Werner Herzog: Radical Dreamer (2024)

[Mobbd]

New docco about the life of Herzog, in cinemas atm.

EDIT: It's actually a (2022) title, not (2024) like I put. Idiothole! By all means change the title of this thread and remove this note if it's in your power to do so.

Bradshaw's review for what it's ever worth: https://www.theguardian.com/film/2024/jan/16/werner-herzog-radical-dreamer-review-master-directors-passionate-idealism

There's also a new memoir out, excellently titled Every Man for Himself And God Against All. https://www.theguardian.com/books/2023/oct/19/every-man-for-himself-and-god-against-all-by-werner-herzog-review-magical-thinking

Also a hit single of course:

I've got the book out of the library so will be reading it this week. I might not make it to the cinema to see the doc but I'll stream the fuck out of it when that becomes possible.

[mjwilson]

Relatively shallow doc I thought, for the most part anyway. That bit from Grizzly Man. That moment when he gets shot during an interview. That scene with the suicidal penguin. Mostly greatest hits stuff, apart from some bits about his childhood and some footage of Fitzcarraldo version 1.

Also saw Kasper Hauser which had an anniversary re-release.

[privatefriend]

This was very shallow, a bit like something channel 5 would slap together. Who cares what Robert Pattison thinks about anything, nevermind that dipshit Carl Weathers.

[Butchers Blind]

Carl Weathers.

?? What's the connection between him and Herzog?

[Blinder Data]

?? What's the connection between him and Herzog?

they were both in the Mandalorian

[mjwilson]

His contributions are like the talking heads on a Channel 5 clip show, where they clearly know nothing about the subject and are being fed lines to say.

[Mobbd]

Wow, this sounds shit!

[sevendaughters]

literally the kind of documentary the man spent years fighting against

[privatefriend]

Some odd garageband-y music choices for the score too.

[Mobbd]

So this film was a dud. His memoir, however, is pretty good. Many of the stories have been told elsewhere but if you haven't heard them before they're still nicely packaged here and worth reading.

He was on Adam Buxton's podcast yesterday so I'm reposting this from the Buxton thread in case you guys aren't following that one:

I enjoyed the Herzog interview. I'm on a Herzog deep dive at the moment, reading his memoir and everything. At first I couldn't believe the coincidence but of course he was promoting the very memoir I was reading because it only just came out. I am a fucking idiot.

For people not into Herzog or new to him I offer these two moments I enjoyed recently.

A moment in The White Diamond (a film mentioned in Adam's podcast):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C9gL9b00Blc

And the coroner from Grizzly Man:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rqDsq0GkY_o

I don't know if these moments make Herzog a good film maker. They're opportunistic moments. But how does he even find such people? To be awake to the possibilities people offer is undoubtedly a skill.

I used to find Herzog a bit of a comedy figure: too serious. But he's becoming a hero to me. I don't want to make films but I wish I could summon the sincerity and drive and the BLAZING SOUL he has.

His life is insane. Insane moment after insane moment. People should read the memoir. Or to be honest Guide for the Perplexed is a more original book, a biography based on interviews with him in the days when he refused to write a memoir. If you don't read books download his Master Class where he relates many of the same stories.