Herzog. Herzog has almost equal importance in the documentary community but of course that’s not counted here. I’m a much bigger fan of his five Kinski collaborations than TSPDT and not as sure on his work with Bruno S. Of course here I rated Herzog better than his compatriots (Wenders and Fassbinder) from the New German Cinema era. His best films are just simply better than Fassbinder’s best films but the depth of Fassbinder is pretty overwhelming so that could change over time. Herzog has three films in the top 500 (very good for this far down on my countdown) and two in the top 100 (ditto!). He’s one of a few filmmakers (Kubrick, Malick, Dreyer, Tarkovsky—maybe a few others) that often sets out to make the greatest film of all-time—even if he largely fails. Aguirre is a giant masterpiece and Fitzcarraldo is one of the best films of the 1980’s.
Best film: Aguirre, the Wrath of God. I wish Herzog had done more and better fiction work in the last 30 years (2 archiveable films since 1987) but I highly doubt he would ever do anything to top Aguirre.
total archiveable films: 10
top 100 films: 2
top 500 films: 3 (Aguirre, the Wrath of God, Fitzcarraldo, Nosferatu, the Vampyre)
top 100 films of the decade: 4 (Aguirre, the Wrath of God, Fitzcarraldo, Nosferatu, the Vampyre, Cobra Verde)
most overrated: The Enigma of Kaspar Hauser is #524 on the TSPDT consensus list. I don’t have a big problem here and I’m overdue for a revisit. Still, currently this is easily 300 slots too high for me. I’m not a massive admirer of his work with Bruno S. at this point.
most underrated: Fitzcarraldo is #412 all-time on TSPDT? This snuck back into my top 100 (I wrote a long poorly-graded paper in college on this, Aguirre and Herzog).
gem I want to spotlight: Cobra Verde. Fifth and final collaboration between Herzog and Kinski.My first time catching it in 2018 and I’m a little pissed it took me this long- it’s a fascinating film and although it’s not in the realm of Aguirre or Fitzcarraldo in terms of artistic achievement it is certainly a stylistic and narrative match with those two prior masterpieces: it’s odd, surreal, a folklore epic, a meditation on fate, primal violence, ominous (that music is great), a meditation on immortality, features man vs nature and found (both natural and man-made) set pieces. Famous picture taken onset of Kinski attacking Herzog with the African extras behind them—features in doc My Best Friend. Odd opening prologue with a guy playing a violin—and then a long written folklore passage- starts in on a great 360 shot close up of Kinski and then a 360 panoramic of the vast desert mountain landscape. Ruins, a massive castle—the extras (and there are hundreds) are almost like a swarm that makes its own set piece. Lots of Kinski shouting, one random guy intensely staring at the camera and hundreds of topless women fighting. Self-loathing meditation— statement on colonization and civilization. It’s unintentional comedy but Kinski writing around in the tide is hilarious and then a random man with one leg comes along. Extras- non-professionals. Kinski’s character attempts (and accomplishes) an impossible feat just like Fitzcarraldo. The massive amount of crabs made me think of the rats in their prior collaboration Nosferatu. Great location shots in Ghana, Colombia and Brazil. He’s a documentary filmmaker as well and you can see that here- Herzog is in awe of the extras- he lingers on wide long shots of them for long periods of time—Recommend /HR border. Flawed but fascinating auteur cinema.
stylistic innovations/traits: Bizarre and eccentric… spontaneous, ambitious and instinctual… Herzog’s films feel unscripted (some of them were) and adventurous (his top 2 films are actual stories of quests themselves and quite an adventure in the making of the film as it would turn out). His oeuvre is filled with haunting landscapes—usually swallowing up the protagonist (who is typically driven to madness). I guess it’s no surprise he decided to remake Murnau— in the top 3 films on my list Herzog was very clearly and unapologetically trying to make the best film of all-time. I love that about him and his films. Ambition.
top 10
- Aguirre, the Wrath of God
- Fitzcarraldo
- Nosferatu, the Vampyre
- Cobra Verde
- The Enigma of Kaspar Hauser
- Stroszek
- Bad Lieutenant, Port of Call New Orleans
- Woyzeck
- Rescue Dawn
- Signs of Life
By year and grades
| 1968- Signs of Life | |
| 1972- Aguirre, the Wrath of God | MP |
| 1974- The Enigma of Kaspar Hauser | |
| 1977- Stroszek | |
| 1979- Woyzeck | |
| 1979- Nosferatu, the Vampyre | HR |
| 1982- Fitzcarraldo | MP |
| 1987- Cobra Verde | R/HR |
| 2006- Rescue Dawn | R |
| 2009- Bad Lieutenant, Port of Call New Orleans | R |
*MP is Masterpiece- top 1-3 quality of the year film
MS is Must-see- top 5-6 quality of the year film
HR is Highly Recommend- top 10 quality of the year film
R is Recommend- outside the top 10 of the year quality film but still in the archives
Have you seen Lessons of Darkness? I know you don’t evaluate documentaries but it is one of the best visual and auditory experiences you will ever have.Very powerful anti war movie. Do you make rare exceptions for documentaries that blur the line between fiction and documentary ?(like Life and Nothing More{which is archived}this film is similar.). You said you follow auteurs into TV shows, short films etc. Would you follow an auteur’s work in documentary fiction movies?
This question is for someone on the blog (Cinephile, Aldo, Matt Harris etc). Do you watch documentaries/short film documentaries? What are some of your favorite documentaries? How would you rank all of Herzog’s work?
I would like to, but i have too many pending movies to watch haha, so I prioritize films over documentaries, a short film that I like is La Jetee.
I will add your recommendation to the list.
Could you share your watchlist with me? I’m seriously looking for recommendations but it’s hard to find anything. La Jetee is an absolute masterpiece. Kael was right in calling it “very possibly the greatest science-fiction movie yet made,”
@Azman. I’m actually trying to see the top 10 movies for each of the top 50 directors.
Have you seen the 500 best movies?
That’s my list haha
@Azman— What do you think makes La Jetee a masterpiece?
Its meditation on time, memory and perception. Exceptionally strong narrative (inspired 12 monkeys and Drake also praises 12 monkeys narrative)
Black and white unique cinematography.(the uniqueness and lack of movement and camera movement is extremely impressive. Only still images).
Overall, the narrative, uniqueness in cinematography(not much movement) make it a MP.
What do you think?
Also look at how many movies its inspired. Directors today still cite the Pier and its uniqueness as an inspirational masterpiece. Gilliam was so impressed he remaked the movie-haha.
@Azman— I think it’s an incredible experimental exercise in narrative and imagery but not quite a masterpiece, I’ve only seen it once so I’m excited to revisit and maybe move the film higher if my first evaluation was wrong.
[…] 48. Werner Herzog […]
@Drake – Aguirre page?
@Finn- not yet unfortunately. Sorry. The only Herzog page I have so far is for Cobra Verde here http://thecinemaarchives.com/2018/05/17/cobra-verde-1987-herzog/ . It has been ages since I’ve seen the Bruno S. collaborations especially– overdue for a Herzog beginning to end study
You forgot “Scream of Stone” (1991), a very beautiful footage made at the mountains of Patagonia, Argentina. That film is a fiction, and not a documentary. It must be at the filmography of Herzog. Although it is not so artistic as others films, I liked “Scream of Stone”. A lot.
@Eduardo Prestes- thanks for the comment and for visiting the site. So I personally didn’t forget Scream of Stone- I haven’t seen it– or been able to find a copy of it. It sounds interesting so thanks for the recommendation. It looks like it may be a hard one to track down as there are no critic reviews on rotten tomatoes for it either.
