Fitzcarraldo (1982) My Son, My Son, What Have Ye Done (2009) Incident at Loch Ness (2004)

What we have here is three films, two directed by Werner Herzog and one starring and produced by the man. I guess you could say I have been having some Herzogian times of late. Let's get into it then eh gang...

Kinski. Lunatic. Brilliant.

Fitzcarraldo is played by Klaus Kinski, Herzog's main guy for five films. Visually he is rather startling in appearance; a shock of white hair, white suit and Kinski's er...unique face. Fitzcarraldo is a man of passions, one of which is opera. His dream is to build a house for his passion in the small town he inhabits in Peru. Requiring some serious coin to get the operation under way he decides that the lucrative rubber business is a good bet. The rubber trees he needs to access are up north and it will require journeying by river so a paddle steamer is acquired. To get the boat to the river requires crossing actual mountains, not a simple task. After much of the crew flees this mad expedition, Fitzcarraldo, by fortune, enlists the help of the forest natives. Amazing scenes of hundreds of men pulling a massive boat up a mountain in the Peruvian jungle takes place. What makes it even more amazing is the fact they actually did it for real while shooting the film. Herzog's passion for film making seemingly matches that of the character's story he is sharing. While I have not seen it myself, the doco Burden of Dreams (1982) captures the dramas involved in the huge undertaking. I really need to see this asap sirs and madams. Part of those dramas were Kinski, his good self. A character as possessed as Fitzcarraldo needs to come from somewhere and Kinski himself was perhaps even more so. Scenes of him screaming and ranting like a maniac at the crew can be seen in another documentary, My Best Fiend (1999), which is directed by Herzog and is a great insight into their relationship and should be seen. As much as they inspired one another they also conspired to murder one another. Those wonderful nutters.

4/5

The hulking presence of Michael Shannon seems to forewarn of the strange character you are about to encounter (much like in Boardwalk Empire) in My Son, My Son, What Have Ye Done. His character Brad is a strange cat but after returning from a trip to the Peruvian jungle (gee Herzog loves it) his behaviour becomes increasingly bizarre. Asked to leave a theatre production he was to appear in, he goes on to slay his mother by sword, mimicking the tragedy in the play he was to lead. Events in Brad's past are recounted and insights through others shed light, sort of, on the guy's dilemmas.

A fine cast of actors who are serial offenders when it comes to appearances in the 'realm of odd' do good here. Willem Dafoe, Chloë Sevigny, Brad Dourif, Grace Zabriskie and Udo Kier all seem to enjoy the unusual material. That unusualness may indeed be exasperated by the fact that David Lynch was a producer. My beady little rat eyes lit up like a toxic inferno when I saw two of my favourite directors were in cahoots. Although entertaining it doesn't live up to the potential that many may have seen for this collaboration. It seems a little stretched at times with some unnecessary scenes, but if you are a fan of Herzog or Lynch this is still a treat. A tracking shot of a can of oatmeal rolling down a driveway, pet flamingos which Brad refers to as his 'eagles in drag' and garish scenes of suburbia are only a part of the lunacy. For me, it was certainly worth dipping my beak into. 

3.5/5

Zach Penn directed this mockumentary, Incident At Loch Ness, and also stars as the ridiculous director who leads Werner Herzog and their crew on a hunt for old Nessy. The beautiful scenery of Scotland and Herzog's presence are the only things that save this from being a complete disaster. Penn is perhaps the most moronic and irritating character (I hope he was acting) I have endured for a looong time. The first 5 minutes is actually quite encouraging and those not in on the joke could wonder if it was in fact a real doco. Silly twists and characters and obvious setups destroy that and sink any hope of enjoying this for what it is. There are a few memorable scenes with Herzog that got me through it, he is, in fact, credited with writing and producing this with Penn. Hopefully this is the last we'll see of this collaboration. More time hanging out with Lynch thanks Werner.

2/5

Not actually sure what this has got to do with the film but a good chance to hear a Herzog story anyway.