Fitzcarraldo

Starring:Klaus Kinski, JosÃ© Lewgoy, Miguel Ãngel Fuentes, Paul Hittscher, Huerequeque Enrique Bohorquez, Grande Otelo, Peter Berling, David PÃ©rez Espinosa, Milton Nascimento, Ruy Polanah, Salvador GodÃnez, Dieter Milz, William L. Rose, Leoncio Bueno, Claudia Cardinale, Veriano Luchetti, Mietta Sighele, Costante Moret, Dimiter Petkov, Christian Mantilla
Director: Werner Herzog
Studio: Anchor Bay
Product Type: DVD

Editorial Review:
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Brian Sweeney Fitzgerald (Klaus Kinski), known as Fitzcarraldo to the native Peruvians, is an avid opera lover and rubber baron who dreams of building an opera house in the Peruvian jungle. To accomplish this, he plans to reach an isolated patch of rubber trees and make his fortune. But these trees are not directly accessible by river because of dangerous rapids, so Fitzcarraldo runs his ship as close as possible via an alternate river and then enlists the aid of the native Peruvians to drag his ship over a mountain to the desired area. However, the natives seem to have their own agenda in so mysteriously acceding to Fitzcarraldo's wishes. The results manage to both mock and affirm the dreams of determined figures like Fitzcarraldo, making absurdity out of the stuff of human endeavor without negating the beauty of that effort. There is hardly a more awe-inspiring or arresting image than that of Fitzcarraldo's ship pulling itself up the mountain with cables and pulleys, or of the ship resting in mid-ascent as seen through the thick morning fog of the jungle.

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Brian Sweeney Fitzgerald (Klaus Kinski), known as Fitzcarraldo to the native Peruvians, is an avid opera lover and rubber baron who dreams of building an opera house in the Peruvian jungle. To accomplish this, he plans to reach an isolated patch of rubber trees and make his fortune. But these trees are not directly accessible by river because of dangerous rapids, so Fitzcarraldo runs his ship as close as possible via an alternate river and then enlists the aid of the native Peruvians to drag his ship over a mountain to the desired area. However, the natives seem to have their own agenda in so mysteriously acceding to Fitzcarraldo's wishes. The results manage to both mock and affirm the dreams of determined figures like Fitzcarraldo, making absurdity out of the stuff of human endeavor without negating the beauty of that effort. There is hardly a more awe-inspiring or arresting image than that of Fitzcarraldo's ship pulling itself up the mountain with cables and pulleys, or of the ship resting in mid-ascent as seen through the thick morning fog of the jungle.

The tortured production history of Werner Herzog's Fitzcarraldo (ably recorded in Les Blank's documentary Burden of Dreams) tends to take the spotlight away from this deeply mesmerizing film. And that's unfortunate, because the film itself is even more fascinating than the trials and tribulations, amazing though they might be, that led to its being made. Part of the problem is the film's deliberate, some might say ponderous, pace, which invites the viewer to experience the slow immersion into the jungle that Fitzcarraldo and company experience. Herzog did something similar in Aguirre, the Wrath of God, sometimes aiming his camera at the river rapids for extended periods of time, with hypnotic results. This could never happen in a Hollywood film, and it should be treasured. --Jim Gay

Customer Reviews:

Moving mountains.......2007-06-08

A quarter of a century on, Fitzcarraldo has lost none of its impact. One thing which makes it still stand out so much today is its reality - not the plot, which takes a small incident from forgotten history and exaggerates it into a grandiose epic on the reality of dreams, but the fact that, with the exception of what appears to be one superior model shot in the rapids sequence, everything you see is done for real. A real ship dragged over a real mountain by real extras in a real location. In the CGi era, it's almost like watching a documentary, with Herzog literally BECOMING Fitzcarraldo as he acts out his dreams for real.

For all the fireworks between Kinski and Herzog, they bring the best out of each other: Kinski is every inch the obsessed dreamer and you really believe he HAS to bring opera to the jungle in a way that you simply can't imagine Jason Robards pulling off (Robards left the film after falling ill: from the brief extracts of his scenes with Mick Jagger to appear in the documentary Burden of Dreams - notincluded here - it was a blessing in disguise for the film). What's more, by the end of the movie, you really feel that Fitzcarraldo has earned his small triumph, and the wondrous smiles on the faces of Kinski and Claudia Cardinale prove that cinema's greatest weapon is the human face.

