Details
Directed by: Les Blank
Country:
Netherlands
Runtime: 1hr 35min
Year: 1982
Last Screened:
Thu 26th Nov 2015
Documentary following Werner Herzog's descent into near madness as he battles to make his epic tour de force Fitzcarraldo in the rainforests of South America.
Blank’s camera calmly records the journey as almost everything that can go wrong does: legendary leading actor Klaus Kinski exhibits behaviour that would tax a saint, major casting problems see Jason Robards and Mick Jagger pull out halfway through shooting, the weather turns, and the crew is even caught in a war between Peru and Ecuador.
Facing problems that would floor most directors, the film is a monument to Herzog’s almost masochistic desire to do the impossible impossibly well.