The new documentary "Werner Herzog – Radical Dreamer" (trailer) presents a comprehensive portrait of an iconic artist. It is about filmmaker Werner Herzog, whose films like "Fitzcarraldo" or "Aguirre, the Wrath of God" are classics and have long been part of collective cinema memory. In 2009, Time magazine named him one of the 100 most influential people of our time. At 80, Herzog continues to make films. Next-generation German filmmaker Thomas von Steinaecker accompanies him on shoots on Lanzarote and in his Bavarian home village of Sachrang, and follows him all the way to Los Angeles, where Herzog has been living for many years. In addition to Herzog himself, his wife Lena and his brothers have their say in the doc, as well as companions such as Wim Wenders and Volker Schlöndorff, and Hollywood stars with whom he has worked, including Nicole Kidman, Christian Bale and Robert Pattinson.
In the article "Welcome to Werner World," which we are bringing you in five parts over the next few weeks, von Steinaecker dives deep into his encounter with Herzog:
"... When Herzog appears on my screen, wearing glasses, smiling inquiringly and bearing a certain resemblance to Obi-Wan Kenobi in his cramped, book-filled study in Los Angeles, my nervousness vanishes within seconds.
This is also because, surprisingly, we don’t talk about the film, but immediately about literature. I had sent him a few of my novels in advance with the comment that I was a writer and not a “real,” trained filmmaker.
What Werner Herzog enjoys reading
So, we first talk about what he’s been reading, then our conversation turns to Quirinus Kuhlmann, an obscure German baroque poet, whose manic poetry Herzog appreciates just as much as his life of religious delusions (“He died at the stake in Moscow!”). We then jump to Hölderlin, stop briefly at A. J. Baker’s animal and nature study The Peregrine (“Anyone who hasn’t read this book has lived in vain!”) and end with Tolstoy. Herzog imperceptibly gets to talking about his own life, which from his mouth sounds as if he were reciting from a novel by Joseph Conrad, so clearly constructed are the sentences even when delivered orally, the climaxes so well-placed. At some point I look at the clock, more than an hour has already passed, Herzog pauses. I quickly ask him about my project: He knows about this film I want to make about him, what does he think, could he imagine doing it with me? He appraises me, impressively penetrating even over the Internet. Then he says, 'Okay.'"
Werner Herzog – Radical Dreamer by Thomas von Steinaecker (Germany 2022) premiered at the Telluride Film Festival in honour of Herzog’s 80th birthday. It stars Werner Herzog with appearances by Patti Smith, Paul Holdengräber, Chloé Zhao and more. The documentary is a Hot Docs Partners project.
Author, journalist, and film director Thomas von Steinaecker was born in Germany in 1977. His acclaimed novels include Wallner beginnt zu Fliegen and Die Verteidigung des Paradieses, both of which were nominated for the German Book Prize. His films include Richard Strauss and his Heroines and Leonard Bernstein The Torn Genius.
Article "Welcome to Werner-World“ by Thomas von Steinaecker/FAZ.NET, 9 September 2022, translated with permission. © All Rights Reserved. Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung GmbH, Frankfurt.
image © 3B Produktion
