Quote:
Herzog’s film is based upon the true and mysterious story of Kaspar Hauser, a young man who suddenly appeared in Nuremberg in 1828, barely able to talk or walk, and bearing a strange note; he later explained that he had been held captive in a dungeon of some sort for his entire life that he could remember, and only recently was he released, for reasons unknown. His benefactor attempts to integrate him into society, with intriguing results.Read More »
Quote:
Gonzalo Pizarro orders a small Spanish expedition of forty men to search for El Dorado, leaving the mountains of Peru and going down the Amazon river in search of gold and wealth. Soon, they come across great difficulties and Don Aguirre, a ruthless man who cares only about riches, becomes their leader. But will his quest lead them to “the golden city”, or to certain destruction?Read More »
Reverend Huie Rogers is a preacher at the Bible Way Church of Our Lord Jesus Christ in Brooklyn. He is the topic of this short film, during which launches into an epic call-and-response denunciation of human hubris, greed, corruption and failure. The use of lengthy shots present it less like a sermon and more a performance, and induce an almost trance-like state.Read More »
Quote:
If you don’t think that much about meteors, you have a whole universe to discover in Fireball: Visitors from Darker Worlds. Werner Herzog reunites with University of Cambridge professor Clive Oppenheimer, with whom he explored volcanoes for Into the Inferno. They travel the world hunting for meteors, revealing connections between science, history, and mythology. On camera, Oppenheimer interviews specialists with wonder and a dry wit, covering freak accidents, apocalyptic scenarios, and the mysteries of the cosmos. Herzog narrates in his distinct Bavarian accent. His phrasing remains unparalleled, even in his simple description of a Mexican beach resort “so godforsaken it makes you want to cry.”Read More »
Quote:
Herzog examines the world championships for cattle auctioneers, his fascination with a language created by an economic system, and compares it to the lifestyle of the Amish, who live nearby.Read More »
“A soldier is assigned to guard a fortress on a remote Greek island and finds himself unable to cope with the crushing boredom of the task in this interesting drama, an early film by renowned-director Werner Herzog. The story is set during WW II and concerns a soldier who was wounded and stationed on the Nazi-controlled island. He is accompanied by his wife and two other guards. It is a very quiet island and soon the men begin looking for constructive things to do. First they paint houses. Then they try raising goats. One of them finds a small stockpile of explosives, so the men begin making bombs. Another of the men can read Greek and so begins translating some of the ancient inscriptions on the castle walls.Read More »
Quote:
Everything in town appears calm, placid, lovely. But Woyzeck, a rifleman assigned as an orderly, hears voices — the times are out of joint, at least in his cosmos. To his captain, Woyzeck is a comic marvel: ignorant but courageous, full of energy to little purpose. To a local doctor, Woyzeck is a curiosity, the object of cruel study. Woyzeck, 40, has a young wife, Marie, and a small child. He dotes on them, but Marie, even though she has periods of guilt and remorse, carries on affairs and flirtations. When the captain lets drop broad hints of Woyzeck’s being a cuckold, his inner demons and the voices of the spheres take over. Will madness bring action? Of what sort?Read More »
This film was prepared as a introduction to a series of opera broadcasts on German television. It depicts the behind-the-scenes maneuverings in preparation for the annual opera festival in Bayreuth.Read More »
In 1991 Werner Herzog is the director of Viennale (Vienna International Film Festival), during that days he organizes a series of meetings, a series of lessons about cinema. In these lessons he doesn’t speak about manuals, books of cinema or techniques but about the determination of a subject to do something and the various competences he must have to realize his projects. One guest per day to talk about cinema and everything else. He interviews his guests on the art of filmmaking including clips, lectures and paintings.
The guests are: the tightrope walker Philippe Petit, the magician Jeff Sheridan, the filmmakers Michael Kreihsl and Volker Schloendorff, the writer Peter Turrini, the cosmological physic Kama Saiful Islam and the journalist Ryszard Kapuscinski.Read More »