Fitzcarraldo

Klaus Kinski just seems like an evil guy. Maybe it’s because I first saw him playing the villain in “The Great Silence”. Maybe it’s because I’ve heard how horribly he treats other people when the cameras aren’t rolling. Maybe it’s because he’s German. Who can say. Anyway, I just finished reading Heart of Darkness and wanted to rewatch “Apocalypse Now”. Since I didn’t want to pay $4 to Amazon Prime to rent it tonight, I instead chose spend $0 to watch a new (to me) film somewhat inspired by the same book. Funnily enough, I’ve heard this work referred to as “Herzog’s ‘Apocalypse Now’” due to the similarly nightmarish production behind each of the two films. Apart from the visual aesthetics and slight plot overlap near the middle, the movie and the classic book are only loosely connected from what I gathered during my viewing. I found “Fitzcarraldo” to be an interesting look into the ego and pride of one man, and how it can inspire him to achieve remarkable - nearly impossible - feats of will (no matter how fruitless the outcome may prove). Also it really helps if you have lots and lots of slave labor. I don’t know why I’m writing such a long review for a movie I only thought was mediocre. If you’ve read this far, there’s crazy lore behind this film’s production, check it out if you haven’t already.