Werner Herzog is probably the most interesting person alive, so a documentary about him can't go wrong, something confirmed in Burden of Dreams, which chronicles the making of Herzog's Fitzcarraldo. There's a lot here I didn't know - for example, Jason Robards was originally the lead in the film, but had to drop out after 40% of the filming was finished when he developed an illness and had to fly home. Not only was Klaus Kinski hired as a replacement, but the role of his dim-witted sidekick was completely dropped from the film after Mick Jagger had to pull out of the role in order to record and tour for Tattoo You.
The rest of the film is primarily dedicated to the immense challenges involved in getting the film made, particularly the politics involved in dealing with the natives of the rainforest and the challenges of filming giant ships in unpredictable weather and one of nature's most difficult locale. At one point, Herzog risks the lives of 60 men by attempting to pull a ship up a hill with a pulley system that was not designed for the incline he is working on. His relentless drive is astonishing, simply because the end goal seems so abstract: a film, Herzog's dream realized. He spends years and years in the jungle based entirely on the confidence he has in his vision. The question at the end of the film is whether Herzog is completely narcissistic or just obsessive. Does Herzog really believe all of this is worth the end result, a film which may or may not succeed artistically and commercially? Or can he just not see any other way to live?
A must see for anyone interested in the making of movies.
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