Little Dieter Needs to Fly Check out this 1997 documentary about a navy pilot, Dieter Dengler, who was shot down over Vietnam and went through hell before being rescued. A fascinating guy, with an astounding story, and it’s only 74 minutes long, and in English. If for no other reason, some of the music in the soundtrack is amazing. It sounds like a guy making digeridoo sounds with his mouth. It was directed by. . .
Werner Herzog, the guy who made Grizzly Man among other things. For the documentary, he goes back to Vietnam, and actually has Dieter marched through the woods with his hands tied behind his back as he tells the story. Herzog’s always been known as kind of a whack-o filmmaker, with small budgets, long takes, and odd vision. Anyway, he’s made a film called Rescue Dawn for 2006 release about the Dieter Dengler story starring. . .
Christian Bale. Batman. American Psycho. The Machinist. You know him. The story of making the movie is told in a recent issue of the. . .
New Yorker, and it’s a great read. Apparently some investors put up the cash for it. But the article is great if you’re interested in film at all. While Hrezog is filming scenes with hand-held cameras, the studio people are surreptitiously filming close-ups, and slo-mos, and all this other stuff that Herzog won’t use. He’s purposely filming long takes so he can’t be over-edited. The movie people think Herzog has no idea how to make a movie because he doesn’t care about continuity and at one point uses the actors before their make-up is done because the light is right. Interesting read, and it will be interesting to see how that tension between Herzog and the studio comes out in the final product.
Oddly, the article doesn’t seem to be online, yet, and it’s not in the MOST recent New Yorker, so maybe check your local library (as if you will) if you’re interested.
Anyway, just thought I’d toss that out there.
More info, including a trailer, on Rescue Dawn, here
I know you expanded on this but…
What the fuck? Did they have no clue who he is? One of the greatest film directors of all time? He could choose to shoot the lead with a shotgun, and they should let him, for he knows far better than they how to make a movie. This is the man who brought us Aguirre, Wrath of God, after all. Money men aren’t fit to rim him. I hope they used cotton gloves to hand over the wads of cash this living legend so richly deserves, so that it wasn’t tainted with their unworthy skin.
You gotta read the article. It’s not online yet. They actually reference Aguirre and Fitzcarraldo in the article.
If “I don’t think he knows how to make a movie” ISN’T a direct quote, it’s close. He’s been making movies for 40 years.
It seems that the production company wants to make the next “Behind Enemy Lines” but Herzog is clearly, personally attached to this story. It will be interesting to see how this turns out.
I read that article and was also struck by the uncooperativeness of Herzog’s crew; however, just look at the lead producer, the sleazy nightclub owner, described by an bystander in the article as “not Hollywood, but wannabe Hollywood”. One would assume that the crew was assembled in part by this producer.
Basically the fellow wants the movie to have more explosions and torture scenes and blood etc., presumably to attract the teenage boy market that has helped destroy good moviemaking.
I recommend the article, I haven’t seen Little Dieter but would like to.
It’s good. I’ve seen better documentaries, but he’s a pretty interesting guy with an astounding story. It’s a quick watch. I hope he finds a way to use the same music in “Rescue Dawn”.