I just watched Aguirre, the Wrath of God, and it absolutely blew my mind. Only a handful of movies have hit me in this way. I was enthralled right from the opening scene with that haunting/hypnotic music as the expedition descends the mountain threw the fog. The lack of plot/contrived story lines is actually a huge strength as it has an almost documentary feel to it, like you were actually dropped by a time machine to the 1560s.
As for Klaus Kinski, well I don’t know anyone who plays a madman quite like him. That face expresses so much even without words. And when he does give that epic speech…man, what a performance. The film’s atmosphere, mood is unlike anything I’ve seen before, the only movies that match this sort of epic journey would be Apocalypse Now and Stalker.
Are there any movies that you would suggest for someone who loves this along with Apocalypse Now and Stalker? Fitzcarraldo is next on my list.
@James Trapp- excellent share here- thank you for sending this. Agreed all around. So films like Aguirre, Stalker and Apocalypse Now— tough because those are three of the best movies of all-time right? Let me know what you think about Fitzcarraldo. I think there are some similarities between Inarritu’s The Revenant and maybe Valhalla Rising from Refn– also this one http://thecinemaarchives.com/2019/03/08/embrace-of-the-serpent-2015-guerra/ — none of these on the level of those big three films but still
Those are certainly 3 of the best films of all time, even after just one viewing of Aguirre I’m willing to make that claim.
Just watched Fitzcarraldo, amazing movie as well. Probably not quite as good as Aguirre but not many movies are. I loved Klaus Kinski in this role, he’s not as over the top as he is in Aguirre but he’s almost just as much of a madman, just in a different sort of way. “I shall move a mountain!” I love the way Herzog’s movies sort of double as epics both in what they depict in the movie and the production of them, in this way it seems Herzog is just as much of a madman as the characters that Klaus Kinski portrays and according to what I read Klaus Kinski in real life. I know you’ve said you are not big into documentaries but have you seen Herzog’s My Best Friend? I guess it coves the bizarre friendship he has with Klaus Kinski. I think I might check it out.
@James Trapp- haha I love this- thanks following up here. So I’ll watch documentaries about cinema (I don’t put them in the archives or study them really- just trying to learn) so I have seen My Best Friend- very good. I’d recommend https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0083702/ Burden of Dreams even more if you just saw Fitzcarraldo.
There are many movies that share least at least a sliver of similarity with Aguirre, Apocalypse Now, and Stalker, although I don’t think I can provide one that completely aligns. Those three can be considered example of an “epic journey” as you say and a character or characters being consumed by a singular goal. Also, each evokes a mesmerizing, almost psychedelic sensation. Even when very little is occurring on screen, the film feels profound and disconcerting. Although you may have already seen many of them, here are some that fit in each category:
Epic Journey:
The Wizard of Oz
The Grapes of Wrath
The Searchers
Lawrence of Arabia
Pierrot le Fou
The Good, the Bad and the Ugly
2001: A Space Odyssey
Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid
The Conformist
Star Wars
Raiders of the Lost Ark
Children of Men
WALL-E
Gravity
The Revenant
Mad Max: Fury Road
Characters Being Consumed by a Goal:
The Treasure of the Sierra Madre
Red River
Bicycle Thieves
Sunset Boulevard
Vertigo
8 1/2 (The goal of not having a goal)
Rosemary’s Baby
The French Connection
The Conversation
Jaws
JFK
Unforgiven
Zodiac
There Will Be Blood
Black Swan
Mesmerizing:
The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari
The Passion of Joan of Arc
Black Narcissus
The Night of the Hunter
L’Avventura
Viridiana
The Trial
Red Desert
Persona (I say all of Bergman below, but Persona must be mentioned twice. It is the most mesmerizing artistic work ever crafted.)
2001: A Space Odyssey
The Shining
Blade Runner
Rumble Fish
In the Mood for Love
Lost in Translation
The Assassination of Jesse James
The Master
Blade Runner 2049
+ All of Lynch, Tarkovsky, Malick, Bergman
Thanks for sharing this list, much appreciated. I’ve seen about 2/3 of the list and loved almost all of them so I’ll definitely check out those I haven’t seen. Interesting way to categorize them and of course some fit into multiple categories (the searchers and the master for example would probably fit into all 3 categories)
A couple more that come to mind:
Nightcrawler – Goal driven and mesmerizing
Shawshank – Goal driven
Seven Samurai – Goal driven
The Wild Bunch – Epic Journey
A Clockwork Orange – Mesmerizing
A Man Escaped – Goal Driven
Dog Day Afternoon – Goal Driven (even if the character is a complete moron haha)
Great additions, James and Zane.
I will also add Last Year at Marienbad, which I watched last night, among the mesmerizing films. In fact, I’m not sure that it does not surpass Persona in this respect. Combine The Shining + In the Mood for Love + Cries and Whispers and you have Resnais’ masterpiece and one of the strangest and most hypnotizing works of art ever imagined. It is mysterious, challenging, and brilliant.
No The Tree of Life in most mesmerizing? Impossible.
Nevermind, you mentioned all of Malick below.
Left out Whiplash in character consumed by a goal
So I decided to rewatch Aguirre on Friday after having watched it just a few weeks ago and thought it was brilliant but it put me off for various reasons. Anyway so it did the trick and I was utterly blown sideways on the rewatch. So incredible. A lot of Herzog’s other work is available atm on Amazon Prime so I’ll be checking that out this year as well.
Similarly I rewatched Only God Forgives today and thought it much better than my original viewing almost a year ago. I thought it had MP potential early on but as we moved forward it started to suffer from some of the Refn excesses that brought it down to a HR/MS for me which is exactly where you have it. It’s still an excellent and massively underrated film however and Refn has very positive excesses as well which I also loved in Drive and The Neon Demon. Really interested in seeing his work which coincidentally (or perhaps not) has also become available on Amazon Prime recently.
Did you see Fitzcarraldo in English or in German? As I mentioned in the above comment Fitzcarraldo is free on Amazon Prime at the moment, and I watched about 30 minutes of Fitzcarraldo before putting it off because the English audio track for the film is really badly mixed and recorded. I also had heard that the German version is the best way to experience the Kinski performance, which influenced me to wait to get the German version of the film. However, it is very difficult to find, and for that reason I may just watch the English version instead. So would you recommend I just watch it now, or wait until I can get in in German somewhere and watch with subtitles?
@Zane- I saw it in German with English subtitles– Amazon prime has an amazing selection but the quality isn’t as consistent as say the criterion streaming— I’ve even seen where it says “HD” and you start something and it clearly isn’t. I usually stop at that point- I’d wait for a better copy. It is a tough decision- because some of these films just aren’t available. I hope that helps.
Cool article on Iquitos (https://www.theguardian.com/cities/2015/aug/19/where-worlds-most-remote-city) talks about how it’s completely cut off from the rest of Peru by road; it can ONLY be accessed by river (as Fitz did so) or by air.
@Drake Have you seen Family Romance, LLC(2019) directed by Werner Herzog or do you intend to watch it?
@Anderson- I have not seen it — it wasn’t on my radar prior to your note. I’ll add it to the list. Have you seen it? What did you think?
Yep. I thought it was very good. Certainly auteur cinema with a striking final image that elevates the film. Certainly fascinating.
@Anderson- great- thanks for the heads up on this one
Going to do a Werner Herzog Study, I just got a 13 film Blu-ray box set for $85 (link below)
The booklet is legit with background on each film (some are documentaries but includes all his collabs with Klaus Kinski and other feature films)
https://www.amazon.com/Herzog-Collection-Limited-Klaus-Kinski/dp/B00JGR3M26/ref=sr_1_6?crid=1IYDDPVVLG1&keywords=werner+herzog+box+set&qid=1654381316&sprefix=werner+herzog+box+set%2Caps%2C74&sr=8-6
@James Looking forward to it, I feel Heart of Glass is really underrated and I’m not sure many people have seen it so I hope you enjoy that.
