Films/DVD Asylum

Re: Fitzcarraldo?

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Gee LP

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In Reply to: Kind of like watching a documentary about "The Island." posted by tinear on August 9, 2005 at 12:07:33:

Fitzcarraldo? There's a documentary about that! What's interesting about that is, it features footage of Mick Jagger in one of the leading roles, shot before he left the much-delayed shoot early to prepare for the next Stones tour.

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Wait just a minute there: there's a doc about Fitz? - tinear 06:51:56 08/11/05 (1)
It was a doc about the making of "Aguirre, Wrath of the Gods," right?
So...you're talking about a doc of a doc?
- Re: "Fitzcarraldo" - Gee LP 13:20:42 08/12/05 (0)
  Herzog's "Fitzcarraldo" is a narrative film based on a true story about a European in South America who decided to ferry a large boat across the mountains. In real life, Fitzcarraldo also built an opera house and did other bat-crazy large-scale things to import European culture to South America. It was filmed in the late 70s or early 80s with Kinski as Fitzcarraldo and originally Mick Jagger as a friend. When the shooting schedule was extended, Jagger had to leave the shoot and was replaced with Jason Robards.
  "Fitzcarraldo" is a fascinating look at a Western man trying to impose a culture and logic on a place where to do so is absolutely mad.
  It's why I thought your comparison of "Fitzcarraldo" to "Apocalypse Now" worked (even though I disagree with the idea that "Fitzcarraldo" is better)...the idea of European, Western-style culture trying to impose its will on something else, leading to madness and "the horror, the horror." But now I think you were actually comparing "Apocalypse Now" to "Aguirre, Wrath of God". Hmmmm. I'll have to think about that one!
  And there is a documentary of the making of "Fitzcarraldo"...which features footage of Jagger in the role eventually essayed by Robards.
  Eleanor Coppola's documentary of the filming of "Apocalypse Now", "Hearts of Darkness", shows just seeing how crazy it can be to try to live as Western as possible and make a big action movie in a foreign culture.
  Of course, I've read about another film that attempts to show this too...Dennis Hopper's "The Last Movie"! But since I haven't seen that one (yet!), I'll confine my comments here to "Fitzcarraldo".
  Take care and have fun!

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