Werner Herzog: Radical Dreamer

Watch on BFI Player or own it on Blu-ray from 19 February

Master filmmaker, auteur, poet, truth seeker, explorer, brand, meme, actor, lauded voice artiste, doomsayer, legend… that’s Werner Herzog. This is the man, now 81, who had a 320-ton steamboat hauled over a steep hill in Peru, who hypnotises his actors, climbs down into volcanoes, talks to murderers on death row, cooks and eats his own shoe and was once shot at. He’s the man who lends his voice to The Simpsons, stars in blockbusters such as The Mandalorian and the man – who in an almost magical act – walked from Munich to Paris to prevent the death of a woman film critic he greatly admired. It is stories like these that have made this most remarkable director a cult figure the world over.

With exclusive behind-the-scenes access into Herzog’s everyday life, rare archive material and in-depth interviews with the man himself and celebrated collaborators – including Christian Bale, Nicole Kidman, and his wife Lena Herzog – we are given an exciting glimpse into his work process and personal life in this comprehensive portrait of the iconic German filmmaker.

Credits

USA, Germany, UK 2022
90min
Cert 15

Dir Thomas von Steinaecker
With Werner Herzog, Lena Herzog, Christian Bale, Nicole Kidman, Joshua Oppenheimer, Robert Pattinson, Patti Smith, Carl Weathers, Wim Wenders and Chloé Zhao