Werner Herzog: Radical Dreamer
Thanks to the BFI running a month long season of his work, and their excellent Blu-ray boxset this month has become all things Werner Herzog for me – call it Wernuary if you want.
The BFI season is in celebration of a documentary about the great man’s career, one of these times where the subject of a documentary is the person usually asking the questions!
I think it’s safe to say that most people know who Werner Herzog is. Whether it’s from his classic movies like Aguire, Wrath of God and Fitzcarraldo or his more recent documentary work such as Grizzly Man or Cave of Forgotten dreams. There’s even a bunch of people who know him as the pop culture icon – him out of the Mandalorian or (really) Penguins of Madagascar.
Up till recently, I’ve been in the second camp. Grizzly Man for me is still a high water mark for documentaries, and I’ve really enjoyed Bad Lieutenant and My Son, My Son, What Have Ye Done.
Werner Herzog: Radical Dreamer covers all these aspects of his career and serves as an excellent introduction to all things Herzog. It touches on how he got started, his films with the infamous Klaus Kinski and his move to America after making Cobra Verde.
The only real issue with the documentary is it’s incredibly slim running time of 90 minutes, which is nowhere near enough to cover a career as wide and varied.
There’s an impressive lineup of talking heads, from his peers like Wim Wenders to his collaborators like Nicole Kidman, Christian Bale and Carl Weathers (who sadly doesn’t offer too much to the proceedings)
If you’re new to Werner Herzog, or a long time fan, Radical Dreamer is definitely worth watching – just wish it was longer!
Werner Herzog: Radical Dreamer opens in cinemas in the UK and Ireland on 19th January 2024.
Review by Thom thanks to press access kindly supplied by the BFI.
