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"Film should be looked at straight on; it is not the art of scholars but of illiterates." Werner Herzog is something of a myth in the film world. One of cinema's most unique voices, he has for the past 53 years crafted raw, organic films about madness, passion, and the beauty of the irrational. He is the only filmmaker to have made a movie on every continent, including Antarctica. He has pulled a 100-ton steam ship over a mountain, been thrown in African prisons, eaten his own shoe, and tamed the wild beast that was Klaus Kinski. Sixteen of his greatest films are available to stream in HD over at Shout Factory and a lot of his shorter documentaries are available on Youtube. So, let's talk about Herzog. TrixRabbi fucked around with this message at 16:07 on Apr 23, 2015 |
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Apr 23, 2015 15:35
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Herzog films on Youtube: Herakles (1962) - Herzog's first film https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kI0WE574EKM The Unprecedented Defence of the Fortress Deutschkreuz (1967) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=08EkRLX2QMM Last Words (1968) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vi1Z9lcMNss Precautions Against Fanatics (1969) - German only, bad auto-translate subtitles available https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-AZhl9V1j_4 The Great Ecstasy of Woodcarver Steiner (1974) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=liYnvIBLMBQ How Much Wood Would a Woodchuck Chuck (1976) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hkcsz9QujmU Gesualdo: Death for Five Voices (1995) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B6iaghGYSjc Wings of Hope (2000) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u9JF0sBlIbE The Killers: Unstaged (2013) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o-CwCqdrc6E Werner Herzog discovers John Waters is gay https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m9P_sxaaMJE Streaming on Netflix: Rescue Dawn (2006) Encounters at the End of the World (2007) Happy People: A Year in Taiga (2010) Cave of Forgotten Dreams (2010) Into the Abyss (2011) From One Second to the Next (2013) As an actor only: Jack Reacher (2012) As narrator of some loving absurd CGI dinosaur footage: Dinotasia (2012) TrixRabbi fucked around with this message at 16:25 on Apr 23, 2015 |
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Apr 23, 2015 16:21
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The timing of this thread is great, I just recently bought Aguirre and Fiztcarraldo on blu ray and they are mesmerizing. Aguirre especially, I've watched it three times now and for some reason after a day or two goes by I feel the urge to watch it again. These blu rays are worth buying for the Herzog commentary tracks alone. He tells a lot of great Kinski stories and its just amazing to hear about how driven and passionate he had to be to even come close to finishing these movies. Also Nosferatu The Vampyre is the best Dracula adaptation ever made in my opinion.
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Apr 23, 2015 16:35
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Aguirre, the Wrath of God is the best film ever made in my opinion. I think what Herzog achieves so well is creating this mythic atmosphere to his films. I think from the very opening of Aguirre, with the fog on the mountains as thousands of people make their way through this landscape, it instantly evokes this massive feeling of a film bigger than any one person. And then slowly Aguirre conquers that, rising to the top and becoming a God. But in order to do so he must destroy everyone and everything else until all that's left is the jungle. And we end up back at the beginning realizing Aguirre's megalomania was just that - a delusion. Nature doesn't bow to any man.
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Apr 23, 2015 17:16
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I just saw The White Diamond couple of days ago. Hard to define how Herzog describes a situation because his points of view are always a mix of inside and outside but the subject is never clear: is that point of view the protagonist's? The director's? Perhaps the observer's. It's always quite oniric after all. Probably not a really remarkable moive though but made me remeber about another one of his which I loved particularly: The Wild Blue Yonder. Must see. froody guy fucked around with this message at 20:43 on Apr 23, 2015 |
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Apr 23, 2015 20:05
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Herzog talking about Ebert is one of the most beautiful things I've ever heard. So much respect between two men at the top of their craft. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y6u_4_Of-ao His segments in the Ebert doc Life Itself are great also.
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Apr 23, 2015 20:25
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I just recently watched his version of Bad Lieutenant and...holy poo poo. It's one of those bizarre experiences that should be terrible, but I was enthralled the whole way through. The lizards.  Herzog doesn't give a poo poo if you "get" it.
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Apr 23, 2015 20:57
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Al Cu Ad Solte posted:I just recently watched his version of Bad Lieutenant and...holy poo poo. It's one of those bizarre experiences that should be terrible, but I was enthralled the whole way through. The lizards. it's legitimately one of his best movies.
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Apr 23, 2015 21:12
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My favorite thing about the Herzog Bad Lieutenant was how when Abel Ferrara was bait-quoted saying he wished remake directors all died by carbombs, Herzog's response was basically "like I give a gently caress about Abel Ferrara"
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Apr 24, 2015 00:17
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Even that's underselling it. He literally had no comprehension of who Abel Ferrara was, hadn't seen any of his films, and then later on added that they could probably hash it out over a bottle of whiskey.
