
Herzog's wild ride through the web - bloat
http://www.theguardian.com/film/2016/jan/24/lo-and-behold-reveries-of-the-connected-world-review-herzogs-wild-ride-through-the-web
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rdtsc
I'll have to watch this one. I enjoy Herzog's movies, especially the
documentaries he narrates.

[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cave_of_Forgotten_Dreams](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cave_of_Forgotten_Dreams)

[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Encounters_at_the_End_of_the_W...](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Encounters_at_the_End_of_the_World)

[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Into_the_Abyss_%28film%29](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Into_the_Abyss_%28film%29)

For one, I simply like hearing his voice I think. But of course he is a good
director as well. There is something different about his approach, and it
seems he is more passionate about the topics, he goes all in and becomes
rather obsessed about stuff. He also appears compassionate towards his
subjects. In his documentaries about the capital punishment, for example, he
tried not to take sides or be accusatory, at least not in an obvious in your
face type way.

~~~
lobster_johnson
My favourite of his is Lessons of Darkness. It is fairly uncategorizable; it
can hardly be called a documentary.

The film roams across the oil fields of Kuwait, left burning after the first
Gulf War. Steadycam helicopter shots glide over landscapes set to the haunting
music of Mahler, Arvo Pärt and others (there is, of course, some Wagner).
There's little narration; the few fragments are abstract and prophetical. The
whole film is a rather disturbing tone poem about a futuristic, burning
apocalypse. It's fantastic.

The White Diamond [2] is also great. The subject matter (an attempt to fly a
special air balloon to study the rain forests of Guyana) is interesting, but
takes second or third place to the beautiful photography of the forests and
the superb, eerie music of Ernst Reijseger, whose film music was released as
the album Requiem for a Dying Planet [3], and a couple of Herzogian moments as
he gets sidetracked by a weird native (whose philosophical monologue may have
been scripted by Herzog) and a waterfall.

[1]
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lessons_of_Darkness](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lessons_of_Darkness)

[2]
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_White_Diamond](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_White_Diamond)

[3]
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FS1wabo4rXk&index=2&list=PLC...](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FS1wabo4rXk&index=2&list=PLCOIBtqK1bke_WhtnZMLbOYRjUl6ib8me)

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rdtsc
Ah! I know about Lessons of Darkness and wanted to watch it. But couldn't find
it on Netflix. I'd have to rent Amazon/Google Play or sign up for Netflix DVD
service. But I put on my list of things to watch.

Never heard of The White Diamond, so thanks for suggestion, I'll add it to my
list as well!

~~~
lobster_johnson
It's also on iTunes: [https://itunes.apple.com/us/movie/werner-herzog-film-
collect...](https://itunes.apple.com/us/movie/werner-herzog-film-
collection/id898136351)

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kolbe
I, for one, am very excited. Werner Herzog has one of the most fascinating
minds, and his ability to capture new and interesting perspectives in his
films consistently amazes me.

Tech needs Herzog. This industry has too much money grubbing and too much
Asperger's. I'm sure Herzog will be able to break through that all to
poignantly show us what is beautiful and what is banal.

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nefitty
"I am fascinated by the idea that our civilization is like a thin layer of ice
upon a deep ocean of chaos and darkness" \- Herzog

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dr_faustus
I also recommend his documentary on his contentious relationship with his long
time collaborator Klaus Kinski: "My Best Fiend".
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/My_Best_Fiend](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/My_Best_Fiend)

Kinski was a very, shall we say, capricious actor (also, a psychopath and as,
it turned out later, child molester) whose intense acting had a big part in
the success of Herzog's earlier movies (Fitzcarraldo, Aguirre, Nosferatu).
During the filming of Aguirre (in the middle of the jungle), Herzog supposedly
forced Kinski to fulfill his contract at gun point. The natives which were
hired to help and act in the film also offered to kill Kinski for Herzog
because he was such a maniac.

~~~
jrk_
Of all the movies Kinski has done I saw Aguirre and "The Great Silence". I
really liked Aguirre because it has a more positive vibe to it. The anti-
happy-end of "The Great Silence" is also very appealing, yet really
depressing. Nevertheless, certainly one of the best movies I've ever seen. You
can say what you want about Kinski, he was a great actor and I highly
recommend watching at least some of his movies.

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cylinder714
To top it all off, he played the villain in _Jack Reacher_ , a Tom Cruise
movie from 2012.

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jrcii
[http://i.imgur.com/gyjMJ9H.jpg](http://i.imgur.com/gyjMJ9H.jpg)

