I have seen several Werner Herzog movies, and they are all very
affecting.  Unfortunately, I can't seem to find anyone else that's
even SEEN his movies, let alone could discuss them.

Any Herzog fans out there?

8 responses total.

Dunno that I could be called a fan; I've seen only one of his films,
I think, and that a long time ago.  A film based on the Casper Hauser
legend; can't recall the title.  "Aguirre: the Wrath of God" is
pretty well known, though I've never seen it.

What Herzog films do you especially recommend?

I've seen "Aguirre" -- once you get past the cuteness of conquistadors
speaking in German, it becomes a fairly good "Heart of Darkness" clone.

I recommend Fitzcarraldo heartily!  If the movie sparks your interest, there
is a pretty neat story behind the filming of the movie.  I also watched one
called "where the green ants dream" that was good.  that one was in english,
but with new zealand accents.  All his movies have a common theme, but
they're not all the same.
WAtch a few, and let me know what you think!

As Brenda reminded me in another item somewhere, the Kaspar Hauser film
was titled "Every Man for Himself and God Against All".

I think I've seen the documentary about "Fitzcarraldo".  It's called
"Burden of Dreams".  There were some extraordinary difficulties
encountered in filming "Fitzcarraldo", which was made on location
in the Amazon.  It originally was to star Mick Jagger and Jason
Robards, and some scenes with them were actually filmed, but the
production delays caused them to drop out.

I saw Herzog's "Stroszek" a few months ago.  It was fantastic.  It 
starred the same actor--Bruno S.--that was in "Every Man For Himself
and God Against All," which I haven't seen.  "Stroszek" is about a
group of Germans (an out-of-work man, a prostitute, and an elderly 
man) who follow their dreams, get out of Germany, and come to 
America.  Well, they follow their dreams BY getting out of Germany
and coming to America--which turns out to be not the land of their
dreams.  "Stroszek" is one of the most bitter commentaries on
America that I have ever seen.  It's hard to believe that it was
made by an outsider.
Herzog appears in-person in a Wim Wenders documentary called "Tokyo-
Ga."  At some point Wenders goes up to the top of a big observatory
and meets Herzog for an interview about filmmaking.

"Stroszek" was wonderful!! I thought my mom and I were the only people
on earth that had seen it!

<remmers puts "Stroszek" on his list of things to see.>

Coincidentally, the October 13 issue of The New England 
Journal of Medicine has a review of Werner Herzog's 1975 
movie, "Every Man for Himself and God against All," subtitled 
"The Enigma of Kaspar Hauser."  

Kaspar Hauser was "a foundling, physically and intellectually 
stunted by abuse and neglect," who was abandoned in Nuremberg 
in 1828.  His story is told in full in _The Kaspar Hauser 
Syndrome of "Psychosocial Dwarfism": Deficient Statural, 
Intellectual, and Social Growth Induced by Child Abuse_, by 
John Money (Prometheus Books, 1994), also reviewed in this 
issue of The New England Journal of Medicine.  

Finally, also reviewed is a NOVA documentary called "Secret 
of the Wild Child," which, according to the reviewer, will be 
broadcast on PBS on October 18 at 8 PM.  It's the story of 
"Genie," the girl who was discovered in at the age of 13 in 
1970 after having been imprisoned by her parents in a 10'X14' 
room from the age of 2.  Sounds fascinating, but also 
infuriating and tragic.

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