It's just a shame that Anchor Bay's DVD misses several key lines in the subtitles from the superior German version, which meant skipping back the DVD to play it with the inferior English dub to catch the missing lines before switching back to German again, a sad blemish on an otherwise excellent disc.

Outstanding Cinematography.......2007-04-01

I watched "Fitzcaraldo" last night and came away more impressed with the music, sets, costume design, and the magnificent cinematography than the plot itself. This is, I understand, based on a true story so I guess I'll give the plot a bit of leeway. It isn't all that bad; rather eccentric man of the world has a dream to bring the opera to his remote Amazon city, figures out a way to get rich quick in order to finance such a move, buys (with girlfriend's money) a suitable boat, restores boat and hires crew, sets off into remote Peruvian Amazon backwaters, finds a way to haul the ship over a sizable hill and stretch of land, and, well, I won't give away how the film ends up.

The costume design, the opera that we're treated to (in just the right doses so as to appeal to the afficionado without boring the uninterested), and the beautiful rain forest setting give "Fitzcaraldo" a visual and audio quality that makes the 157 minutes pass pleasantly. I thought that the acting, for the most part, was of good quality. I am not that familiar with Klaus Kinski but I recognized Claudia Cardinale in a role that didn't make a lot of sense. There was a bearded priest at a remote mission that I recognized as a character actor from countless movies but I couldn't remember a one of them. Otherwise, it was a new cast of characters for me. The version I saw was VHS and the movie was, I believe, dubbed in English. At times I paid close attention to the movements of the lips in conjunction with the voices and I came away with the conclusion that this was either an excellent job of dubbing or else some of the characters spoke in English while others in whatever other language they spoke. I have this theory that there are 5 people in the world that dub voices for a living. I base that on the common voices I hear in all English-dubbed movies. I heard one of those voices in the voice of the mayor of the town which was my first clue that his lines were dubbed. Whatever, I didn't let that distract me too much.

There is a major part of the film devoted to the transporting of the boat across that stretch of land. I'm no engineer but I found that part of the movie very interesting especially with the involvement of the rather primitive Peruvian tribesmen. I understand that Werner Herzog specializes in remote locations. I caught some idea that there were many problems in the filming of this movie. I can certainly understand that it must have been a challenge although I don't know what the specifics were. I just enjoyed going along on the journey

The genius of Herzog is here in this film..........2007-03-16

This is arguably Herzog's greatest film. The fact that he not only finished the film under the most trying circumstances ever faced by a film director (only Apocalypse Now comes close), but the film is a true spectacle, amazing to watch and awe inspiring. Kinski is perfect as Fitzcarraldo, the madman who wants to build an opera house in Inquitos for the natives. He wasn't even supposed to be in the film, but Jason Robards got sick during production, and had to leave the film. Herzog carried on with Kinski, a notoriously difficult (but brilliant with the right director) actor that gives the role the right amount of passion and surprising grace (especially at the end of the film). The location shooting is superb, but when you see the ship actually moving up the mountain, you are completely awestruck. Even though you only see it move a few inches, those inches feel like miles. This film should be seen in tangent with Burden of Dreams, because it makes you appreciate the scope of Herzog's achievement. This is a grand example of Herzog's filmmaking, and one of the most imaginative, daring films ever made....

Beautiful Obsessions..........2007-02-07

Full of magnificent and inspiring sequences, the bizarre epic "Fitzcarraldo" won Werner Herzog the best director award at Cannes Festival in 1982. This is the film that keeps reminding us the words of Oscar Wilde, "We are all in the gutter but some of us look at the stars". Even fewer try to reach the stars and Werner Herzog and his longtime collaborator, frequent adversary, and best fiend Klaus Kinski were certainly the men who have reached them. Brian Sweeney Fitzgerald (or Fitzcaralado - the local Indians' name for Fitzgerald) was a visionary, a man with a beautiful obsession who dreamed of a building an opera house in the Peruvian rain forests and bringing the great singer Enrico Caruso there. Fitzcaralado's plan involved dragging a huge steamship over a small mountain to avoid traveling upstream through rapids. This plan was duplicated by Herzog during the production and involved the real Indians actually hauling the boat over the mountain. The image of the boat floating in the clouds and the small figure of Fitzcarraldo dressed in the white suit looking with his crazy wild eyes at the boat is one of the most beautiful and breathtaking visions at the screen ever. This film is not as perfect as Herzog's and Kinski's previous project, the stunning "Aguirre, The Wrath of God" but it is a magnificent and fascinating tale that could only be told by its matchless team of creators.

