Filmmaker is known for his eccentric behavior
By Donna Hartman, Herall Staff Writer, April , 2006
I'm sitting at home in the comfort of my den watching a DVD of director Werner Herzog talking about his often fiery relationship with the late actor Klaus Kinski in a documentary called "My Best Fiend."
The film is Herzog's tribute (of sorts) to the mercurial, yet sublimely talented actor who starred in the director's features, "Aguirre, the Wrath of God," "Nosferatu, the Vampyre," "Fitzcarraldo," "Cobra Verde" and "Woyzeck."
On the DVD, Herzog is somewhere in South America, near the sites where "Aguirre, the Wrath of God" (1972) and "Fitzcarraldo" (1982) were filmed.
With expressions ranging from pensive to amused, Herzog recounts one of his famous encounters with his nemesis and muse, Kinski. The actor had threatened to leave the set of "Fitzcarraldo" after the paddleboat in the film spun out of control in the rapids of a raging river.
"He was known for breaking contracts," Herzog says in the film. "I told him, 'You leave this jungle now and you'll find eight bullets in your head and the ninth one is mine.' "
Kinski proceeded to scream for the police, but the closest police station was 300 miles away. The actor eventually relented and filming proceeded. It wasn't the first, or the last time, that Kinski and Herzog would lock horns.
"The beast had been domesticated after all," Herzog says in the documentary, not cracking a smile.
Herzog is one of the most fascinating filmmakers of our time. Born in Munich in 1942, he never saw films, television or telephones as a child. He started traveling on foot at age 14. He made his first phone call at age 17.
Herzog is known for his dynamic films and for his eccentric behavior, including actually eating his shoe, documented in the 1980 film, "Werner Herzog Eats His Shoe."
Back in the reality of my den, I stop the DVD of "My Best Fiend" when the phone rings. It's Herzog, calling from California to do an interview.
The big question on this film fan's mind is what were his notorious interactions with Kinski really like.
Herzog just laughs and responds: "Do you have 48 hours?"
So it goes with the enigmatic, good-natured Herzog, 63, the director, producer and writer of more than 40 films, a dozen books and the director of several operas. Herzog, like his movies, cannot be pigeonholed. Some of his films focus on the conflict between man and nature, but also show the conflict between film director and actors.
A daring and insightful filmmaker whom some may call crazy, Herzog insisted that a huge paddleboat be dragged over a mountain in"Fitzcarraldo." With the help of his own crew, some indigenous locals and a system of pulleys and cables, he succeeded.
It was one of his proudest moments.
Here is a Q&A with the director gleaned from the phone interview:
What is your latest film project?
"I am about to travel to Europe and then to Panama to finish working on a film that began in Thailand with Chris (Christian) Bale and Steve Zahn called 'Rescue Dawn.' "
What is the film about and when will it be released?
"I'm not going to say what it's about. Wait until it's released. We are looking for a fall release."
When did you start making movies?
"I started early. I was a shift welder in a steel factory between the ages of 17 and 19 in order to earn money to make a film. The strange thing is I didn't see a film until I was 11. It was some bawdy film. I didn't know cinema existed before then."
Do you miss Klaus Kinski (who died at age 64 in 1991 of a heart attack)?
"It wasn't such a big deal for me when he died. I had stopped working with him long before that."
What was your relationship like with Kinski?
"If you have about 48 hours I can tell you about it."
Landscapes figure largely into your films, as in "Grizzly Man." Can you comment?
"I'm good with landscapes. Obviously my choice of landscapes and the way I'm working with music is a big part of my films."
What do you think of the state of the movie industry today?
"Give me another 48 hours. It's too big a question."
What compels you, what drives you to make films?
"Everyone wants to know that. There are so many films that are pushing me into finally making them. I recently did four films in 14 months back-to-back-to-back-to-back. I'm working on five or six other projects. I try to be methodical. I do not know what drives me. My energy comes from food."
Where do you live?
"I like to live in California, in Los Angeles. It is the city with the most substance in the United States."
Is your work influenced by the films of any other directors?
"No. I didn't know cinema existed until I was 11. I saw two films last year. One I do not remember because it was so bad. The other one was about high school or college kids on spring vacation. It was a 'who gets laid first' kind of film. I enjoyed it. I don't recall the title. I've always invented my own cinema."
What are you reading?
"I do read once in a while, but it's so obscure. Mostly Roman antiquities."
What has been the high point of your filmmaking career?
"I'm always trying to do my best. I never considered my work as having a career. I'm just making films. It's an odd notion that I have a career. I'm just leaving a few traces in the sand."
Was "Fitzcarraldo" the most difficult film you've ever made?
"It was a difficult one. I've made films that were harsher do to, where I did not have control because I have landed in a jail in Africa and it gets really tough. 'Fitzcarraldo' was very hard work. There was no precedent in technical filmmaking history. No one had ever pulled a ship over a mountain before. They had disassembled and reassembled ships, but we did it in one piece. No one has done anything like this."
Do you have a philosophy that you live by?
"Not to my knowledge. I do not engage in things like that. I do not want to center my thoughts around my own navel."
Can you tell me about any projects you have in development?
"I am writing a screenplay at the moment and preparing the practical steps for another film. It's always the same. I can't keep abreast of it all. I'm not into filmmaking. I'm only into life. It's not a real profession."
Donna Hartman, features writer, can be reached at 745-7057 or dhartman@HeraldToday.com
If you go
What: World Cinema Celebration honoring Werner Herzog with a World Cinema Master Award
When: 7:30 p.m. Wednesday
Where: Lemon Avenue between Main and First street in downtown Sarasota
Tickets: $60
Information: 366-6200 or www.sarasotafilm festival.com
What: Screening of "Little Dieter Needs to Fly"
When: 6 p.m. Thursday, followed by never-before-screened footage of Herzog's new feature film, "Rescue Dawn,"and a Q&A session with the director. The film also screens at 1:45 p.m. Saturday.
Where: Regal Hollywood Cinemas, 1991 Main St., Sarasota
Tickets: $8
Information: 366-6200 or www.sarasotafilm festival.com
More screenings
Several of Werner Herzog's documentaries, including "Grizzly Man," (2005), "The White Diamond," (2004), the docu-drama, "The Wild Blue Yonder" (2005) with Brad Dourif, "Little Dieter Needs to Fly" (1997) and "My Best Fiend," (1999), will be screened at the festival. For show times and ticket prices, please consult the Herald's film festival listings.
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