Best Werner Herzog Film

Thanks!

don't miss cobra verde, though

White Diamond wasn't his best but it was definitely very enjoyable.

Anyone seen Cave of Forgotten Dreams? I thought it was kinda cool in a "if I saw this in geography/biology/whatever class this would be awesome" way, but it's not up to snuff compared to some of his other docs, I thought. Maybe it was better in 3D, but I found the staring at the paintings, as awesome as they are, to get a little wearing after a while. I guess there's only so much painting to be shown and you gotta fill up the 2 hrs somehow.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h4f9HNknKTU

Ah yes, but what do YOU think?

Haven't seen it yet, I don't think it's out here.

it's incredible I saw it in 3D

Wish I could find a copy of the theme from Woodcutter Steiner

hoping this shows up in Denver -- the nature & science museum has a 3d imax theater thing.

AMAZING in 3D

Used to dramatic effect in the caves, and also in the scenic shots, with like little bugs flying at you and stuff. Amazing. Does anyone know anything about the music? Ernst Reijseger?

Here's Herzog talking about him and his feet (It's string heavy, but I really liked the vocal stuff a lot). Now I want to read Clan of the Cave Bear.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3-RwfLyJsPY

(please note that I am talking about Cave of Forgotten Dreams -- not Herzog himself in 3D)

Saw CoDF on Friday night (introduced by Herzog himself). Compelling and rather profound. Oddball group of archeologists/anthropologists being led by their own Stendahl Syndrome.

3D viewing is mandatory.

>Ernst Reijseger

has done the music for a few of his films -- cellist with expanded technique, partial to crazy drones, but the vocals you're responding to are in collaboration with the Sardinian Choir (Tenore & Concordu de Orosei). They sing traditional Sardinian choral works while he improvises on top.

http://www.amazon.com/Requiem-Dying-Planet-Ernst-Reijseger/dp/B000GB7DTE

^^ fantastic CD of two Herzog soundtracks with them + Senegalese vocal soloist. 'Libera me, Domine' in particular.

http://www.discogs.com/Tenore-E-Cuncordu-De-Orosei-Voches-De-Sardinna/release/1865816

& this is a CD with the Choir singing the traditionals just by themselves, if you like ancient overtone-rich choral music

Oooh! Thank you so much -- I'll look into both.

I found the Reijseger too much in COFD but loved loved loved it in My Son, My Son, What Have Ye Done?

I listened to Reijseger all day yesterday on grooveshark, loved it. Played the trailer for my students today, they found it 60% enjoyable, 40% boring (I could tell)

Still, they seemed interested. I've done my duty.

I saw Cave of Forgotten Dreams last night with the wife. It had some of the usual Herzog off-kilter narrative, which featured some albino crocodiles that had no connection to the cave, and it did seem a bit padded out to fill the requisite 2 hrs for a theatrical film, but damn those cave paintings and the cave itself were of brilliant superstar-quality! The 3-D helped me to understand the art, because cave walls are so undulating they greatly affect how they were painted and how you view the paintings.

The music was pretty cool most of the time, but I thought it was kind of lol when Herzog solemnly announces we shall all stop and listen to the awesome silence of the cave, and then within 20 seconds or so the music soundtrack cuts in over the silence, because audiences just don't really want to listen to awesome silence for more than 20 seconds.

Heart of Glass should have gotten at least one vote. that movie is sublime.

I thought it was wise to only make people listen to the awesome silence for 20 seconds! Leave the party while you're still having fun, etc.

Heart of Glass should get a vote for the soundtrack alone!

The heartbeat sound annoyed me.

loved the crocodile coda

this was great, even in 2D (missed the 3D showing arrrghhh)

cave sniffer!

mutant albinos.

loved this, of course. no 3d showing here. is it more expensive to show or something? idgi

seeing those cave paintings left me speechless for most of the rest of the day and when I started talking, all I could talk about was the film. so much closer to modern art / impressionism / surrealism than most of anything that's happened since. the scale of time, not just how old they are but the fact they were painted over a span of 5000 years, nearly twice as long as of what we're used to calling history etc

I also found the music a bit too intrusively busy in parts. I loved the expository and the interviews, but still hope the DVD comes with a feature that basically lifts everything out and gives you a good 20-40 minutes of just the paintings. you need more than 10 consecutive minutes of staring at them to even come to grips.

