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187 ratings, 4.64 average rating, 38 reviews
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published
November 4th 2003
by Faber & Faber
binding
Paperback, 400 pages
setting
Unknown
isbn
0571207081
(isbn13: 9780571207084)
description
An invaluable set of career-length interviews with the German genius hailed by François Truffaut as “the most important film director alive”<...more
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other reviews (showing 1-20 of 304)
Read in August, 2008
There are just too many fantastic stories here, from the time Herzog intentionally jumped onto a bed of cacti in order to appease a bunch of dwarves, to the time he was life-flighted out of a country in a cage being hoisted by a helicopter ("I was frozen to the cage, so the film crew had to urinate on my hand!") But maybe my favorite was the exchange about Herzog eating his shoe, which went something like this:
Herzog: There should be more shoe-eating in this country! Do you remembe...more
Herzog: There should be more shoe-eating in this country! Do you remembe...more
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Read in September, 2008
recommends it for:
filmmakers
Herzog's work is so great and his ideas about his work and life are pretty astute and entertaining.
This is a really great book for anyone who is a fan, or any filmmaker.
Herzog is a real curmudgeon, and so a lot of what he says has to be taken with a grain of salt. but there's so much wisdom in much of what he says. i learned a lot from this book, and am even more inspired by his body of work now than ever.
This is a really great book for anyone who is a fan, or any filmmaker.
Herzog is a real curmudgeon, and so a lot of what he says has to be taken with a grain of salt. but there's so much wisdom in much of what he says. i learned a lot from this book, and am even more inspired by his body of work now than ever.
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Read in March, 2007
if you asked me as a child what i wanted to be when i grew up, i would say herzog. you might want to avoid me when i have this in my hands because i'll start reading you my favorite passages, you'll have a beard a mile long by the time i'm finished. even if you're a woman.
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Read in December, 2007
recommends it for:
Those in quest of ecstatic truth, new images, and the grandiose
Who could imagine that a book of interviews could be so exhilarating? And while I am sure that there was some editing, having spent the best three movie-going hours of my life at his appearance a couple of years ago at the San Francisco International Film Festival, I have no difficulty in crediting that a simple question could generate a pages long, perfectly coherent, well reasoned and frankly hilarious response; simply put, this is the way the man's mind works. Cynics, of the type Herzog wou...more
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Read in May, 2007
Werner Herzog is an artistic genius, indefatigable film-maker, champion of the underdog and all-around badass. This book is a great companion to his work, as well as an entertaining read due to it's anecdotal, conversational style. I honestly believe he's among the most important
artists of his time and a big inspiration to me.
Everyone should look up the story of his being shot
during an interview with the BBC outside his house,
then finishing the interview before going to the
hospital...it...more
artists of his time and a big inspiration to me.
Everyone should look up the story of his being shot
during an interview with the BBC outside his house,
then finishing the interview before going to the
hospital...it...more
Read in August, 2008
recommends it for:
people who like movies
this book is completely brilliant. herzog is a true poet. all of his ideas about athleticism and space in filmmaking feel really fresh to me. i can't imagine anyone not enjoying his stories of walking from munich to paris to save lotte eisner's life, or of being buried in a snow cave for two days without food, or of eating a piece of chocolate to stop one of klaus kinski's tantrums... even if you don't know or like his films. herzog can come off as hyperbolic and grandiose, but i never found ...more
When Werner Herzog was 6, he became very ill, and his mother had to drag him on a sled across snow-packed Bavaria to get him medical treatment. He laid in a hospital bed for eight days -- yet he never complained or grew bored. This is because he pulled a piece of string from his hospital blanket and played with it for the entire time. "I guess I saw a world of imagination in that piece of string," says Herzog.