@James Trapp- Very exciting- and the box set seems like a great deal.
@Harry – For sure, initially I was just going to do a shorter study of all the Herzog/Kinski collaborations, of which there are 5 plus the the documentary My Best Fiend…but then I found this box set and it was just too good to pass up on so I decided to go all out for the more complete study. So far I have not really included any documentaries but am more than happy to make an exception for Herzog.
Even Dwarfs Started Small (1970)
Notes:
Off and running with Herzog study with a bizarre image of a dwarf sitting on a chair and holding sign in dark room and light switches on
Camera moving 360 degrees during opening credits showing what appears to be an isolated compound
6:20 zoom in toward window leading to a nice shot of the outside world using the window as a frame
7:40 dwarfs, both male and female, sitting on a bench
10 min tracking shot of dwarfs chasing dirt bike
14:40 Dwarf maniacally laughing at attempts to control him
19:50 great shot of Dwarfs pulling over tree using rope
29:50 reference to Santa Claus, 1st pop culture reference
30:10 shot of Dwarfs sticking heads through door to eavesdrop
35 min shots of birds looking for food while the music that played during the opening credits returns
39:20 great depth of field shot capturing a group of dwarfs running off after a prank
44:32 overhead shot of dwarfs watching pigs
48 min one of the 2 dwarfs that appear to “be in charge” yells at passing by car to alert police but fails to get their attention
53 min tracking shot of dwarf driving mini car in circles while others cheer on
55 min the dwarfs “in charge” have no power
59:45 great low angle shot of dwarf on dirt bike
1:00:41 impressive depth of field shot of Dwarfs scattered
1:07:24 blending into environment, vast landscape
1:18:00 to 1:20:00 great camera movement as fires are lit by dwarfs with car moving in background
1:22:17 nice shot of dwarfs watching bird fight through smoke filled court in aftermath of fires set
1:23:20 shot of dwarfs marching in line while holding cross with monkey nailed to cross, 1st deliberate religious iconography with this crucifixion
Thoughts:
A bizarre and fascinating film, a look at chaos within an institution of some sort for dwarfs
This film has little in the way of a conventional plot of narrative
The film includes scenes with animals including pigs, monkeys, birds, etc.
Herzog moves the camera frequently and uses a lot of low angles shots
It is impossible to overstate the overall weirdness of this film
Verdict: R
I am going through the Herzog Box Set referenced above, it has 10 feature films and 6 documentaries. I am watching the documentaries and grading but not taking notes
Land of Silence and Darkness (1971)
This is a powerful film about a deaf and blind German woman named Fini Straubinger who travels and meets with other deaf-blind people who she communicates with through hand contact using a type of code on the palm of peoples hands which is known as the tactile alphabet. Herzog clearly has an interest in exploring the worlds that mainstream societies think little about. Herzog takes a fairly detached approach here, not attempting to pull heart strings, but rather showing Fini working with various people. It is fascinating to watch humans experiencing for the first time, something as ostensibly mundane as touching tree of stepping into a shallow pool. Cinema is a sensory experience so it’s easy to see the appeal of this subject matter for Herzog. I appreciate the simplicity of this film although I will say that it is quite slow and I think Herzog could of shortened the film which is 85 min without sacrificing its impact.
Verdict: R
Fata Morgana (1971)
I have not seen a film quite like this before, as this is really an essay film
There are spectacular images and no character dialogue, although there is a score and voiceovers
Herzog became nearly fatally ill during the making of the film and at one point was arrested and placed into jail under suspicion of being a mercenary; the stories behind the production of some of Herzog’s films are in some cases just as fascinating as the films themselves
Verdict: (fringe) R
Fata Morgana is #881 on the TSPDT list, I wonder why.
@Harry – interesting, have you seen it?
I will say I watched it back to back after Land of Silence and Darkness (1971). These documentaries are both interesting but also slow at times so there is the possibility that this impacted my opinion. Also, it is a style that I am not used to so perhaps another viewing down the road will change my mind.
Aguirre, the Wrath of God (1972)
Notes:
What an opening image (after the introduction) with the mountain and thick layers of fog
1 min in camera zooms in on group of men (and a few women) descending a massive mountain
3:22 close ups on the conquistadors and their slaves carefully walking down
8:30 already see what a madman Klaus Kinski’s character Aguirre is
The handheld camera is a great choice as we (audience) see cannot see more than a few feet in front of us which is consistent with the perspective of the conquistadors
11:43 Herzog filling the frame with conquistadors and slaves
21:17 shot of about 10 members of the crew dead from arrows, we are aware of this at the same time as the characters, this describes almost all of the deaths
30 min Aguirre takes over command through force of personality and indominable will
36 min Aguirre is more than just crazy, he is cunning and always seems to be thinking and scheming
38:20 slave “there is no escape from this jungle”
41:30 Aguirre puts Don Fernando de Guzmán “in charge” but is clearly the actual leader who will be making the final decisions
43:50 nice overhead shot of Don Fernando being cleaned
45 min hilarious that they have a trial for treason in which the verdict is obviously a foregone conclusion and then Aguirre’s face when Don Fernando orders clemency is priceless
48 min spectacular image of raft gliding along water toward a camp site that has been set on fire
51:30 accentuated natural sounds, cricket like noises
54 min beautiful shot of raft in middle of frame
56:12 off screen death by arrow
56:56 firing shots randomly upon discovering the man killed off screen
57:27 close up on Aguirre’s face, Herzog is using close ups regularly throughout film so far as well as POV shots from perspective of the crew
59:38 two of the natives have the misfortune of coming across the conquistadors leading to their deaths for their supposed “blasphemy” which is actually just a disconnect of the different languages
1:06:20 low angle shot at tree; paranoia due to Indians is palpable
1:07:00 Don Fernando greedily eats all the fish and fresh fruit while those around him starve
1:15:00 handheld camera again, here it is when the crew raids a village with Indians shooting arrows at them
1:18:00 Aguirre “that man is a head taller than me. That may change.” This results in a man getting his head literally chopped off and Aguirre making his “I am the wrath of God” speech
Even with death all around them, Aguirre will not give in
1:28:50 Aguirre consoling daughter who is dying after hit by arrow, this is really the one thing that humanizes Aguirre
1:29:55 Aguirre becoming increasingly delusional
1:32:22 a shot of sun that looks like it could be from Tree of Life
The final shots of Aguirre on the raft surrounded by monkey’s are one of cinema’s great images
the score from the opening shot is repeated a couple of times
Thoughts:
Mind blowing film in every respect
It can not be overstated just how crucial the score is here, it is so perfectly haunting
The 1.37 to 1 aspect ratio is a strong choice as the film puts the audience in with the characters as it has an almost documentary feel to it, like you were actually dropped by a time machine to the 1560s and are experiencing everything firsthand, in particular the deaths of many of the characters from arrows, we do not see the Indians as they are hidden from the characters so by extension they are hidden from the audience as well
A mediation on greed and colonization amongst other things
The lack of contrived storylines/plot works perfectly, this is a mood driven film
Verdict: MP (my # 10 film of all time)
@James I highly recommend that after your Herzog study you try and watch Incident at Loch Ness (2004).
