Fitzcarraldo

Somehow it's an hour later than I thought it was, and frustratingly enough, I have a really awesome movie to write about. Probably for the sake of my job I should try to keep this short. Not sure if that will really happen or not, though. :) Today I watched Fitzcarraldo, directed by Werner Herzog in 1982.

I was actually sort of excited to watch today's movie, although I didn't want to admit it. Mostly because explaining Herzog and Klaus Kinski to my co-workers is pretty difficult. I was stoked, though - I love both of those guys, and I was really excited to see another Herzog epic full of madness and strange. I would think that he would have had enough of the jungle after Aguirre, but he masochistically went back to drag a 320-ton boat up a hill. I know that he's a big believer in locations, that there is something magical that they can bring out, and after seeing more than a handful of his films, I'm a believer, too. The jungle might be awful, but it made an amazing film, and the harsh conditions surely brought out some neat (and crazed) performances.

The Enigma of Kaspar Hauser

Sorry this post is so late and so short - I watched this movie earlier in the day, but then I had family and friends over, so I didn't get around to posting or anything like that. I really liked today's movie - The Enigma of Kaspar Hauser, directed by Werner Herzog in 1974. It stars Bruno S, the strange fellow who was also in Stroszeck. It's a great movie, and one that I've meant to see for a long time. It's been on my Netflix queue for forever, I just never ended up watching it for whatever reason. I'm really glad that I did now.

The film is based on  a true story, but in typical Herzog fashion, he's not really concerned with the facts. He's just fascinated by people, and loves to focus on anyone who is different, strange, or interesting. Some people, I imagine, would be annoyed that he doesn't always tell the truth, but I like it. I guess I feel like I share his gaze, sometimes. I went to see Cave of Forgotten Dreams when that came out, and there is a scene where a guy dresses up in furs and plays a flute for no apparent reason. The way Herzog lingered on him felt like it mimicked my interest in that guy - he didn't really make sense or have anything to do with the plot, but he was part of what Herzog experienced in making the movie, and what he was interested in. I love that he's so interested in people and weirdness.

Stroszek

Today's movie is certainly an odd one. I've had a bit of a long day, so forgive me if I keep this short. I watched Stroszek, directed by Werner Herzog in 1977. I found this film to be more strange to watch than...well, I don't know what to compare it to. It's like nothing else. It's not trying to be a random, bizarre film, and you never feel like it's trying to do anything. It's just sort of running on, following the story, and we're just tagging along.

I love Herzog. I always wonder what it would be like to be him, for just one day. What's it like to experience such a different world view, to look at everything in a different light? I love that you can just see his obsessions and inspirations in all of his films, and that all the plots of his many works are so diverse. He wanders from subject to subject, seeming to obsess over it madly for a bit, and then move to something new and exciting. I loved seeing another one of his films, and I felt sort of obsessed with the characters, location, and story.

Aguirre, the Wrath of God

Finally back from grocery shopping at Whole Foods and spending some time with my cousin before he went to work. It's hard to focus on watching a long movie when family is over. After he left, I ate dinner and got settled into the basement with a cozy fire (made with some gimmicky fake log that makes the flames change colors) to watch Werner Herzog's famous film Aguirre, the Wrath of God (1972).

I'm a big Herzong fan, but I've honestly only watched a lot of his newer films, so I was excited to finally see this. I cannot believe I missed this film.