Computer Age

Fitzcarraldo (1982)
Director: Werner Herzog
Cast: Klaus Kinski, Claudia Cardinale, José Lewgoy, Miguel Angel Fuentes, Paul Hittscher

Simply a simple glance at the biography of Werner Herzog (Munich, Germany, 1942) to understand why it is impossible to imagine their films signed by any other director. More than one may remind some filmmaker famous for his eccentric character or personality of a "peculiar" in general. But Werner Herzog is chalao and directly. Only thus can one explain that rodase five films with a guy who hated (Klaus Kinski, who incidentally is also hated him and it was not quite in their right mind) or that you do not mind a shit the suffering of their subordinates, making Playing the neck if necessary in order to obtain a realistic film. Throughout his long career already, Herzog has specialized in portraying all sorts of tarados of the most diverse shapes and sizes, such that the protagonist of the film now at hand. As a castizo would say in such cases "God and breeding them together."

Based on the true story of Carlos Fermin Fitzcarraldo, a Peruvian rubber baron who lived in the late nineteenth century, the German filmmaker portrays here a fan of opera (Fitzcarraldo nicknamed by the locals) who one day decides to build an audience in a village lost in the middle of Amazon jungle, which does not hesitate to cross with his boat. Literally, whether caused by a mountain if necessary.

Chifladura kind of argument it could only have happened to Herzog. And if we take into account its particular appreciation of almost documentary realism of his films, almost entirely devoid of fireworks, which imagine a shooting with a relatively extensive use of sets, models, special effects and stuff, is simply wrong medium to medium. Suffice it to say that the shooting was carried out in authentic sites of the Peruvian jungle, with two large boats built for the occasion former teachers. The harsh working conditions that led to his first hero (Jason Robbards, which gravely ill from dysentery) and then his co (Mick Jagger, who used the imminence of a tour of the Rolling as "an excuse" to get out of there by foot) abandon the project when he was half finished. To solve the ballot, Werner Herzog appealed to ... Klaus Kinski, with which, after rewriting the script to fit the new situation, began to roll over again from scratch. The rest is a history of continuous clashes between the two (sometimes a clean punch), death threats to which, on occasion, I missed little to consummation (Kinski Herzog came to a point with a loaded pistol), gladly offers of the natives to settle for a Herzog Kinski hated that, needless to say, to death ... and a prize for best director at Cannes Film Festival, along with consideration on the part of many fans that this is undoubtedly The German filmmaker's best work, above even the best-known Aguirre, the Wrath of God and Nosferatu, Phantom of the night.

"It's a miserable person, it hits me like a fly cojonera, spiteful, envious, smelly, ambitious, greedy, evil, sadistic, treacherous, blackmailer, a coward and a phony from head to toe. His alleged "talent" consists only of torturing helpless creatures and, if necessary, kill them tired or killed. Anyone or anything you want, except for its painful course of a film career. Driven by a pathological craving to cause sensation, causing him the most absurd difficulties and dangers and puts at risk the safety and even lives of others, only to then be able to say that he, Herzog, has dominated seemingly insurmountable forces. You do not have the slightest idea of how to make a movie. It has long been resigned to wonder if I am ready to carry out their boring jet, as I have forbidden him talk. "(Klaus Kinski, by Wikipedia).

He liked to or not to the poor Kinski (now deceased), Herzog has an innate talent for getting into situations more complicated and get out of them, making passage of some returns at least acceptable, and it showed in the film at hand. Who manage to complete and exhibit it as if such a thing is surprising, all an example of perseverance and tenacity within reach of very few. But even more surprising that none of the above transcends when you're watching the movie. Somehow, the friend Werner he managed to channel all "bad karma" of the shooting, including making a pretty good interpretation on the part of Kinski, more restrained in what it was usual (always bearing in mind the characteristics of the crazy in which character gets). In Fitzcarraldo, the strange love relationship - hatred that both had reached its peak indisputable, and the portrait of the chaladura's protagonist is fascinating, albeit against him should be noted, as with other tapes of the director, that the excessive length and the ups and downs that entails miss Earth by a movie that, despite no lack of interest, let alone come to be round.