@Harry – looks interesting thanks, I’ll add it on to my list
The Enigma of Kaspar Hauser (1974)
Notes:
Starts with blurry images of surrounding area before the opening text
2:12 beautiful image of grass blowing with the wind in open field
1.66:1 aspect ratio
10:06 man walking through a dark tunnel leading from outside to the isolated room that Kaspar Hauser lives in
12:42 beautiful silhouette like image during day light
15:30 beautiful shot during magic hour
17 min nature montage like something out of Malick
19:19 Kaspar abandoned in a town
30:38 low angle shot of building Kaspar is staying in
33:53 highly detailed struggles teacher Kaspar
47:44 tracking shot of people walking through town to a show
48:50 a carnival of sorts including a bear with a muzzle, a man who can withstand flames over his skin
52 min a dwarf who played in Herzog’s 1970 film, Even the Dwarfs Started Small
57:02 nice frame with half the screen showing beehive
1:08:10 gorgeous shot of boat in lake, museum quality
1:10:26 doorway frame
1:12:00 camera 360, capturing landscape
1:21:28 shots of high society gathering that looks like a Visconti film
1:24:22 Kaspar playing Mozart for the high society gathering
1:29:56 great framing
1:30:25 a series of nice cutaway shots of sweeping landscape
1:34:10 beautiful shot of people walking up a mountain surrounded by fog, couldn’t help but think of beginning to Aguirre (not that this scene was anywhere near as good but still)
1:35:50 nice shot of Kaspar through reflection in water
1:43:00 another cutaway shot, this one of camels walking in the desert, accomplished by a flute playing
1:46:40 After Kaspar’s death his brain is dissected presumably to be studied by scientists
Thoughts:
Thematic similarities with Truffaut’s Wild Child only that one felt more like a recorded experiment whereas this takes a look at Kaspar’s relationship with the society of the time (set in 1828)
Close up shots are effective, especially since Kaspar has so little in the way of dialogue early in the film
Definitely an interesting film, I was not really sure where it was going at times, but it maintained my interest
Verdict: HR
Heart of Glass (1976)
Notes:
Starts with man sitting in foggy field staring blankly with farm animals, this scene is accompanied by a sort of folk music
This film is set in a Bavarian village near early 19th Century
3:17 spectacular image of water moving
3:43 dissolve edit leading to the man in opening image starting to narrate
11:10 switch from outside to the interior of a dark tavern lit only by candle, sepia colored to a degree similar to beginning of Tarkovsky’s Stalker (1979)
20:53 beautiful composition and use of frame
23:48, impressive depth of field with 4 characters in 4 different planes
28:55 beautiful shot of village with very green grass which stands out compared to the films color palette which has so far been composed of many shades of blue and gray
29:11 shot of same man in beginning of the film sitting on a rock in the same way
31:01 A series of gorgeous shot that looks like something from the hunting scenes in Deer Hunter, another one at 32:05 and 32:40
42:18 excellent doorway frame
45:15 amazing composition with half the frame the sepia color inside the tavern and the other half the blue/gray palette of the outside
56 nice high angle courtyard shot
58 min interior shots of glass factory, use of shallow focus as workers move in a trance like state
1:01:15 excellent composition, frame is filled with factory workers
1:09:40 a bizarre dancing sequence in tavern with close ups on faces of the spectators
1:13:48 impressive depth of field shot inside tavern
1:16:52 great shot of building on fire, continuing the Tarkovsky traits throughout this film
1:22:44 quick edit to man walking in daylight in forest, this juxtapose of scenes from light to dark and vice versa throughout the film
1:26:40 breathtaking shot of a series of very small islands
1:29:05 great composition, museum art quality
Thoughts:
Apparently, the actors all agreed to Hypnosis in order to act in this film which caused controversy, a frequent/reoccurring theme the production of Herzog films, the purpose was apparently for Herzog getting a certain type of performance and it seems to succeed as the characters really do come off as being in a sort of lifeless trance
The pace is slow, but this is a film that is full of spectacular images; it actually reminds me of a Tarkovsky film this way and just as how I would never recommend a Tarkovsky film to anyone who is a hard-core film buff I would not recommend this to anyone who is not a hardcore film buff, it is quite slow and light on narrative but has some incredible images
Verdict: MS
Glad you got to this, I absolutely agree with the MS grade and think it’s one of Herzog’s best films overall.
@Harry – yeah Herzog study has been fascinating so far and a little different as I am watching both fiction and documentaries although for the docmentaries am not really taking notes but I am still grading.
For Heart of Glass it is so slow narratively at times it almost feels closer to a documentary. Aside from Tarkovsky there were a few shots near the end that reminded me of Breaking the Waves. I am coming up on the Herzog/Kinski collabs, very excited
Stroszek (1977)
Notes:
Starts with 2 shadowy figures walking though long and narrow hallway in prison cell
Herzog again working with Bruno S.
3:03 great shot of distorted image though prison window followed by a slow zoom out approximately one minute later
7 min Bruno warned against drinking (apparently it played a major role as to him being in prison in the 1st place)
21 min Bruno becoming street performer playing accordion and keyboard
24:10 use of saturated red in mise-en-scene
27 min gorgeous shot and use of frame and lighting with Bruno in piano room smoking a cigarette
42:13 nice overhead shot of city shortly before Bruno gets on boat to start somewhere new with his new friend
46:05 gorgeous shot of red sky
Italian neo-realism aspects to this film with characters performing everyday chores and going through the motions of daily routines
1:15:00 Bruno develops persecution complex, effective use of close ups showing Bruno’s building frustrations and anger
1:24:00 Bruno’s misfortunes continue to build up
1:29:42 Bruno in despair as trailer home is auctioned off due to missed payments, Herzog holds the shot of a quietly devasted Bruno after house is removed
The armed robbery and turkey scene is fittingly weird
Thoughts:
This film is odd and difficult to label in terms of genre, it has elements of Italian neo-realism, a road film, and comedy although there is not much in the way of laughing out loud (obviously humor is subjective to a degree but here it is more funny in the bizarreness of the situations)
The narrative has some similarities with Krzysztof Kieślowski’s Three Colors: White
Bruno S. is no Klaus Kinski (few are) but still interesting to watch
Verdict: R
Woyzeck (1979)
Notes:
Starts with 360 shot of the lake in village with Beethoven playing
1:00 min arial shot of village set in a German town in the mid-19th century
2 min Klaus Kinski playing a crazy maniac, what could be better? Here he is playing the title role
4 min, closeup of Kinski
9:30 nice shot using mirror in barber shop
11:48 beautiful composition on village across the lake
21 min more close ups on Kinski’s face, which looks perplexed while speaking to doctor
24 min a circus/show of sorts with the towns people gathering
29 min excellent composition with Kinski standing on the left side of the frame wearing beige and is apart from the villagers huddled together dressed in many black or darker colors, at this point he has been eating strange diets prescribed by doctor
42:42 Kinski going into unhinged crazy mode as his paranoia and rage build toward his mistress Marie who he suspects is involved with another man
44:32 Kinski looking into camera, but I don’t think breaking 4th wall, interesting shot with Kinski in foreground with shallow focus
46:24 nice composition inside a small dance hall
50:45 beautiful shot of Kinski jogging through bright green field, another at 52:22
58:50 great low angle shot of Kinski standing in the street looking panicked
1:00:08 great shot of Kinski running through the street which matches his beige uniform
1:05:58 Kinski commits horrific attack of violence against Marie; this is shot in slow motion with Kinski using knife with classical music in the background
1:13:40 strong shot of Kinski in music hall after committing the murder, clearly paranoid
1:14:32 Kinski returns to murder site with fog in background and retrieves the knife
1:17:48 amazing composition in scene where bodies are discovered
Thoughts:
The dedication to color, in this case beige, was very impressive and not something I’ve seen (or at least noticed) in other Herzog films
Kinski is terrific playing an eccentric character
This is a tricky one to describe; it is a sort of character study I suppose possibly even a societal study it is based on an unfinished German play written by Georg Büchner
Verdict: HR
@James Trapp- I’m loving these- keep up the good work.
@Drake – thanks, it has been fascinating so far. Each director study has something distinguishable. For Herzog his combined fearlessness and ambition really jumps out. He can seemingly make a film about virtually any subject and seems to love exploring these obscure sub-cultures. It’s not part of my study but I’ve read that Herzog is also known for directing operas on top of fiction and documentaries. The guy is just crazy talented.