& loved the ending of course but was didn't even need to doubt this article would be online to google before I even got home

http://www.slate.com/blogs/blogs/browbeat/archive/tags/mutant+albino+crocodiles/default.aspx

was didn't even like needta y'know

hes playing the villain in the next tom cruise movie

http://nymag.com/daily/entertainment/2011/10/werner_herzog_will_play_the_vi.html

'Into the Abyss' is fantastic. (And, in what might be a first for me with his films, I nearly cried in a couple of spots.)

I totally bawled in a couple of spots, but I'm pretty easy that way.

On his move to acting villainy:

http://www.movieline.com/2011/11/werner-herzog-talks-one-shot-tom-cruise-he-means-business.php

lol@this exchange:
Cruise is an interesting actor to me — someone who’s never directed, but who’s instead worked with some of the foremost filmmakers of the last half-century: Kubrick, Scorsese, Coppola, Spielberg, and many others. Have you met him?
Yes.

Also WH the secret Paulette: "Brian de Palma is certainly the better director than me."

And, in what might be a first for me with his films, I nearly cried in a couple of spots

What, you've never cried at 'Kaspar Hauser' or 'Land of Silence and Darkness'??!?!?!?

I wouldn't agree with WH there, but I've seen one great film from him and it's Aguirre.

Saw Into the Abyss yesterday, it was fantastic. I loved the choice of final interview about "living the dash", I loved how congested that guy was, I loved WH's questions during all of the interviews. Everything about this movie chilled my blood, I loved it. I can't wait to see what the other 3 capital punishment movies are like -- I guess there are others coming?

the other 3?

anyway, on this one:

http://www.slantmagazine.com/film/review/into-the-abyss/5892

i don't remember where i read it, but i read something about how he intended to make one doc about cap punishment, and then decided to spread it out over several movies? maybe i dreamt that.

Well, "Into the Abyss" is a whole tapestry, and only part of it is about death row. It's very much about life. I have also filmed some death row inmates for a series of one-hour films for television, which will be called "Death Row." That's very much focused on one person on death row, and no big tapestry of people around it, members of the families of victims, and whatever.

god this film is amazing?, is a masterpiece, i think. it's punctuated by absolute testimonial gold but it transcends being a film about the death penalty, or the extent to which that's a debate, by just being so human. i really thought it was gonna be a polemic before seeing, pitching WH's case, but it's just about life, how people can manage it, through the lens of people who really had to go through it & put their effort into understanding.

the humour of a twenty minute run halfway through was such a relief, too, after the yknow cold open kinda crimescene section. but oh man this film.

Is there any love for Gesualdo? I just watched it tonight, and next to Land of Silence and Darkness, which also received 0 votes in this poll, it's my favorite human subject Herzog documentary.
The bagpipe scene where the guy was playing into the cracks to satisfy the evil spirit of Gesualdo was just totally O_O amazing, as were all of the professional ensemble vocal performances. Top notch even if that one lady with the red hair was TOTALLY ott.

It's the next day and I am still thinking about this. The OTT red haired woman is "Milva", apparently? She is truly UNBELIEVABLE.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1rgBt5EkIKE

i need to see that one! looks amazing, and weird. didn't even know it existed til alex ross did his gesualdo article in the Ny-er a couple months back.

Gesualdo is the portrait of a perfect Herzog subject, and it's handled well and concisely. Also, only an hour long.

I really want to post lurid details about Gesualdo, but I will refrain out of politeness.

yeah he seems like a wild n crazy guy, with emphasis on the "crazy"

haven't seen it, sounds interesting

feel like there is always more Herzog for me to watch

Listen to how beautiful crazy sounds! This seems to be Gesualdo's greatest hit, if youtube results are any indicator. (This is one of the ensembles from the movie)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s_q3EJNUKis

hey here's the whole thing
www.youtube.com/watch?v=CBanw2yUPdk

my son, my son what have ye done isn't very good

ha, that one is sitting in my watch instantly queue, i keep suggesting it to my wife and she says hell no. she's probably right.