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
My ranking of Herzog`s films that I`ve seen:
1. Aguirre, the Wrath of God MP
2. Fitzcarraldo MP
3. Lessons of Darkness MS
4. Nosferatu the Vampyre MS
5. Cobra Verde HR/MS
6. Grizzly Man HR
7. The Enigma of Kaspar Hauser HR
8. Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call – New Orleans R/HR
9. My Best Fiend R/HR
10. Woyzeck R
5 Best Performances:
1. Kinski- Aguirre, the Wrath of God 5
2. Kinski- Fitzcarraldo 5
3. Kinski- Nosferatu the Vampyre 5
4. Cage- Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call – New Orleans 5
5. Kinski- Cobra Verde 5
Hi Drake,
I think I’ve failed to unlock Herzog. Recently, I’ve managed to catch screenings of Aguirre, Fitzcarraldo, Nosferatu, and Kaspar Hauser. Unfortunately, I couldn’t find anything visually or sonically noteworthy, apart from 5 or so frames across all 4 films.
What am I missing?
Thanks!
@yaared- love the honesty and love the “failed to unlock” phrase. We’ll see if others want to add and chime in here- or hopefully I’ll be able to update my Herzog page in the future with better evidence of his strengths as an auteur.
@yaared – I was mesmerized when I saw Aguirre for the 1st time and its one of my favorite films and one of the very best for me.
On this sites list of top 1000 films (link below) https://thecinemaarchives.com/2023/10/17/thebest1000filmsofalltime/
Check out a thread starting with a post I made at
James Trapp October 18, 2023 at 3:15 am
And more importantly reponses from @Matthew@Harry@Drake
An interesting discussion on this subject
You only found 5 impressive frames combined across all of those films? Or around 5 per film?
@yaared – to be clear, are you saying that Herzog’s films lack singularly beautiful shots? Or are you saying that he does not have a consistent visual style?
If it is the former, I am curious as to what you are looking for in particular. Below are some frames from Nosferatu (1979). While there is certainly a degree of subjectiveness when discussing beauty, I think it is difficult to not be impressed by at least 5 frames here but that is just my opinion. I especially love the lighting and framing of some of these shots.
https://film-grab.com/2010/12/05/nosferatu-the-vampyre-nosferatu-phantom-der-nacht/
Surprised that Herzog ranks so highly on this list when, in a very real sense, you’re only taking half of his cinematic career into account.
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
@Harry-This one has really bad reviews. Did you see Doctor Sleep? 2010: The Year We Make Contact? Two Jakes?
@Malith – not yet.
I’ve been avoiding the Two Jakes even though I love Chinatown but the recent re-appraisal is making me think otherwise
@Harry-Is there a Two Jakes reappraisal? I didn’t notice.
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.
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.
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.
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)
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
@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.
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
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.
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.