Nosferatu the Vampyre (1979)
Notes:
Starts off with as creepy as possible with shots of skeleton remains accompanied by eerie music
2:36 lucy wakes up screaming in the middle of the night next to Jonathan Harker, a real estate agent in Wismar, Germany
5:30 establishing peaceful village during daytime
9:30 switch to gray and blue color palette as Lucy and Harker walk along beach
14:26 nice composition in the tavern with Harker sitting alone in a crowded
20:35 gorgeous shots of mountain with haunting score
21 min some of the shots could be straight out of Tarkovsky, especially Stalker
24 min low angle shots of mountain and clouds moving
24:40 Malick-eque shot using silhouette
26:18 and speaking of Malick the score reminds me a little of The New World
26:30 we see Dracula for the 1st time played by the great Klaus Kinski
High angle shot gives feeling of surveillance/paranoia
32:25 reverse tracking shot as Dracula marches toward Harker in a menacing fashion
34 min Lucy again see’s bats near her window
37:10 walk down the narrow and dimly lit hallways is effectively creepy
39:08 gorgeous shots of clouds moving before transitioning to Lucy walking on foggy beach
41:02 amazing use of candlelight inside castle
46 min Dracula blocking the door then menacingly walk toward Harker
54:38 great shot of Lucy at graveyard near the water
1:01:00 great low angle shot
1:13:32 shot of Castle’s Courtyard turns to shallow depth of field shot when Dracula enters the frame
1:16:22 nice composition with use of mirror when Dracula finally tracks down Lucy
1:17:18 close up on Dracula
1:24:30 Lucy can’t convince anyone that she “knows where the evil is coming from”
1:30:16 great ariel shot
1:39:00 Lucy and Dracula with Lucy lying in bed in a white gown and Dracula in all black
Last 5 or 6 min continue the great restraint shown throughout the film to use genre cliches
Thoughts:
This is the 2nd time I’ve seen this film; the 1st was 2 Halloweens ago in 2020, I remember being very impressed, but this viewing takes the film to an entirely different level.
This is a visual treat; Herzog may not be on the same level as Malick or Tarkovsky in terms of creating films with breathtaking beauty, but he is far closer than I would have thought before starting this study
There are several fairly long stretches with little to no dialogue, it works though as it allows the viewer to get immersed into the world of the film and its mood, Herzog shows great restraint in refusing to use jump scares or cheap thrills
Just like Aguirre, the score here is so crucial for establishing mood, it is in fact the same band, Popol Vuh, who did the score for Aguirre
Herzog uses lighting contrasts so well, regularly juxtaposing bright exteriors and dark interiors
The trip up the mountain has some of the most beautiful shots from any Herzog film
From Ebert:
“To say of someone that they were born to play a vampire is a strange compliment, but if you will compare the two versions of Nosferatu you might agree with me that only Kinski could have equaled or rivaled Max Schreck’s performance.” Hilarious
Verdict: MP
@James Trapp- Very interesting James- thank you for putting this together here. Haha- and yes I remember that Ebert quote– so good!
@James agree. Some of the shots of the forest and mountain terrain as Harker goes to and from the castle blew me straight away. I picked up the Herzog boxset so hoping to watch a couple of these again and see if I can find enough to bump them up to MP level. (I have Nosferatu as an MS so far). It might be a nitpick but I really hated the performance of the guy who played Renfield, his laugh was overblown and took me out of the film multiple films. The hypnotic scores and stunning cinemtography (+ Klaus Kinski being one of the best of all time) really solidify Herzog for me as one of the all timers though.
@Harry – Kinski’s performance was incredible, he actually has relatively little screen time and dialogue but his presence is felt throughout the film. I probably would have given it HR/MS after my 1st viewing but feel comfortable with MP. I believe it is Herzog’s only true horror film and only remake of an older film. It’s a bold move, remaking a masterpiece. It’s a good thing that Herzog is a such a bold director.
Cobra Verde (1987, second watch, formerly HR)
Watching this a second time put everything together for me and now I’m ready to label it as one of Herzog’s best. This time I watched the film in German rather than English and I recommend going that way as the English dub is pretty horrible.
Aguirre and Fitzcarraldo have a slow tension and insanity to them, they are dark worlds. Cobra Verde is also a pretty insane film but it goes for more of an epic scale than an ominous journey to a goal. The titular character, a bandit, is given a suicide mission after offending the owner of the sugar plantation he offends. He is successful in his mission and has power over his new territory, while still feeling a harsh loneliness that even impregnating sixty-two slaves won’t quench.
This is certainly another ambitious and excellent achievement from Herzog as the man behind the camera. Once you get past the insanity and scale of everything, you realize Herzog is showing complete visual mastery.
– Kinski is first scene in closeup, then the camera floats around him revealing the vast desert landscape – full of bones and carcasses.
– The next scene has Kinski working as a miner I think, nice image of a variety of muddy workers scaling a hill in the dark.
– Great open wide shot of the first town – Kinski strides in, rifle on his back as the townspeople evacuate in terror, establishing him as a bandit. He then holds a conversation with the only friend he has in this film, lit by candlelight which composes the frame.
– Kinski then robs a woman, get a great shot of her walking towards him as he is framed by a ruined chapel. Half the shot is blocked out by architecture like Antonioni. Immediately after this scene get a great shot of Kinski standing in the ocean looking up at the clouds. These are two of the films greatest cinematic moments and you have them right back to back.
– As Kinski makes love in the plantation, Herzog hides the camera behind the foliage, then cuts to a gorgeous Weerasethakul-like sea of green composition of the vegetation.
– Kinski touring his new home, the fort is a highlight. Have so many interesting frames and compositions of the different rooms. Herzog’s trademark animal obsessions as one of the rooms is full of bats and another with crabs. Even the beach around the fort with its palm trees is used later for some amazing shots.
– Beautiful shot of Kinski and a slave trader looking down into a slave cargo hold.
– One of the most memorable scenes is Kinski training the army of warrior women – a tonne of extras all coordinated.
– Kinski’s acting when he trains the warriors and later when he leads the big assault is impressive, the sheer anger and ferocity he can display on his face.
– The palace of the mad king is another great set, symmetric with nice mise en scene work.
– The final sequence with Kinski scrambling to leave the island on a boat is awesome. The Popul Vuh score is not used much but here it kicks in. Have a great composition with the boat in the foreground, Kinski stumbling towards it and then a man crawling – almost in pursuit of him. A creepy finale for the character tying the film together with Aguirre for me.
A gorgeous huge scale epic in just 110 minutes with the legendary Klaus Kinski leading, a masterpiece. It’s not Aguirre or Fitzcarraldo but I really like this one.
Current Herzog ranking
1. Aguire The Wrath of God – MP (my #3 of all time)
2. Fitzcarraldo – MP
3. Cobra Verde – MP
4. Heart of Glass – MS
5. Nosferatu the Vampyre – MS
6. The Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call – New Orleans – R
7. Woyzeck – R
8. Rescue Dawn – R
Documentaries (unranked)
Lessons of Darkness – R
My Best Fiend – R
Grizzy Man – not archiveable
@Harry – How many of these have you watched recently?
# 3 all time for Aguirre? Nice I got it at # 10
What’s your 1 and 2?
@James – I put on Cobra Verde this morning but haven’t seen any other Herzog films this year. I’ve seen Aguirre 4 times but haven’t re-watched any others. I am excited to see your writing for the other two Kinski collabs.
I have Stalker at #1 and There Will Be Blood at #2.
@Harry – nice, here’s my top 15
1. The Godfather
2. Raging Bull
3. Seven Samurai
4. Goodfellas
5. There Will Be Blood
6. Citizen Kane
7. The Godfather II
8. Psycho
9. Chinatown
10. Aguirre, the Wrath of God
11. Barry Lyndon
12. High and Low
13. 2001: A Space Odyssey
14. Apocalypse Now
15. The Good the Bad and the Ugly
I should have notes for Fitzcarraldo by tomorrow night.
