fitzcarraldo Blog

Pan's Labyrinth is an amazing film... a fairytale definitely not for kids (it's bloody, has scenes of torture, frightening monsters, etc.) but with a strongly emotional story. Haunting is a good word for this film. Complete with a young protagonist, wicked stepfather, war-torn backdrop, freedom fighters, fauns, and fairies. I found the story effectively interweaving between a mystical Underground Realm and an unsettling real-world -- it's hard to tell which is scarier -- and intriguing to think how they co-exist so naturally in the minds of the innocent. Also, the Spanish dialogue (with English subtitles) enhanced the sense of another place and time through the film. In the end, a deeply moving experience despite it's gory character.

The eccentricities of both Werner Herzog and Klaus Kinski are depicted honestly in this documentary by Herzog. Kinski appears to have been truly off the scale in terms of mood swings and unusual and alarming behavior -- the evidence is here in the film. However, you can also experience the true genius of his art ... Case in point: A remarkable quote from Kinski to Herzog -- there is no worthwhile landscape on earth except the human face. Both egomaniacal but superiorly professional about the craft of acting...Kinksi's presence in film is arguably one of the most intriguing. The comparison between th bell-ringing scene in Herzog's epic Fitzcarraldo says it all. Herzog presents the same scene acted by Jason Robards/Mick Jagger against Kinski's portrayal, which reaches an entirely different level of intensity and emotion. Kinski was truly born to play Fitzcarraldo. The other interesting thing about the film is how Werner Herzog can so honestly point the camera at himself, and reveal his own idiosyncratic behavior (perhaps unintentionally). A very interesting film for those interested in these two enigmatic filmmakers.