COBRA VERDE - OR - LITTLE DIETER NEEDS TO FLY

For this week's post, please choose one of the following films to watch: either Herzog's 1987 fiction film Cobra Verde (streaming free online here) or his 1998 non-fiction film Little Dieter Needs to Fly (streaming free online here).  Both films are available for $2.99 at iTunes and Amazon, etc. as well.

Once you've watched the film of your choice, please let me know what you thought about it, especially in terms of how it does - or even more interestingly, does not - connect to the work and words of Herzog's we've been studying so far this semester.

Write whatever you'd like but please be sure to address the following questions within your response no matter what:

• Of the two films I offered here, why did you choose the one you did? Please explain.
• If you chose the fiction film Cobra Verde, please take a moment to detail any moments in that film that either were or seemed to be real or at least not fictional.
• And if you chose to watch Little Dieter Needs to Fly, please detail any moments here that either were or seemed to be not real or fictional.

Enjoy whichever film you choose to watch, please leave your comments here by no later than Wednesday at noon - and I look forward to seeing you and your final papers come Thursday morning!

BURDEN OF DREAMS | MY BEST FIEND

Although we won't have class next week because of Thanksgiving, I would like you to watch two Herzog-focused documentaries and post in a slightly more substantial way on our blog than usual.

Les Blank's Burden of Dreams is the first doc I want you to watch. And the other one (which I showed the beginning of in class a few weeks ago) is My Best Fiend by Herzog himself. Burden of Dreams is free on Hulu with a trial subscription, and My Best Fiend is free on Shout! Factory without one. Both films can be purchased and watched on iTunes or Amazon for $2.99 as well.  

For this week's beefed-up post, please let me know what more you feel you learned about Herzog - the man, the director, the Bavarian - from watching these two documentaries. Because I would like your comments to be even more thoughtful and thorough than usual, please take time to point out certain moments from the films that support and further explain your insights. The more specific you are and the more you tell me what stood out for you - about Herzog, about his process, or really about anything in the films that caught your attention - the better.

I look forward to hearing what you thought about these works, as well as how watching them contributes to your understanding of this director and his oeuvre. And as usual, please be sure your comments show up on our blog by no later than Wednesday, December 2nd at noon!

FITZCARRALDO

That's a pretty massive film, right?

There are no particular questions I want you to address this week, just tell me what you liked (loved?) and/or didn't like. And if you want to watch all or part of it again online (kind of a travesty considering this is one film that was made to be seen on the big screen), you can do that here.

I encourage you to freestyle as much as you like. All I ask is that you be specific and go deep (by Wednesday at noon, of course). I trust you will.

GOD'S ANGRY MAN | HUIE'S LAST SERMON

We watched two short-to-mid length films in class this week - God's Angry Man and Huie's Sermon - both of which were made by Werner Herzog in 1980. The first is available in six parts on YouTube here, and the second one is also on YouTube here.

For this week's post, please tell me what you thought of one of the two films, focusing in particular on how the work thematically, aesthetically or even holistically connects to other films of Herzog's you've seen so far this semester. And feel free to let me know what you think Herzog thinks about religion based on these two short works.

Oh - and we watched Les Blanks' short film Werner Herzog Eats His Shoe, too, which I love. If you have any comments about that, feel free to include them in your post as well - by no later than noon on Wednesday of course!

NOSFERATU THE VAMPYRE

I wasn't sure if I would ask you to post to our blog about Nosferatu, but I couldn't resist because I really do want to hear what your impressions of the film are.

Please write whatever comes into your mind and heart, but I'm particularly interested in how you aesthetically and thematically connect Nosferatu to the previous work of Herzog's we've seen up to this point. I'm also curious to know what it is about this work that struck you the most.

As usual and in general, I welcome and appreciate whatever detailed insights you're inspired to provide - by no later than noon next Wednesday of course.

STROSZEK

The last time I taught a course on Herzog, the students proclaimed Stroszek their favorite film of the semester up to this point. Was this your favorite so far, too? If so, why? If not, why not?

Please write whatever you'd like, but I would of course love it if you were to get specific about the ways in which Stroszek is both similar to but also very different from the other films of Herzog's we've seen.

And what about Herzog's view of America? He says this film "does not criticize the country; it is almost a eulogy to the place." How so?

And what about the animal-oriented sequence that ends the film? What is it with Herzog and chickens, and was that an effective way to finish this story?

In general, I look forward to hearing what you thought of Stroszek (which is definitely one of my favorite Herzog films, too) - by no later than this coming Wednesday at noon of course.

THE ENIGMA OF KASPAR HAUSER

So what did you think The Enigma of Kaspar Hauser? What about those dream sequences? And why did Kaspar himself describe his coming into this world "a terribly hard fall"?

