Werner Herzog

[knives]

By contrast I absolutely loved the film. I was watching Jenkins' Monster and just couldn't stand being in that world for the length of the film, found out that Mubi is hosting this for the day for free and got exactly what I needed. It is one of the most good natured films I've ever seen full of love and warmth. The film is a lot like Inception in the sense that just because something is a fiction doesn't make the feelings any less good. None of the drama we see is real, but it feels real and my love of these characters is real and the happiness they cause me is real. That's the beginning of a long hole to jump into and I don't want to get into religion right now because I am so content with the world at the moment. I just want to replay that hedgehog scene forever. I could see criticisms of the film for its aesthetic quality, though, like Wenders' digital experiments which this shares a lot in common with, I think that misses the point of having such a lo-fi quality. Likewise I could see criticisms placed against this in comparison to Alps and especially Like Someone in Love, but that would seem to ignore the intended gentleness of the film which is as seasonal and ethereal as the cherry blossoms which the movie fetishes. Herzog's best fiction in who knows

[therewillbeblus]

There is definitely some "gentleness" and transcendental emotionality at play, but it all felt secondary to Herzog's intellectual fetishism. Not that that's a bad thing, nor that this film must be measured against those other different films to credit its worth. I just think this basic idea has been done already giving more attention to other domains and, in my perspective, revealed this film to be a lot thinner than I probably would have seen it as without a subjective point of comparison. There is definitely merit in Herzog's process in allowing for a naturalness of narrative, and pronouncing energy between two characters that captures otherwise ephemeral experiences, but those ideas that were unique to this movie just felt underwhelming to me in execution.

[knives]

I'm not sure if I fully disagree. I was just in the emotional place for it to work it's fullest on me and my subjective experience had to the film's emotional character take priority.

[dda1996a]

Have yet to watch the Herzog, but I found Alps to be ridiculously empty and it flatlines almost from the start, so I'm surprised to see it held up as any bar of excellency (I do like his three non-greek films, have yet to see Kinetta & Dogtooth).
If anything, I think early Egoyan sort of did this thing in a brilliant fashion, if you ask me.

[therewillbeblus]

Alps is not an easy film to like and in many ways I think it’s his least accessible film, as I tried to express in my linked post. You’re in the majority on this one, sadly

[L.A.]

80 years old today.

[DarkImbecile]

Big celebration for him in Telluride at the theater named in his honor; everyone’s carrying around little cutouts of his face on sticks

[domino harvey]

Herzog will direct Kate and Rooney Mara in Bucking Fastard

[hearthesilence]

I saw Into the Abyss when it was in theaters and thought it was excellent, but for whatever reason that was the last time I saw a brand-new Herzog film and didn't bother to keep up with his work. I got offered a ticket to his new film tonight, Ghost Elephants, and went in not knowing anything about it. Herzog and Dr. Steve Boyse gave an introduction - I was late and still settling in when they gave it, so I wasn't paying close attention, but from the sound of it, National Geographic started this production, and I guess someone must've recognized how Boyse brought to mind some of Herzog's most famous characters because they reached out to him, not only to introduce Herzog to Boyse but to get him to consult on the film. As Herzog put it, he worked on it for a few days before he told them he should be the one to direct it, otherwise it wouldn't work out.

I have no idea if this was meant to be a television special that became a theatrical feature once Herzog got involved, but stylistically, it stays pretty close to a National Geographic program, which boxes it in quite a bit. However Herzog is still a good fit as you can see how aspects of the story echo his past work when everything plays out in front of the camera. A minor work for him, but the subject matter is very engaging and it does feel like Herzog thoroughly enjoyed making this in stark contrast to some of his legendary productions filmed in the wild. (Probably helps that the entire crew was likely seasoned Nat Geo personnel.)

[hearthesilence]

New interview from the Film Stage:

While we are sitting here, I have finished a narrative feature film, Bucking Fastard, with Kate and Rooney Mara and Orlando Bloom. And while we are sitting here, we just started a new film in Mexico two weeks ago, and in a few weeks, we will continue in Austria...We shouldn’t speak about it because I am dependent on the protagonist of the film, who is a moving target. But I will do that film, and I will finish that film.

[cantinflas]

Cheers for the info, I'm dying to see Bucking Fastard. Super curious to know who this "moving target" of his new film is now.

Ghost Elephants screened here too at a doc festival a couple of weeks ago and I completely missed it, same thing happened with Theatre of Thought a few years ago and that one hasn't been made available. At least Ghost Elephants will be streaming as of 8th March so I'm looking forward to watching it then.

All of his other work from the past 15 years is worth checking out but I'd say The Fire Within: A Requiem for Katia and Maurice Krafft is his most remarkable and moving piece. An underrated one is Nomad: In the Footsteps of Bruce Chatwin which is a fascinating portrait of a Herzogian kindred spirit and has this amazing section about the Aboriginal Songlines.

[colinr0380]

Herzog amusingly got a viral political meme moment recently too, with his penguin clip from Encounters At The End of the World resurfacing.