4.5/5

visual poetry.......2007-01-18

Werner Herzog sure has a soft spot for obsessive idealists engaged in hopelessly enormous tasks (Aguirre: Wrath of God, Invincible, Heart of Glass, and so on...). One need not be a head-shrinker to see why the director identifies with the protagonist of Fitzcarraldo, a man who endows himself with the Herculean undertaking of dragging a steamboat up and over mountain to deliver opera to the savages.

The picture stars Herzog Best Friend Forever (and presumed crazy person) Klaus Kinski as the titular Irish émigré. An aspiring rubber baron and music enthusiast, Fitzcarraldo plots a way to combine his two interests into one profitable endeavor. The scheme: access an untapped forest of rubber trees, farm them, and build an opera house with the profit. Seems reasonable enough except for those perilous rapids that have prevented previous missions from getting there.

His solution is inspired: take the steamboat not over water, but over land. Enlisting the help of the Natives, Fitzcarraldo tasks himself with the impossible. On more than one occasion, we have to ask ourselves - why does the Indian tribe, who know nothing of the white man's goal, assist him in his strange quest? We are never given a direct answer, only left to assume that it is for the same reason so many great things are done - simply to see if we can.

Herzog's film has a wonderful visual poetry to it, something so few directors even attempt any more (let alone accomplish). Despite duplicating many of the same themes (and setting, star, etc...) of his earlier Aguirre, Fitzcarraldo is probably the better of the two despite being a tad on the lengthy side. One can't come away unimpressed by the fact that CGI and model-work are notably absent from this picture - that is a steamboat, that is a South American mountain, and they are actually dragging the former up the latter.

A nice corollary to Fitzcarraldo is the documentary Burden of Dreams, which chronicles the problematic production of the film and Herzog's own genius/madness.

Interesting footnote: Forty percent of the film was originally shot with Jason Robards in the lead with Mick Jagger playing the part of Fitzcarraldo's mentally-challenged sidekick. Robards took ill and was advised by doctors not to return to work. The ensuing production delays caused Jagger to drop out as well due to scheduling conflicts with the recording (and subsequent touring) of the Stones' album Tattoo You. Herzog was forced to reshoot everything (with old standby Klaus Kinski as Fitzcarraldo) and cut Jagger's (presumable substantial) character entirely from the picture.

Werner Herzog and Klaus Kinski: A Film Legacy

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Kinski, One Of The Greatest Actors Of His Generation?
A Match Made In Hell

Werner Herzog and Klaus Kinski: A Film Legacy
Starring: Herzog , and Kinski
Manufacturer: Starz / Anchor Bay
ProductGroup: DVD
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Release Date: 2004-02-10

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The six-film Herzog/Kinski boxed set is a sleek compilation of a visionary cinematic collaboration. The history of cinema is dotted with great directors who have found an actor whose face, voice, and style capture that director's point of view: Josef Von Sternberg and Marlene Dietrich; John Ford and John Wayne; Martin Scorsese and Robert DeNiro. In 1972, the German director Werner Herzog cast Polish actor Klaus Kinski in Aguirre, the Wrath of God--the result was perhaps the definitive film for both. Kinski had previously made almost 100 films, but his malevolent role--as a Spanish conquistador obsessed with finding gold--shot him into international stardom. Though Herzog and the volatile Kinski were at each other's throats through much of the filming, seven years later the director cast Kinski as the tortured vampire of Nosferatu, Phantom of the Night (a color remake of the silent horror classic) and the title character of Woyzeck, based on the classic expressionistic German play about a jealous, unstable soldier who murders his lover. Both films continued the Herzog-Kinski trademark of intense unflinching emotion and the palpable presence of the raw physical world.