You have been studying Herzog and his work for a while now, so for this week just write what you like. Please keep in mind that I really do love seeing you make connections between the film you're commenting on (in this case, Kaspar Hauser) and what you know about Herzog and the films of his we've already seen. I would be especially interested to hear about any similarities or differences - thematically, aesthetically or otherwise - that you see between Hauser and Aguirre, Woodcarver Steiner and Silence and Darkness.

Regardless, freestyle and enjoy. I look forward to reading what you write - by no later than noon on Wednesday, of course.

AGUIRRE, WRATH OF GOD

What is it about Aguirre? Why does J. Hoberman say in his impassioned review that this is Herzog's "defining work...not just a great movie but an essential one"? Hoberman goes on to to call Kinski's performance "curdled glam rock" - but he means it as a complement. And what about Kinski? Holy shit, right?

You've been watching Herzog's films and reading about him for five weeks now, so you tell me. What's going on here? Say anything, but if you can connect Aguirre to Herzog's earlier work and explain the connection with some specificity, that would be sweet. And if you can let me know what moment or scene or shot you think you will most remember from this film and give me a reason or two as to why - all the better.

LAND OF SILENCE AND DARKNESS

This week we watched our first Herzog documentary Land of Silence and Darkness, and although I'd like you to write whatever you want, please try to address the following questions in your response:

• How is this film thematically and aesthetically similar to and/or different from the three Herzog films we've previously seen (Signs of Life; Even Dwarfs Started Small; Fata Morgana)
• I've already mentioned in class how the "real" always makes its way into Herzog's fiction films and the way in which his non-fiction films always contain performative, or fictional, elements. Did you notice any potentially fictional element in Land of Silence and Darkness? If so, what was it and when did it occur?

I'll be interested to see what sorts of connections you made between this film and the other Herzog work we've seen, and I look forward to reading all of your thoughts (good, bad or ugly) by next Wednesday at 12noon.

FATA MORGANA

Herzog says about Fata Morgana, "Maybe more than any film I have made, it is the one that needs to be completed by the audience, which means all feelings, thoughts and interpretations are welcome."

Herzog's dear friend, the legendary film scholar Amos Vogel, writes that the film "provides a key to the director's universe. Fata Morgana emerges as a sardonic comment on technology, sentimentality, despoliation of land and people, projected by a suffering visionary tremblingly aware of our limited possibilities, outrageous perseverance, and almost bearable ridiculousness."

Is Fata Morgana, as Vogel goes on to say, "a cosmic pun on cinéma vérité"? With this film, has Herzog "recovered the metaphysical beneath the visible"? If so, how?

Feel free to address Vogel's comments in your post. Regardless, I look forward to seeing how you complete this film with your feelings, thoughts and interpretations - by no later than 12noon next Wednesday, of course.

EVEN DWARFS STARTED SMALL

Even Dwarfs Started Small is pretty bizarre, right? Even by Herzog's standards. The film, which has become somewhat of a cult classic, enraged those from the Left and the Right during the late 1960's when it was made. Herzog claims many thought Dwarfs was ridiculing the student revolutions that were taking place during the time. He resists this interpretation, even while antagonizing those who made it. "I told these agitators that the film has absolutely nothing to do with the 1968 movements, that they were blinded by zealousness and that if they looked at the film twenty years down the line they just might see a more truthful representation of what happened in 1968 than in most other films."

So what did you think? More importantly, what did you feel?  How does Even Dwarfs Started Small connect to the previous creations of Herzog's we've seen (Herakles; The Unprecedented Defense of the Fortress Deutschkreuz; Signs of Life) - or does it? What does this film mean - or is it meaningless?

I definitely look forward to seeing how you sort this one out - what you liked, what you didn't like, and what it meant to you. I mean, this film is so intense and so extreme it's hard not to have an opinion about it, right? So please post your in-depth, inspired response to this strange piece of work by no later than 12 noon next Wednesday.

And have fun!

SIGNS OF LIFE

Welcome to our class blog! So what did you think of Signs of Life - Werner Herzog's first feature, which he made when he was 24? What stood out to you - visually, aurally, narratively, thematically, etc? Did you like it? Did you not like it? I can't wait to find out.

Please compose your thoughts and post a fairly in-depth response to Signs of Life here. Say whatever you want, just make sure you mean what you say.

Finally, I encourage you to write your response in a separate document and then cut and paste it into the comments section of this post. Sometimes longer comments get cut off here, in which case you might have to post your thoughts in two parts.

Have fun, and be sure to post your responses no later than 12 noon next Wednesday morning, September 16. I really look forward to reading what you write!