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Apr 24, 2015 01:24
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Its aggravating to me that Herzog's known primarily in America because of Grizzly Man. I've brought him up in conversation with my friends who are in their early 30s, my parents who are about 60, and my grandparents who are about 90, and none of them have see anything he's done except for Grizzly Man.
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Apr 24, 2015 01:32
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Yeah, but Grizzly Man is fantastic and it's a great introduction to him. Try and get your friends to watch some of his more recent stuff like Encounters at the End of the World or (maybe) Bad Lieutenant and then go back and show them Aguirre, Fitzcarraldo, etc. I say maybe on Bad Lieutenant only on the grounds of how accepting they are of Nicolas Cage and his blend of "hyper-acting." I'm with Uncle Boogeyman on it being up there with his best work, but some people (like my dad) couldn't make heads or tails of it.
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Apr 24, 2015 06:02
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Basebf555 posted:Its aggravating to me that Herzog's known primarily in America because of Grizzly Man. I've brought him up in conversation with my friends who are in their early 30s, my parents who are about 60, and my grandparents who are about 90, and none of them have see anything he's done except for Grizzly Man. Paul F. Tompkins should watch the rest of the filmography to improve his remarkable impression of Herzog.
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Apr 24, 2015 07:37
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TrixRabbi posted:Yeah, but Grizzly Man is fantastic and it's a great introduction to him. Try and get your friends to watch some of his more recent stuff like Encounters at the End of the World or (maybe) Bad Lieutenant and then go back and show them Aguirre, Fitzcarraldo, etc. Oh absolutely, Grizzly Man is one of the top-5 documentaries I've ever seen. I recommended Into the Abyss to my mother because she loves true crime stuff.
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Apr 24, 2015 14:37
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K. Waste posted:Even that's underselling it. He literally had no comprehension of who Abel Ferrara was, hadn't seen any of his films, I still think he was just saying this to egg him on
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Apr 24, 2015 14:53
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TrixRabbi posted:Herzog films on Youtube: Woodcarver Steiner is a really neat movie, and I didn't know he had lots more short stuff on YouTube available. Thanks.
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Apr 24, 2015 15:38
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YIKES Stay Gooned posted:Woodcarver Steiner is a really neat movie, and I didn't know he had lots more short stuff on YouTube available. Thanks. I've used Woodcarver Steiner as an introduction to Herzog for people a number of times. It neatly and quickly defines the Herzog mood and philosophy, and is really well put together. Gesualdo is also goddamn amazing if anyone's trying to pick something to watch.
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Apr 24, 2015 15:44
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Mr. Flunchy posted:I've used Woodcarver Steiner as an introduction to Herzog for people a number of times. It neatly and quickly defines the Herzog mood and philosophy, and is really well put together. It's a great distillation of his style into a small, impactful package. It always astounds me how he sniffs out these fascinating subjects and has been for like 5 decades now. Also for anyone who enjoys Herzog's movies, you owe it to yourself to check out Burden of Dreams.
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Apr 24, 2015 15:49
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I've been seeing stuff at the Boston Independent Film Festival and last night I caught Dwarves Kingdom, and it's one of the closest I've seen a non-Herzog film come to capturing the his essence. It's by a New York filmmaker named Matthew Salton and it's about little people who work at an amusement park in China where they perform as "magical enchanted little people" in their "kingdom." It goes a lot into the struggle little people in that part of the world face, while still capturing the bizarre nature of the amusement park. I was talking to the director about Even Dwarfs Started Small for a bit afterwards too. Highly recommended once it's available.
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Apr 24, 2015 16:13
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Even Dwarves Started Small is mostly neat but the animal cruelty in it is the one thing in a Herzog movie that genuinely pisses me off. I mean if I can begrudgingly defend Cannibal Holocaust, I should extend the same courtesy to this movie, but it still bugs me.
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Apr 24, 2015 16:32
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How would you guys recommend that bluray set of herzog? Is it a good collection of his stuff? It seems to have a lot of his older stuff honestly
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Apr 24, 2015 17:33
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Ineffiable posted:How would you guys recommend that bluray set of herzog? Is it a good collection of his stuff? It seems to have a lot of his older stuff honestly I don't rock blu ray but it's an excellent greatest hits sampler
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Apr 24, 2015 17:36
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Ineffiable posted:How would you guys recommend that bluray set of herzog? Is it a good collection of his stuff? It seems to have a lot of his older stuff honestly I'd pay any amount of money just for Aguirre, Fitzcarraldo, and Nosferatu, so to me the set is worth it for those three alone.
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Apr 24, 2015 18:10
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Encounters at the End of the World is one of my favorite documentaries. Really, really beautiful and interesting.
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Apr 24, 2015 20:40
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Also worth noting is that a bunch of the films in that big Herzog box set have Herzog commentary tracks which are just solid gold. The track for Even Dwarves Started Small has him being interviewed by Crispin Glover. It's great stuff.