In 1982, Fitzcarraldo carried this ethos to new heights as Kinski portrayed a man who, in order to bring grand opera to the depths of Peru, has a huge steamship hauled over a mountainside using ropes, pulleys, and human endurance. The mad ambition of the film matched that of its hero as Herzog repeatedly placed crew and actors at risk of their lives. Nonetheless, the love-hate relationship between the director and his star carried them into one last film, the uneven but still remarkable Cobra Verde, about a Brazilian bandit sent to Africa to reopen the slave trade. After Kinski's death in 1991, Herzog made a documentary, My Best Fiend, about their decades of collaboration; the result rivals their previous work as a testament to human extremity. --Bret Fetzer

Customer Reviews:

WOW!.......2007-05-18

The quality of the DVDs is among the best. Picture and sound is great. I had only ever seen "Nosferatu" before getting the set. "Fitzcaraldo" has become one of my favorite all time movies since getting the set. The documentary "My Best Fiend" is wonderful.

Good Value.......2007-02-23

I already had two of the films in this set, "Nosferatu" and "Aguirre", so I looked into buying the others separately. Buying the set was less expensive, so that's what I did and gave the duplicates to the local library. I compared the disks before giving them away, and the ones in set were the same as the individual editions. Highly recommended for Herzog and Kinski fans.

BUY THIS!.......2006-03-03

I can't help but add my voice to the chorus of positive reviews for this set. It is without a doubt the most well put together dvd box set I have ever seen. Even the packaging is awesome. Whoever is responsible for the physical look of this collection should win a product design award or something. All the movies (except Woyzeck) have very entertaining and insightful herzog commentary and most of the movies have english tracks aswell. I'm not sure what restoration was done on these movies but they all look great! I would say that if you are thinking of buying any of these movies alone on DVD just go ahead and opt for the box set. Chances are, if you like and understand the Herzog aesthetic, you will love all of these movies! Cobra Verde, which I once thought was the weakest of the Herzog/Kinski efforts, has become my favorite upon multiple viewings. Could not have a higher possible recommendation!

Kinski, One Of The Greatest Actors Of His Generation?.......2006-03-03

I think that he is, his on screen presence is as powerful as any actor I have ever seen. From the dark ferocity, burning evil of Kinskis portrayal of 'Nosferatu'; without question he is the greatest 'vampire' to have ever graced cinema. To the manic depressive/shockingly haunting eyes of his portrayal of 'Woyzeck' his character in the films name-sake; indeed one of the most troubled yet somehow believeable characters seen on film.

Woyzeck versus Travis Bickle?....that would be an interesting answer.

Outstanding.

A Match Made In Hell.......2005-09-14

It is said that all drama stems from conflict and there was certainly no shortage of it between Werner Herzog and Klaus Kinski. Their relationship reminds me of a troubled romance that is doomed to eventually fall apart, but ignites with such passion when the two are together that it's more than worth the grief. One would expect an arrangement of this nature to result in one or two films before the rift became so great between director and actor that they could no longer tolerate one another. Yet, there exists an undeniable sense of brotherhood between these cinematic legends that underlies their artistic struggle.

I can't tell you how pleased I am to have this set after all these years. Including "My Best Fiend" in this set is absolutely essential for a complete appreciation of the unique relationship Herzog and Kinski shared. As has been mentioned before regarding the documentary, there is a sense of one-sided storytelling as Herzog lays out Kinski's many flaws. And, yes, one has to wonder just which man had the larger ego after hearing some of Herzog's rather polished explanations. While it would have been nice to have Kinski there to argue his side of the story, it's still a unique and fascinating look into the creative lives of two very different sort of men.

Of the films themselves, I'm most fond of Nosferatu and Woyzeck, but Aguirre, the Wrath of God and Fitzcarraldo are truly magnificent epics. I just have to find myself in a particular mood to watch the latter, where the former always hold my attention. In my opinion, Woyzeck is the most overlooked of the Herzog/Kinski collaborations. Certainly Cobra Verde is an inferior film, but it at least has a reputation. Considering Woyzeck was finished in just 18 days with only 27 cuts, I like to think of it as a little miracle.

I've seen Kinski in other films and I've seen works by Herzog without Kinski and it's clear to me that, with a few exceptions, their best work came when they worked together. So, do yourself a favor and pick up this set, then settle in for some intense viewing. And, whatever you do, don't pass on the documentary!