There is a lot of stuff like that in this book. Recommended, especially f...more
There is a lot of stuff like that in this book. Recommended, especially f...more
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wonderful insights into the making of several classic films. Since Herzog has recently found new popularity in the States many of these mantras on "ecstatic truth," Kinski and THE BOAT have since been repeated in countless articles, DVD commentaries and television interviews. Tons more remain, howveer, and the stories of Herzog running guns in Mexico or traveling across Europe by foot coupled with his musings on filmmaking as "atheletics" makes this one of the most exciting o...more
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Read in April, 2006
recommends it for:
those who seek ecstatic truth
There is alot of overlap from what Herzog has said on the DVD commentaries of his films but this book goes into much more detail. This is a wonderful series. There is nothing better than direct quotes from the horses mouth. It's a thousand times more engaging and enlightening than any damned overblown essay on his work could be. Half of my enjoyment of his films comes from the real life stories behind the productions and they're all here in one place now.
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loved "my best friend"
thought "Grizzly man" was interesting but the outtakes with Werner Herzog were equally if not more interesting.
saw, "Even Dwarfs start small" and thought this shit is messed up.
Maybe I wont be a life long fan of all of his films but I find HIM to be incredibly interesting! and I've heard from a friend that this book is "the bomb" which I thought was both a conscious and compelling review.
thought "Grizzly man" was interesting but the outtakes with Werner Herzog were equally if not more interesting.
saw, "Even Dwarfs start small" and thought this shit is messed up.
Maybe I wont be a life long fan of all of his films but I find HIM to be incredibly interesting! and I've heard from a friend that this book is "the bomb" which I thought was both a conscious and compelling review.
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3 comments
Read in March, 2006
one of my favorite books. a lot of offbeat wisdom coming from a filmmaker/ poet/ grand human being. Herzog is full of humor but doesn't try to be funny, as he recounts his various absurd brushes with death and talks down on acclaimed artists, critics, writers and filmmakers who are too petty in his book. It is life-changing for me, and at the very least, should be enlightening for you.
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I think someday people may look back on HERZOG ON HERZOG as one of the key philosophy books of our era. Take a walk, watch some kung-fu movies, ignore the counterfeiters, consider your greatest collaborator your arch-enemy. Don't go to film school, work as a bouncer or at a factory - read the book, its a masterpiece
Read in September, 2003
You must immediately see Herzog's documentary "Little Dieter Needs to Fly." This book is a collection of interviews with Herzog and it is just outstanding. He is a very interesting man with a very original and fearless outlook on life and filmmaking. Highly recommended, not only for movie people.
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Read in January, 2006
recommends it for:
anyone who loves Herzog
Herzog is my hero. The man will stop at nothing to achieve what he wants. He's also just about the smartest filmmaker I've read/heard talk in terms of practicality and philosophies on life in general (along with Cassavetes). Very inspiring for anyone who wants to get into film or is making films.
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Um... it's Herzog. Herzog is entertaining. This is such a fun read because you get the feeling that Herzog just might be lying about half of the stuff he talks about. It's just Herzog.
Read in January, 2008
This is the best book on the art (not technique) of filmmaking I've ever read. Well edited and fun as hell to read. I'm going to get more in the series as soon as I finish this one.
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Read in December, 2007
interviews with film maker Werner Herzog, he tells about mad actor Klaus Kinski, pulling the steamboat over the mountain, walking on foot, and other truths, tales, and legends.
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Read in July, 2008
I just finished reading this for the second time, and I suspect I'll be reading it again and again over the years to come. As always, Herzog is infinitely wise and inspiring.
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Read in January, 2006
recommends it for:
Herzog fans only
A collection of interviews covering most of Herzog's career. Filled with interesting details, but probably of limited interest to non-Herzog fans.
One of the best books about art I've ever encountered. Makes you want to dispense with all safety nets, and never again read a word of theory
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quotes from this book
"Look into the eyes of a chicken and you will see real stupidity. It is a kind of bottomless stupidity, a fiendish stupidity. They are the most horrifying, cannibalistic and nightmarish creatures in the world."
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