspace.com/theecstatictruthofwernerherzog

Just found this awesome myspace site. Someone has taken some fantastic (and typically mad) quotes from Herzog and put them over some beats. It's very funny.

Sam

Well, last week I managed to see "Encounters at the End of the World", courtesey of Norwich's newly restored art-house cinema, "Cinema City".

It was fucking incredible. A real treat for any Herzog fan and a perfect introduction to any newcomer. It's got the same feel as "Grizzly Man", in that it's utterly engrosssing, frequently hilarious and often profound. Antarctica is the perfect subject for Herzog and he gives the place his typically off-beat treatment, interviewing a wide range of eccentric characters, learning about volcano etiquette and having a conversation with a penguin expert on insanity and prostitution among penguins.

The underwater photography is sublime, the music is beautiful, his narration is the usual mix of hypnotic and deadpan tones and the whole film manages to be both incredibily entertaining and also very beautiful.

I can't recommend it enough. I don't think it's on general release but it seems to be cropping up at festivals and special screenings, so if you do see it listed then definitely see it.

Anyway, it'd be great to keep this thread alive. Feel feel free to dicuss any of his films and if any newcomers want advice on where to start with Herzog, I (and no doubt others) would be happy to help.

Dirty Boy

I've got the Cobra Verde dvd sat in front of me.

a) Is it good?

b) Is it something you really need the patience/to be in the mood for? as i'm not sure i have/am at the moment. Should probably save it eh?

whorespital

As nobody has piped up about his acting in two Harmony Korine Films, I thought I might as well.

In Julien Donkey Boy, Herzog plays the cruel father to Ewen Bremner's incredibly played Julien. The only Dogma film to be produced in the US I might add.

In Korine's latest, Mister Lonely, Herzog plays Father Umbrillo, the catholic priest of the skydiving nuns.

In both, Herzog seemingly plays himself to a tee, truthfully ecstatic cinema.


thugler

I saw 'Encounters At The End Of The World' Recently also. I love it, not only was it beautifully shot, it had humour as well. Made me want to fuck off to Antarctica or somewhere similar to get away from it all.

yesitis

i love herzog. definitely one of my favourite directors.

i'm working through the documentaries and shorts boxset again right now. my favourites in the set are wings of hope, fata morgana and the the great ecstasy of woodcarver steiner. buy it. i like it.

whorespital

Quote from: Famous Mortimer on September 02, 2007, 06:36:24 AM
... I love "My Best Fiend" too, just for the scenes where Kinski is on a lecture tour trying to convince German students he was Jesus.

I did a bit of a search on Kinski and found something foretelling of genius and madness being the lesbian bedfellows of conventional wisdom. This year, Kinski's own psychiatric therapy files were published for the first time with it having been revealed that Kinski had been diagnosed with schizophrenia.

In German-

http://www.bild.de/BILD/unterhaltung/leute/2008/07/22/klaus-kinski/psycho-akte-entdeckt-diagnose-schizophrenie.html




Hank_Kingsley

There are a few stories knocking around about this, so I was surprised to see it hasn't been mentioned yet:
http://defamer.com/393076/charitable-bad-lieutenant-director-wishes-hellish-explosive-death-on-werner-herzog-and-nicolas-cage

Herzog and Nicolas Cage 'reimagining' Bad Lieutenant...how utterly bizarre.

I like Herzog and was surprised to read such a cunty remark about Ferrara in this interview:
http://defamer.com/395038/defiant-werner-herzog-to-defamer-who-is-abel-ferrara

He must be taking the piss? Surely? He's never watched a Ferrara film? Not even the original of the project he's remaking? I must be missing something. Is this is all a massive pisstake?

whorespital

#51
Quote from: Hank_Kingsley on October 14, 2008, 12:42:33 PM

I like Herzog and was surprised to read such a cunty remark about Ferrara in this interview:
http://defamer.com/395038/defiant-werner-herzog-to-defamer-who-is-abel-ferrara

He must be taking the piss? Surely? He's never watched a Ferrara film? Not even the original of the project he's remaking? I must be missing something. Is this is all a massive pisstake?

As Herzog is an evolution unto himself, tekink zeh pis wouldn't be this bitchy I think. It's deliberate alright, but not in a underhand way, or if it were then at least it's very gentlemanly in it's deference. I think he is saying that Ferrara is simply undeserving of recognition and therefore ''doesn't know him''. But then again, who gives a shit when Ferrara is flinging the shit at Herzog. I think it's a cage issue - no pun intended.

Quote
Speaking of which, the original film's director, Abel Ferrara, has vowed to fight this project, and —

Wonderful, yes! Let him fight! He thinks I'm doing a remake.

Have you talked to him?

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."

That's beautiful!

Do you relate to that passion?

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 —

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.

Maybe I could invite him to act in a movie! Except I don't know what he looks like.


Nicholas fucking Cage though, Come on! It's sickening to think that this is going to be Cage's reborn Travolta moment, after which he fucks off back to shameless commercial mediocre whoredom.

Sam

Just found this long and glorious interview with Herzog. It's compelling reading and he's given space to expound on some of his eccentric yet profound ideas about art and humanity.

http://www.nypl.org/research/calendar/imagesprog/herzog021607.pdf

Oh, and I'll say it again: if you have even the slightest interest in Herzog, please buy "Herzog on Herzog". It's a brilliant book.

Benevolent Despot


Benevolent Despot

I would see fornication and asphyxiation and choking and

Benevolent Despot


Benevolent Despot


wheatgod


Phil_A

The trees here are in misery, and the birds are in misery. I don't think they sing. They just screech in pain.