Fitzcarraldo [ NON-USA FORMAT, PAL, Reg.0 Import - Great Britain ]

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Fitzcarraldo [ NON-USA FORMAT, PAL, Reg.0 Import - Great Britain ]
Director: Werner Herzog
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B000FTM63K

Product Description

Great Britain released, PAL/Region 2 DVD: it WILL NOT play on standard US DVD player. You need multi-region PAL/NTSC DVD player to view it in USA/Canada. LANGUAGES: English (Dolby Digital 5.1), German (Dolby Digital 5.1), English (Subtitles), WIDESCREEN, SYNOPSIS: German filmmaker Werner Herzog has never done anything by halves. When Herzog tackled Fitzcarraldo, the story of an obsessed impresario (Klaus Kinski) whose foremost desire in life is to bring both Enrico Caruso and an opera house to the deepest jungles of South America, the director boldly embarked on the same journey, disdaining studios, process shots, and special effects throughout. The highlight of the story is Fizcarraldo's Herculean effort to haul a 300-plus ton steamship over the mountains. No trickery was used in filming this grueling sequence, and stories still persist of disgruntled South American film technicians awaiting the opportunity to strangle Herzog if he ever sets foot on their land again. In the end, Herzog proved to be as driven and single-purposed as his protagonist, and it is the audience's knowledge of this that adds to the excitement of Fitzcarraldo.
SPECIAL FEATURES: Trailer(s), Scene Access, Photo Gallery, Interactive Menu, Commentary, Biographies,

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Moving mountains
Outstanding Cinematography
The genius of Herzog is here in this film...
Beautiful Obsessions...
visual poetry

Fitzcarraldo [Region 2]
Starring: Klaus Kinski , José Lewgoy , Miguel Ángel Fuentes , Paul Hittscher , and Huerequeque Enrique Bohorquez
Director: Werner Herzog
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Burden of Dreams - Criterion Collection
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ASIN: B00006CY8R

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Customer Reviews:

Moving mountains.......2007-06-08

Outstanding Cinematography.......2007-04-01

The genius of Herzog is here in this film..........2007-03-16

Beautiful Obsessions..........2007-02-07

visual poetry.......2007-01-18

Fitzcarraldo [Non-US Format, PAL, Region 2, Import]

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Fitzcarraldo [Non-US Format, PAL, Region 2, Import]

ProductGroup: DVD
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ASIN: 8323782350

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Werner Herzog's lengthy 1982 fever dream is typical of the director's passion for boundless experience: the story concerns the title character's determination to open a shipping route over the Amazon as well as build an opera house (worthy of Caruso) at a river trading post. Klaus Kinski (star of Herzog's Aguirre, the Wrath of God) plays the visionary/madman with a spooky dignity, and Herzog--as always--thrills to the mystic possibilities of filming where no one else would even think of placing a camera.

Werner Herzog Box Set 1(6 DVD Edition) [PAL, Region 2, Import]

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Werner Herzog Box Set 1(6 DVD Edition) [PAL, Region 2, Import]

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Region 2, PAL (Europe, Japan, South Africa and the Middle East including Egypt)
Requires multi-region DVD player for the US.

ASIN: 8388056379

Product Description

Featuring: 'Aguirre' which finds a band of Spanish conquistadors searching for gold in the Amazon. 'Nosferatu The Vampire' finds one of the most terrifying of all Dracula stories, set in Germany. Johnathan Harker arrives at a large gloomy castle, and is confronted by Count Dracula... 'Woyzeck' finds an abused soldier going mad and committing murder; based on a powerful adaptation of a play by Georg Buchner. 'Fitzcarraldo' finds a man obsessed with the dream of building an opera house in the Peruvian jungle. 'Cobra Verde' finds a man sent to Africa as a slave trader, as punishment for seducing his employer's young daughters. 'My Best Friend' is Herzog's tribute to his friend Klaus Kinski.

Aguirre - The Wrath Of God / Fitzcarraldo / Little Dieter Needs to Fly (Werner Herzog 3 Pack)

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Aguirre - The Wrath Of God / Fitzcarraldo / Little Dieter Needs to Fly (Werner Herzog 3 Pack)

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ASIN: B0002700WO

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Werner Herzog: Director. Writer. Producer. Has studied history, literature and theatre, but hasn't finished it. Founded his own production company in 1963. Has staged several operas, besides others in Bayreuth, Germany, and at the Milan Scala in Italy. Herzog has won numerous national and international awards for his films.

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