@James – Great list. I’m planning on watching the first two Godfathers for the first time in years this weekend.
@Harry – that’s great caught both during my Coppola Study, there seems to be a growing sentiment for putting 2 over 1 although I have no actual data to backup this claim lol. It just seems like I’ve read a lot of articles arguing for 2 over 1.
While I put GF1 over GF2 in my rankings, I think you could actually argue that this debate itself is pointless since you could argue that 1 and 2 should be viewed as a continuous story even if there a lot of differences such as GF2 having a non-linear story. So it may not be an continuous of a narrative as say Kill Bill 1 and 2 since Kill Bill 2 immediatly picks up where Vol. 1 left off
cont…
But none the less GF2 continues the narrative even if it is structured differently. Still the debates are fun to have non the less.
Fitzcarraldo (1982)
Notes:
Starts off with establishing shot of jungle with thick layers of mist similar to Aguirre as well as a similar quote about the Indians in the Jungle “the Country where God did not finish his creation”
About 1 min in the film cuts from high angle shots of Jungle to a low angle shot of Opera House
We have Kinski as an uber ambitious man named Brian Sweeney “Fitzcarraldo” Fitzgerald and the great Claudia Cardinale as his wife Molly, the story takes place in Peru in the early 20th Century with Fitz as an opera loving businessman who in particular loves the work of real life opera singer Enrico Caruso
9:27 great camera movement in capturing the Opera audience from the top row on down
18:04 close up on bright colored bird
20:20 Kinski’s character at poker table but he’s all business while the other men laugh and tell jokes
22 min, he is screaming about wanting his Opera house and ringing bell at top of tower with a close up on Kinski’s face
23:03 great birds eye view shot
28:04 best shot of the film so far with use of color in mise-en-scene and Fitzcarraldo in the white jacket, showing off his brown gramophone horn in order to play Opera music at the party
30:40 low angle shot after Fitz storms off from party
32:32 rough waters of the jungle, similar to Aguirre
32:55 spectacular low angle shot of Fitz on rocks with Don Aquilino, a potential investor, speaking about the potential for building an Opera on a ship in the rough waters
36:50 extreme close up on Fitz’s face
39:27 great composition of interior of residence located on the shore
43:39 “I shall move a mountain” Fitz
44:48 great shot of Fitz face blurred by smoke from lava
52:28 great tracking shot of all the huts and houses along the shore as the ship sets off upstream the Amazon
52:43 museum art quality panorama shot of ship shortly after taking off
1:01:02 sounds of jungle invoke Aguirre
1:04:17 magic hour shot that would make Malick proud
1:09:30 beautiful close up shot of ship
1:17:17 great shot of Fitz playing music atop the boat which slowly
1:25:25 a shot similar to the one in Apocalypse Now when they finally reach the area where they reach the area of the jungle where Kurtz is located, this shot is not as spectacular as that one (few are) but still great in its own right
1:36:20 amazing camera movement and ariel shots after meeting with Indians who are indigenous
1:47:30 another gorgeous magic hour shot; this one reminds me of The New World (2005)
1:54:30 a couple of great compositions after Fitz hands Indian ice block
1:57:00 one of the best shots of the film, shortly after 2 Indians are killed after accidently being caught under boat, half the screen is blocked out but boat and Fitz looking away from the natives who are huddled together; this is start of a rift between the Natives and Fitz
2:00:16 to 2:00:40 some gorgeous museum quality shots making use of entire frame
2:07:07 shot of boat through the fog
2:23:00 close up shots of ship in rough waters with opera music playing
2:26:13 great shot of steam ship which is no longer in rough waters
In last 5 minutes Fitz gets a sort of victory in setting up the Opera on the ship
Thoughts:
Herzog has directed numerous Opera’s himself, fitting for a film about such an ambitious character
Still one more Kinski collaboration left in study, he is a madman in every Herzog film but a different kind of madman, his character in this film rows hundreds of miles to attend an opera, literally moves a boat over a mountain (with lots of help of course), and will never back down from a challenge of any kind
I presented the question on the Klaus Kinski page as to whether or not he would qualify as a “muse” for Herzog as I was not sure if that term only applied to relationships between male directors and female actresses, its seems that it can be applied here but it is usually used in reference to females
Herzog makes strong use of close ups on faces; I have not noticed this as much in his other films except Aguirre
Similar to Aguirre there is a documentary like vibe to it at times, but this is a much longer film at 157 min vs Aguirre which was about 90 min, there are of course many other similarities from the area of the world the film takes place in along with the Kinski characters
This film while intense at times is not as bleak as Aguirre and even ends with the Kinski character having a sort of success as he accomplishes some of what he wanted while Aguirre ends in every character death and Kinski’s character fully insane
The more I read about Herzog the more amazed I am that the guy is still alive, apparently multiple people died during the production of this film and many of his other productions have had serious injuries; when you consider this along with the sheer volume/output of his work and combine that with his intensity and refusal to back down from any challenge no matter the risk involved the odds that he’s even still alive has to be like 10,000 to 1
Verdict: MP
As I stated above I am covering the documentaries in the Herzog Box Set but am not taking minute by minute notes like his fiction films. I am still giving some thoughts and a Grade.
Ballad of the Little Soldier (1984)
This documentary captures child soldiers in Nicaragua, focusing on the Miskito Indians who were former allies of the Sandinistas but are now in a battle against the Sandinistas
The film is about 45 min and is harrowing subject matter, but I had trouble with the delivery which felt very one note and did not capture the same spectacular images as some of his other documentaries which I admit I am still getting used to rating documentaries. I just do not think there is enough here to retain interest for even 45 minutes
Verdict: Not Recommended
I rewatched Fata Morgana (1971) which is another documentary I graded above as a Fringe Recommend. I admitted to watching when I was pretty tired and on a back to back with another documentary. I was interested in revisisting given its placement on TSPDT top 1000 at # 862. I am glad I did and would move it to a HR. The film captures spectacular images, it is a sort of film essay shot over 13 months primarily in the Sahara Desert.
Cobra Verde
Notes:
Starts with man playing violin in desert followed by a series of messages regarding fate and the earth, sounds like something from a Malick film
1:48 extreme close up on Klaus Kinski’s face with slow zoom out shot
6 min Kinski’s character is already shown signs of being unhinged
10:40 nice use of natural lighting inside the dark tavern
15:15 Antonioni type shot with large building blocking half the frame
16:20 beautiful shot of Kinski standing in ocean alone, this serene shot cuts to a brutal shot of a public whipping
José Lewgoy from Fitzcarraldo is back pairing up with Kinski again
22:45 callous indifference
26:15 great shot of pond in serene setting
28:17 Kinski’s character is aware of his reputation as a bandit like the Mifune character in Rashomon (1950)
32:13 gorgeous shot of water crashing onto the rocks with a blue palette
36:00 like of Herzog films we have culture clashes although in this case Kinski speaks language
47:20 great slow zoom out and camera movement to capture the enormity of the physical labor
51 min accentuated sounds of ocean with row boats approaching the shore
53:10 strong composition using entire frame
55:25 excellent overhead shot
1:02:00 celebrations and dancing in the village, frequently using close up and medium shots
1:09:40 one of best shots of film with Kinski tied up in front of the village, great composition, and use of color, particularly yellow
1:17:10 best shot of the film along the beach
1:22:55 a stunning shot that could be in a museum
1:29:19 deep focus shot of inside structure resembling a tunnel
1:34:02 beautiful shot of beach in juxtaposed with brutality of slaves in chains
Thoughts:
This film marks the 5th and final of the Herzog/Kinski collaborations
The use of a large cast of extras was bold and I think paid off, the intensity of these sequences had a raw power, so much of this film is utter chaos
The costume work was very impressive here, perhaps the best along with Nosferatu
Many stunning shots throughout the film and like other Herzog/Kinski films the plot is rather loose and the line between reality and fiction does not always seem so clear
Verdict: HR/MS
@James nice work here, such a good looking film.
