The Herzog Thread

[Mangy]

I saw that Spike had posted a thread on Aguirre, The Wrath of God, and I recently posted one on Stroszek, both for a grand total of one response, so I thought I'd just start a Herzog thread to combine everything.

I'm currently borrowing the Herzog / Kinzki collection . . . Still have not watched Nosferatu or Fitzarraldo (although I've seen Burden of Dreams, oddly enough), but Cobra Verde is an underrated gem, and Aguirre is, well, it's fuckin' Aguirre!

I only found Woyzeck okay, although I was distracted upon viewing. My Best Fiend is terrific.

Overall, I think my favorites are still:

1) Stroszek
2) Aguirre
3) The Enigma of Kaspar Hauser

Other thoughts?

[Ben Thomas]

Nosferatu's pretty great. I'm gutted that Burden of Dreams wasn't included in that set.

I really like the majority of the set (that I've seen), but Fitzcarraldo might be my favourite.

Also, for his later stuff, check out Grizzly Man, because its amazing and Rescue Dawn, because its a fascinating story told by great actors (especially Steve Zahn, surprisingly) and a dramatic retelling of his (also rather good) doc Little Dieter Needs to Fly.

[DanielRoffle]

Love the guy to death. A great director, and a great character as well.

I saw Nosferatu during my big childhood vampire phase, and there's just so much to love in there - the sad plague revelry, the gut-wrenching conclusion. And Herzog's big theme of man vs nature is in there somewhere, too - witness the awe of seeing Renfield simply wandering across these enormous distances (like many people used to do!)

Aguirre is amazing. Flawed (to put it mildly) as the characters are, and as much as the movie is a condemnation of colonialism, you also can't help but marvel at the guts those explorers must have had. Love the specks of water on the camera, love the scene where the natives get handled a bible and treat it like some wild animal (because hey, if you'd never seen a book what the hell would you think?)

Cobra Verde is cool too.

[Mangy]

Grizzly Man was very good, although I saw it on Discovery Channel, where it had commercial breaks, no kidding, every 5 minutes or so. Burden of Dreams was incredible.

I have the original Nosferatu on my Netflix queue, and was interested in contrasting the two. I remember reading that Herzog deliberately used bits of German culture (Wagner music, for example) that the Nazis popularized as a way to "take it back" from them.

[Expo67]

I receved the the Herzog/Kinzki collection for my birthday weeks ago, but have only recently gotten to dive into the set.

Aguirre is just batshit insane and great.

I've read in a few places how Nosferatu was terrible but it thought it was pretty classy.

Hoping to checking out Fitzarraldo this weekend, maybe as a double feature with Up?

[Ben Thomas]

Originally Posted by Expo67

Hoping to checking out Fitzarraldo this weekend, maybe as a double feature with Up?

That's a great idea. Watch Up first.

[Mike Dexter]

1) Stroszek
2) Aguirre
3) The Enigma of Kaspar Hauser

There's a handful I haven't seen but this would be close to mine.

Aguirre is my favorite. The movie feels dangerous and the camera seems to be an observer of all that danger. But it never feels completely like a documentary- it clings to a cinematic narrative while at the same time you feel very aware that they are making a movie.

[Mangy]

Aguirre is my favorite. The movie feels dangerous and the camera seems to be an observer of all that danger. But it never feels completely like a documentary- it clings to a cinematic narrative while at the same time you feel very aware that they are making a movie.

That feeling is perfectly summed up in the opening scene, when you realize that the caravan extends down the entire side of the mountain. It's an amazing shot, yet I can't help but also think "Wow, it must have been incredibly difficult to get that shot on film."

[agracru]

I've got to say, Aguirre aside, I always come back to Grizzly Man. It's a harrowing film that never fails to move me in some way on each viewing.

[Sumeragi]

Originally Posted by Mangy

That feeling is perfectly summed up in the opening scene, when you realize that the caravan extends down the entire side of the mountain. It's an amazing shot, yet I can't help but also think "Wow, it must have been incredibly difficult to get that shot on film."

I often refer to that shot when talking about Herzog's technical skill, but it still works in the narrative too. You learn so much from these people just from how they walk down the side of a mountain (for example, Aquirre is scowling but at the same time helping his daughter down).

I love Herzog and I've been meaning to see more of his documentaries. So far I'll I've seen from him in that genre is 'Grizzly Man' and 'My Best Fiend.'

[Rene (Mr.Eko)]

I'm partial to Woyzeck. I like the opening scene where Kinski is put through the exercises. Then that scene with the captain where Kinski shaves him really fast.

My favorite scene is when Woyzeck is standing just in frame, but is looking around and not paying attention to the doctor talking, then when the doctor calls his name he stands at attention, and walks over to the balcony where the doctor drops a cat to him and he catches it.

[Malmordo]

Originally Posted by Sumeragi

I love Herzog and I've been meaning to see more of his documentaries. So far I'll I've seen from him in that genre is 'Grizzly Man' and 'My Best Fiend.'

Ultimately I think the documentaries will stand as Herzog's most profound and significant works. Particularly in the past decade, where the challenging, hypnotic WHITE DIAMOND, GRIZZLY MAN, and WHEEL OF TIME -- all masterpieces produced within a year of each other -- sit uneasily beside flat, unnecessary remakes (RESCUE DAWN, BAD LIEUTENANT).

[Mike Dexter]

I haven't seen many of his docs either...

His commentaries are great too- he is such a character. Listening to him talk about hypnosis in the Heart of Glass DVD is a great compliment to the movie itself.