Customer Reviews

Herzog on Herzog

5 star:		(6)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

There is no shortage of journal articles on the films of Werner Herzog, but sadly articles from academic journals remain generally inaccessible to the general public. It is somewhat ironic that Herzog has spent his career raging against the stifling and stultifying pursuit of film as a theoretical and academic discourse, yet his cinema has largely achieved its prominent position due to the laudatory position he is held in by the academy. This is just one of many paradoxes that lie at the heart of his cinema (another is Herzog's disavowal of political readings of his films, but in some cases such as "Even Dwarf's Started Small" this is impossible). These are just some of the areas Herzog discusses with Editor Paul Cronin in "Herzog on Herzog". Faber and Faber have been publishing this range of interview books for some years now, with other highlights including David Lynch and David Cronenberg, but Herzog's is a somewhat surprising entry. But at last fans of Herzog finally have an affordable book on his cinema, which doesn't get bogged down in academic hyperbole. Anyone searching for more anecdotes of the raving Klaus Kinski will probably be disappointed; many of the stories and views Herzog expresses have been covered before, notably on the commentary tracks of Anchor Bay's DVD releases. I find it far more interesting when the discussion is placed on films such as "Herdsmen of the Sun", "Ballad of the Little Soldiers" or "The Dark Glow of the Mountains", obscure and hard to find documentaries which have a somewhat exotic position in Herzog's filmography. However Herzog is clearly uncomfortable when asked to elucidate on the meanings and metaphors of his work and is on far stronger and entertaining ground when ranting against cinema verite, Hollywood or Film Schools.

This amazing book is a must read for anyone who enjoy's The great man's films, as well as anyone who...you know what, I'm moved to say that this book is essential reading for all humans. Herzog inspires on each page, whether it be by his own personal experience or by the bombastic words that he barks onto the page.

I actually read this book for the first time (I've been through it 5 or 6 times now) right after my father abandoned my family to live with his new wife in cancun. I guess I was going through a rough time, maybe I needed a more stable father figure or something. Well, my therapist, the great Dr. Tucker, advised that I try Herzog to fill that void, and the mans films completely changed my life. This book is a treasure trove of information and inspiration for fans of Herzog himself or the film medium in general. True story: I work with autistic children on the middle school level, and this one boy Justin started looking through this book when I set it down from reading it on a break. He found the book so engaging that I let him take it home to finish (loaning things out to these kids is always a bad idea, but I figured I'd give it a shot)...long story short, little Justin came back to class the next day, and overnight his speech improved so dramatically that my aide called it a miracle. Anyway, if you're thinking about buying this book you will not be sorry of you do, because if you don't read this as soon as possible you are going to be really sorry. I hope this helped, and HAPPY READING!!!!

This is an excellent collection of interviews with a film visionary. Herzog's take on filmmaking, and on life, is original, fearless and inspiring. As a matter of fact, upon completing the book, the reader comes to realize that for Herzog, life and film are the same thing. Filmmaking is a physical vocation that one should be prepared to cry, sweat and bleed for with no complaints. After all, it's not about you...it's about what gets on screen. The interviews are lengthy, they cover all of Herzog's movies up to his latest "Invincible." The questions are knowledgable and conversational, the flow is natural. I guarantee this book is definitely worth your time whether you are a film enthusiast or not. And definitely check out some Herzog movies, especially my favorite, "Little Dieter Needs to Fly."

Whether you like the director or not, this book is an excellent read. Full of bizarre anecdotes as well as thought provoking statements about topics from film-making to walking, it's something you cannot put down.

Awesome book. Very insightful, with regard to both filmmaking and life, and Herzog is simply hilarious. I don't often reread books, but this one is staying on my shelf. Great stories from Herzog's film past (every film through 2001 or so) and his approach to filmmaking.

herzog manages to spend his entire life getting into adventures. and the stories he relates make you wonder how much is exaggeration, or even made up. either way, it is a fascinating read. this book will appeal to those not necessarily attracted to his films in particular, and for those who are keen on his work i would say this was essential. as a prolific filmmaker and adventure-getter-into, his life is inspiring in that it makes me want to get off my arse and do something challenging and life affirming. or maybe i'll just lie in bed and read the book one more time!

Author Paul Cronin was only too hasty to warn us well in advance that we were going to find Herzog's occasional mental departures and extemporizing to be a slight annoyance (I'm paraphrasing, so please don't be upset, Mr. Cronin). But I hardly agreed. I found WH's jumps and false starts, etc., to be some of the most gratifying and precious content of this book. It was like having a fireside chat with Herzog--a private one-on-one session over several cups of coffee or whiskey--learning about what makes one of the better-known idea-men on the planet tick. What fires his Teutonic cauldron. I can only be too thankful that Werner was happy to finally engage in a project as noble as this one, as you'll read in the opening pages of this work that it almost *didn't* happen.

Myths.

I'm beginning to learn that most of what we consider to be true in this life is comprised mostly of myths and heapful conjecture, and that people prefer to accept third-hand information from others in respect of a particular person, instead of merely talking to them themselves. Take the storied rivalry between famed brat-actor Klaus Kinski and Mr. Herzog. So much has been written and said about these two. So much excavating around in the rubbish pit has been done in respect of these two famous/infamous personalities, that's it's truly hard to know just *what* to believe anymore. Inside these pages, Herzog sets the record straight.