For Herzog I watched both his fiction films and documentaries; the boxset contains 9 fiction films (including all 5 collaborations with Kinski) and 7 documentaries. Plus I am watching an additional 2 documentary films for a total of 9 fictional films and 9 documentaries. I have decided to rank them separately.
Here are my Final Rankings for the Fiction Films, I still have a couple documentaries to go.
9 Herzog Fiction Films Final Ranking and Grades:
MPs
# 1 Aguirre, the Wrath of God (1972)
# 2 Nosferatu the Vampyre (1979)
# 3 Fitzcarraldo (1982)
MS
# 4 Heart of Glass (1976)
MS/HR
# 5 Cobra Verde (1987)
HR
# 6 Woyzeck (1979)
# 7 The Enigma of Kaspar Hauser (1974)
R
# 8 Even Dwarfs Started Small (1970)
# 9 Stroszek (1977)
Study Summary:
Herzog is a filmmaker with the mentality and fearlessness of a great 16th Century explorer, he has an unquenchable thirst for knowledge which is reflected in both his fiction films and documentaries. Aguirre is a top 10 film ever in my estimation and I have both Nosferatu and Fitzcarraldo as MPs with Nosferatu coming ever so slightly ahead and I do not view that as an insult to the greatness of Fitzcarraldo. Perhaps I am wrong but again I found them both as clear-cut MPs, just stunning visually. And that more than anything was so surprising to me about Herzog in general. I knew going in that his ambition is at an all-time level up there with Malick, Tarkovsky, and Kubrick but even knowing that I was taken aback at how beautiful films like Heart of Glass and Nosferatu were.
Obviously, Klaus Kinski is in all 3 of the MPs and 5 of the top 6 so he is obviously a huge aspect of part of Herzog’s legacy, and I was initially just going to do a short study of the 5 Herzog/Kinski Collabs but then found the Boxset online and it was such a great deal and I am happy I did so. The band Herzog frequently collaborated with, Popol Vuh, is crucial to the mood of several of his films including the 3 MPs so they need to be highlighted as well. Mood and atmosphere are a huge aspect of Herzog’s greatness, his films have a patience that along with the music and mood/tone create an experience for the viewer. Even his 2 lowest ranking films are worthy of another viewing at some point in the future.
@James great work finishing this up, enjoyed reading all these. Don’t forget to watch Incident at Loch Ness at some point. Herzog would certainly be one of my 10 favourite directors, where does he rank for you after this study?
@Harry – Thanks, Loch Ness is on my to watch list.
Regarding Herzog’s ranking…
So it’s tricky because I view my 10 favorites as separate from the top greatest so I’ll stick with my favorite list as I still have a while to go before putting an objectively best list but as far as favorites go Herzog would definitely be top 15
Top 15 Favorite
# 1 Martin Scorsese
# 2 Alfred Hitchcock
# 3 Akira Kurosawa
# 4 Stanley Kubrick
# 5 Quentin Tarantino
# 6 Roman Polanski
# 7 Francis Ford Coppola
# 8 David Fincher
# 9 Francois Truffaut
# 10 PT Anderson
# 11-15 in some order
Werner Herzog
Jean-Pierre Melville
Brian De Palma
Wong Kar Wai
Terence Malick
@James Trapp- Marvelous work here! From the Popol Vuh setting the mood on down with this recap. Thank you for sharing this here
@Harry – also regarding favorites, Herzog is tricky because I find his documentaries fascinating but obviously quite different so I find the work of someone like say Truffaut to definitely be more purely enjoyable than Herzog but Herzog’s work (especially the documentaries) to be more fascinating/interesting. Also Herzog is the only director so far that I have watched anything other than fiction so there is that to consider as well.
Land of Silence and Darkness (1971)
This is a powerful film about a deaf and blind German woman named Fini Straubinger who travels and meets with other deaf-blind people who she communicates with through hand contact using a type of code on the palm of people’s hands which is known as the tactile alphabet. Herzog clearly has an interest in exploring the worlds that mainstream societies think little about. Herzog takes a fairly detached approach here, not attempting to pull heart strings, but rather showing Fini working with various people. It is fascinating to watch humans experiencing for the first time, something as ostensibly mundane as touching tree of stepping into a shallow pool. Cinema is a sensory experience so it’s easy to see the appeal of this subject matter for Herzog. I appreciate the simplicity of this film although I will say that it is quite slow at times, and I think Herzog could of shortened the film which is 85 min without sacrificing its impact.
Verdict: HR
Fata Morgana (1971)
I have not seen a film quite like this before, as this is really an essay film
There are spectacular images and no character dialogue, although there is a score and voiceovers
Herzog became nearly fatally ill during the making of the film and at one point was arrested and placed into jail under suspicion of being a mercenary; the stories behind the production of some of Herzog’s films are in some cases just as fascinating as the films themselves
I ended up rewatching this and upgraded from R to HR
Verdict: HR
Ballad of the Little Soldier (1984)
This documentary captures child soldiers in Nicaragua, focusing on the Miskito Indians who were former allies of the Sandinistas but are now in a battle against the Sandinistas
The film is about 45 min and is harrowing subject matter, but I had trouble with the delivery which felt very one note and did not capture the same spectacular images as some of his other documentaries
Verdict: Not Recommended
Where the Green Ants Dream (1984)
This film can probably be labeled a fictional film rather than a documentary, Herzog’s films often intentionally or not blend or transcend simple labels. For the purpose of this study I will put it in the Documentary group.
Verdict: Not Recommended
Lessons of Darkness (1992)
A documentary with much in common with Fata Morgana
Begins with a quote from philosopher Blaise Pascal
Absolutely stunning shots of the aftermath of the Gulf War
The camera glides over the landscape using 16mm
Some of the shots truly reflect a sort of hell on earth and the perspective could be viewed as if
The music is crucial in matching the stunning visuals with Classical music about halfway through the film, I could not help but think of Kubrick
Interestingly enough this is categorized as a Documentary/Sci-Fi by some critics but when you watch I get the Sci-Fi label even if it does not seem to fit within the standard definition as this film is a meditation on human destruction of the earth
This film consists of almost no commentary and instead allows the images to speak for themselves
At a lean 54 min this is a visual spectacle of the highest order that fits within the Herzog worldview
Verdict: MP/MS
Little Dieter Needs to Fly (1997)
Dieter Dengler, a German American pilot, discusses his service as a U.S. naval pilot in the Vietnam War
Dieter Dengler narrates much of the film with Herzog uses a combination of visual techniques including black and white footage, great overhead shots of Vietnam from Helicopter view
Dieter recounts being a prisoner of war in Vietnam and has a reenactment in the Jungle with Dieter himself going back to the Jungle and walking the viewer through his day-to-day experiences and eventually the escape story
Such a fascinating life story told in a way that maintains the viewers interest
Verdict: MS/HR
My Best Fiend (1999)
A look at the bizarre working relationship between Herzog and his favorite actor Klaus Kinski who he made 5 films with (no other director worked with Kinski more than once)
Of the documentaries I’ve watched for this study this is the only one where the subject/focus is on Herzog himself, along with Kinski of course
Herzog recounts many crazy stories regarding some legendary on set fights and arguments
Verdict: HR
Into the Abyss (2011)
A documentary on the death penalty, I actually watched this years ago before I knew who Werner Herzog was, it looks at a brutal triple murder in Texas committed by two teenagers, one of whom is given the death penalty and Herzog interviews numerous people involved in the Case including the killer himself who was executed by the State 8 days after the interview.
