Director: Werner Herzog; Screenplay: Werner Herzog; Cinematography: Thomas Mauch; Studio: Filmverlag der Autoren; Producers: Werner Herzog and Lucki Stipetic
Cast: Klaus Kinski (Fitzcarraldo – Brian Sweeney Fitzgerald), Claudia Cardinale (Molly), Jose Lewgoy (Don Aquilino), Miguel Angel Fuentes (Cholo), Paul Hittscher (Captain), Huerequeque Enrique Bohorquez (The Cook)
At what point do grand visions and passions overstep the realm of laudable efforts and become destructive – destructive both for the visionary and for those that happen to be caught in their path? These are the key questions asked in Werner Herzog’s 1982 masterpiece Fitzcarraldo and ironically are the issues at the heart of the making of the film.
In a similar vein to Coppola’s Apocalypse Now, Fitzcarraldo is another instance where the story of its production might be more compelling than the actual film. As shown in the documentary about it’s production, Burden of Dreams, the efforts in completing the movie were nearly as herculean as the labors of the title character. Just read some of the legendary stories and myths that have emerged regarding the shooting of the movie and it’s quickly grasped what an ordeal the entire process was. The character of Fitzcarraldo was originally slated to be Jason Robards. But Robards fell ill and had to withdraw, leaving…