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Apr 24, 2015 20:43
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Slate Action posted:Also worth noting is that a bunch of the films in that big Herzog box set have Herzog commentary tracks which are just solid gold. The track for Even Dwarves Started Small has him being interviewed by Crispin Glover. It's great stuff. I haven't seen Burden of Dreams yet, so the commentaries for Fitzcarraldo and Aguirre have all of these insane Kinski stories that I'd never heard before(I assume most are covered in the documentary). The one that stands out is Kinski having a Winchester rifle in his personal quarters, and one night when the locals were having a somewhat loud party he got pissed and indiscriminately fired the rifle several times through the walls of their hut. One guy lost a finger but nobody was killed, luckily for us because I imagine the film would have never been completed had Kinski murdered one of his fellow cast members.
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Apr 24, 2015 20:58
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Basebf555 posted:I haven't seen Burden of Dreams yet, so the commentaries for Fitzcarraldo and Aguirre have all of these insane Kinski stories that I'd never heard before(I assume most are covered in the documentary). Fitzcarraldo is also where the natives asked if Herzog wanted Kinski dead, that they could do it, right? Edit: Oh poo poo, this was on Aguirre, so this happened more than once. Young Freud fucked around with this message at 01:14 on Apr 25, 2015 |
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Apr 25, 2015 01:10
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Herzog is arguably the greatest living filmmaker. Have some fun Herzog epherma: His voice cameo in the Penguins Madagascar movie: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AWxy9C5svFU The Mark Kermode interview where Herzog got sniped in the LA hills: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=urFaHij5ChQ
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Apr 25, 2015 01:52
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HP Hovercraft posted:Herzog is arguably the greatest living filmmaker. why the gently caress are people shooting at werner herzog?
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Apr 25, 2015 05:34
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cat doter posted:why the gently caress are people shooting at werner herzog? 'Murika.
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Apr 25, 2015 05:48
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cat doter posted:why the gently caress are people shooting at werner herzog? It's a tradition and Kinski isn't around any more.
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Apr 25, 2015 06:00
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Werner Herzog is a truly amazing director and artist. Being a millenial plebe I think my first brush with Herzog was with the demented penguin, followed by Cave of Dreams. Incredible stuff, really moving. However! Werner is also a prolific podcaster. He doesn't run his own podcast, but he guests on dozens of Hollywood podcasts, always with fantastic insight into the world of film-making, as well as his own thoughts on crafting incredible stories. A few links to some of his best work below: Werner on acting: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yJKbNfGBtnM Werner on travel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BX2qCdLAZr4 Werner on sequels: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZvlOTJJyvEU Werner on hotels: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VRSe2LODPNg
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Apr 25, 2015 08:43
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Young Freud posted:Fitzcarraldo is also where the natives asked if Herzog wanted Kinski dead, that they could do it, right? Yea on Fitzarraldo Herzog said that Kinski's general demeanor pissed the locals off so much that one of them took Herzog aside and offered to kill him. It wasn't even anything Kinski did directly to any of them, they just thought he was a complete rear end in a top hat and couldn't understand why he constantly screamed at and disrespected Herzog.
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Apr 25, 2015 15:26
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Late Unpleasantness posted:It's a tradition and Kinski isn't around any more. herzog always comes off as super nice and affable, if a little intense, but in an almost cuddly way, who the gently caress would wanna shoot him? I mean even if it's just assholes taking pot shots at him with an air rifle, that poo poo hurts, that's a total dick move
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Apr 25, 2015 15:32
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I once met Herzog at an event at my university. He was very easy to talk to. He told me "Human beings are designed to eat [leather] belts."
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Apr 25, 2015 16:12
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If you have hulu plus, Burden of Dreams, the doc about the making of Fitzegarldo is there. That has probably some of my all time herzogian soliloquies: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3xQyQnXrLb0 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VwQHKF9uSv0
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Apr 25, 2015 16:16
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How are u posted:Werner Herzog is a truly amazing director and artist. Being a millenial plebe I think my first brush with Herzog was with the demented penguin, followed by Cave of Dreams. Incredible stuff, really moving. These are Paul F. Tompkins' Herzog impressions.
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Apr 25, 2015 18:12
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Soylent Green posted:These are Paul F. Tompkins' Herzog impressions. To be fair, the impressions are so much fun that one of the first things I think of when I think of Herzog is "Where has not the Pope been?"
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Apr 25, 2015 19:44
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Soylent Green posted:These are Paul F. Tompkins' Herzog impressions. I refuse to believe you posted this seriously.
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Apr 26, 2015 09:58
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Ive been a good soldier of cinema, and that is what i want to be. such a good line lol
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Apr 26, 2015 18:47
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