Herzog is apparently opposed to Capital Punishment, but this is not an “anti-death penalty” film, instead it looks at the various people involved in the case without really taking sides
Simple but effective take on a highly controversial subject
Verdict: R/HR
Grizzly Man (2005)
A documentary focusing on a man, Timothy Treadwell, who lived with Grizzly Bears in Alaska for 13 summers being meeting his end in a particularly brutal fashion
This film takes a non-sentimental look at the relationship between man and wild animal, and it avoids any attempts to glorify Treadwell
The film is consistent with Herzog’s themes of man vs nature and men who succumb into a state of madness
Treadwell adopted a certain persona almost like he was playing a character
This film has beautiful overhead shots of Alaskan wilderness
Toward the end of the film great shots of Bears submerging into lake waters in search of salmon
“and what haunts me is that in all the faces of all the bears that Treadwell ever filmed, I discovered no kinship, no understanding, no mercy, I see only the overwhelming indifference of nature” Herzog near the end of the film
Verdict: HR
9 Herzog Documentaries Final Ranking and Grades:
MP/MS
# 1 Lessons in Darkness
MS/HR
# 2 Little Dieter Needs to Fly (1997)
HR
# 3 Fata Morgana (1971)
# 4 Grizzly Man (2005)
# 5 My Best Fiend (1999)
HR/R
# 6 Land of Silence and Darkness (1971)
# 7 Into the Abyss (2011)
R
Not R
# 8 Ballad of the Little Soldier (1984)
# 9 Where the Green Ants Dream (1984)
Should I watch the English or German version of Aguirre? Appreciate any
help here, I’m reading conflicting things.
@Mattew – Aguirre was originally recorded in English but the sound quality was poor and it was dubbed into German. I normally hate dubbed version of films but this is different since I am American and only speak English I always choose to watch foreign films with English subtitles than the dubbed version given that it often seems monotone and a little awkward. This is a bit of a different situation for me since Aguirre was filmed in english and dubbed to a language, German, that I do not speak whatsover.
I’ve only seen the German version with English subtitles and I have it as a top 10 film of all time so I would say you cannot go wrong with the German version (unless of course you speak German)
Thanks for response, along with Harry, Chase and Declan. I’ll go with the German version. The only reason I was hesitant was because I wanted to hear Klaus’ real voice, usually I would go for the dubs.
@Matthew – In agreement with James, the German is the right call
From what I have read (and I’m open to being corrected on any of this) the film was shot in English, and then dubbed into both English and German. I don’t believe there is any version out there that has the original English audio recording. To complicate the matter further, the German dub doesn’t actually feature Klaus Kinski’s voice, but another actor who sounds like him. I would probably argue definitively for the German dub if it wasn’t for that, but as it is I don’t currently have strong feelings either way.
I’ll also chime in and say that the German version would be the way to go. It’s the only version I’ve seen and it’s in my top 40 all time.
One might think that maybe only perhaps The Searchers has a stronger combination of opening and closing shots than Aguirre
@Matthew – The searchers in amazing but I’ll take the opening and closing shots of Aguirre. A Clockwork Orange deserves a mention here as does Raging Bull, The Searchers as you mentioned, and a few others but for me the opening image of Aguirre with that score (the music here is huge) is my personal favorite, absolutely mesmerizing. The final image with Aguirre on the raft surronded by dead men and alive monkeys is so bizzare and utterly haunting an image as you will see.
Yeah, fair enough. All of these are so flawless, you literally can’t go wrong.
Kalus Kinski is excellent but what do you think of Isabelle Adjani’s performance in Nosferatu the Vampyre. I think she’s just perfect. Marvellous performance.
Nosferatu the Vampyre – viewing #2
This second viewing has taken Herzog’s Nosferatu remake to another level for me, it’s one of the most beautiful films of the 1970s decade. The ascent up the mountain to the Count’s castle is an incredibly strong stretch, Ganz treks through wide compositions of the sharp pine forests before the vegetation starts to drop off. He enters a cave-like passage with a waterfall and river as the set piece before resting at a site on a barren mountain. Water eerily drips down on him like it would a Tarkovsky protagonist.
The film is accompanied both by the always mystical Popul-Vuh soundtrack but also key pieces from Wagner, the ones Malick paired with James Horner in The New World.
Herzog’s talents with mise-en scene and blocking are underrated. There are many highlights here even ignoring all the typical haunting landscape work. The interior design of the castle is brilliant. In Nosferatu’s domain, he is shrouded in darkness with often only his hideous head showing in the frame, a great usage of this is a shot with Harker (Bruno Ganz, left of frame) and Nosferatu (right of frame) sitting by the fireside, Harker’s in the light but you can only catch Nosferatu’s head who is given equal space in the frame due to the careful usage of darkness. The beach that Harker and Lucy walk upon is another stunning vista captured. One of the films greatest images is Lucy posed alongside the graves of the mini beach graveyard.
The aerial shots are pulled out here, one circles the doomed voyage of Nosferatu to Germany, connective tissue with Aguirre (Herzog and boat movies) the other captures the desolate, apocalyptic twist Wismar takes as the town is hit by plagues. Tens of extras are choreographed pall-bearing through the town-centre, all captured in a sweeping aerial shot.
Klaus Kinski walks away with another legendary performance. He’s decrepit manner of speech and his eerie breathes and moans are all great choices. In addition to his unique lighting (that sadly falls off as he departs Transylvania) there are many stunners of him lurking around his domain and of course Herzog is able to match the iconic imagery of Nosferatu creeping over a sleeping person. I watched the English version this time around which I think is superior, apart from Aguirre I find Herzog’s films better in English. Isabelle Adjani also deserves a mention here, the perfect look for the gothic leading lady.
Hundreds of rats dyed white, a montage of them is paired with Wagner and is masterfully eerie.
The depth of field with some shots is also admirable, a triangular like shot with a pot of flowers (left, foreground), Adjani (right, foreground) and Ganz (centre, background) particularly wowed me.
Improves on the original in at least one way, powerful ending of Ganz riding off into the horizon with clouds dissolving over the frame.
The recurring shot of the bat against a blue background is used as a marker throughout the film.
A masterpiece, would need another look at Fitzcarraldo to figure out if this is Herzog’s second best effort.
@Harry- Great work here- I have been thinking for years that Fassbinder deserves to be higher on the list than Herzog, but your work here on Herzog gives me pause. I’m excited to get back to his work with some further study- soon I hope.
@Drake – Heart of Glass is definitely one to prioritise since I don’t see it archived here in the page, @James and I have both agreed on a MS grade and it has some of his most beautiful mise en scene work and ambience.
@Harry- will do- thank you
@Harry – I love seeing this, we are on same page. I like the reference to Tarkovsky, as the visuals espeically during that journey up the mountain which had shots that reminded me of Stalker (1979) when the trio are in The Zone.
Herzog created a brilliant horror film but with horror that is closer to the work of Edgar Allan Poe than mainstream American Horror films. Like the original the film is not actually about vampires but rather the Black Plague/Black Death. The pacing of the film is a major strength as well, it is an effective slow burn.
I certainly won’t argue against Fitzcarraldo but for me this is Herzog’s 2nd best film after Aguirre.
@James – do you prefer this to Manrau’s?
@Harry – that is a very tough call. Whether fair or not, I do tend to think a wholly originally work should get the benefit of the doubt in a really close scenario like this do I’ll go with the original 1922 version but it’s by the smallest of margins.
What about you?
@James – it is a tough call, but personally I’m more awed by the beauty and soundtrack of the 70s film than the creative expressionism of the 20s version.
@James – is the sequel with Klaus Kinski; Nosferatu in Venice (1988) on your radar?
@Harry – have never heard of it until now. Have you seen? If so, where? I just checked the usual places but got nothing