That's one of the reasons why I grooved along with this book so much.

Then there were the didactic filmmaking elements. The nitty-gritties. The real deal. There were the aspects of the process of making a film, and those oh-so-distillable quotables...you know, the ones filmmakers like to post all around their production offices in big bold black and red lettering that masquerade as Western-versions of Communist-era sloganeering, yes? Herzog had many of them, and like most things with an ideological bent I was truly inspired (and will continue to remain so). Don't you just love ideology? You begin to understand the wild-eyed genius of the man, the strength of his convictions, and what someone will do--a director in this particular instance--to fulfill his noble dream. He'll literally "eat his boots." Herzog in fact did so as a promise to one of his documentary-making colleagues, I kid you not! Herzog really lived up to his word, and ate his shoes after boiling them until nice and tender. He even cut it up into little pieces, and washed it down with a good beer. (Maybe it was a Pilsner?).

Is this a common trait nowadays?

I'm not too sure how to answer that, friends, for any answer I may give would surely smack of cliche and triteness.

But the economics of the matter...and with the insane standards of living in certain Western cities, I'm not surprised that the formerly lofty bastions of principle-land are even for sale. I mean, we can't all be monks and hermits, and sustain ourselves merely on rations of peanut butter sandwiches, or beans, or mac 'n cheese, or soon-to-be-fulfilled promises. Humans need more, or at least they think they do. Herzog is a shining example that what I've just written is a bunch of bunk. And thank goodness for that.

Blow through the read, and you'll suddenly find yourself being uplifted by this man and his ostensible message. You'll quickly realize that this isn't a puff piece, and I believe that if Herzog had to revert to his salad-day lifestyle, where he'd pull such insane stints as walking clear along the easternmost frontier of the former West Germany to prove his point about German national unity during the Cold War, you somehow start to fall for the man. There's an earnestness to his lines that doesn't reek of that similar puff action you get from those who've achieved much less and with much more lucrative resouces.

This is now the fifth "Directors on Themselves" book I've read, and I'm so grateful for having stumbled across this series one fine day on a walkabout in a bookshop. Not a day goes by now without me reverting back to a thought or two about something I'd read in these books. I suppose that's the best we can hope for when it comes to books, anyways...to remember just one fine thing about them. To be inspired by something your eyes might have come across and to bring it out and use it to your advantage when you least expected it to be there. Though thanks to the complex inner-workings of your mind, that's just how certain things work. They clobber you when you need them. Perhaps one day we will truly appreciate the mind muscle, and how it fires off.

Herzog emphasizes in his work the triple notions of iron commitment, ironclad word, and rock-solid honour.

He stands by all of these, and has witnessed more than his fair share of calamity on his various film sets in standing behind them. Being "iron" in all three of the above-mentioned disciplines doesn't always result in a rosy outlook and a happy ending. Sometimes keeping your word means the spilling of blood for the various members of both cast and crew, and there were more than a few injuries and the occasional casulalty or two on a Herzog set, I'm not kidding here either. I'm not going to deny that perhaps this also has something to do with Herzog's Bavarian heritage. Indeed, it's in the blood and something must be mentioned about the robustness of the gene code. I mention this statement without any preconceived ideas, and dear readers, please take it for what it is. It's a fact. Germans are disciplinarians.

But Herzog is clear on one thing: if you aren't willing to go to war to make your films, you're not willing to be a filmmaker. Making films is all about blood, guts, and gore. Heaps of sweat and lots of heartache, and perhaps in the process you manage to keep control of some of the work you've assembled, and manage to maintain the rights to it as well. Herzog's been clever about his choices since starting out on this journey, however. He's established himself such that he never relinquished control to the baddies, and never said "namaste" to the more corporatized film elements. For that I'm grateful. He serves as a stellar and shining example, and I recommend this book as required--or at least on the supplemental list--of reading material for a given film school. Think about it...think about the masses of super-enthused filmmakers who would emerge as a result. Think about the quality of the films they'd shoot as well...

Talking points all.

Doubtless, folks, this is a five-star read. You're going to learn a lot from it, as I did and do.

Hand on the heart,

ADM from Prague

A bit like pulling teeth, this book starts with Herzog writing he is a somewhat unwilling participant in the process. There are a few parts written here I have read recounted other places, but there is more than enough on the making of individual films. A good, concise book.

I actually counted the 320 books of my collection, including some other books by Faber&Faber, to say this: Although the text is actually rich and enlightens the otherwise dark style of Mr. Herzog, the quality of the book is extremely poor, the poorest among the books I own. There's something funny about the way the edges were cut, the first two pictures (pgs. 40-43) are actually the same, and in general, the images are poorly, poorly printed. It would have been wiser to just skip pictures for this volume and leave the text. So, again, If you're a fan of Mr. Herzog, I definitely suggest this book (I'd actually give 5 stars to Paul Cronin), but if you're picky about your "reading experience", you'd better buy something else.