Herzog mirrors mania

Press, 7 May 1984, Page 22

Herzog mirrors mania

at the CINEMA

hans petrovic

FITZCARRALDO

Directed and written by Werner Herzog

The story of “Fitzcarraldo” (Academy) is about the stupendous undertaking of hauling a 320-tonne ship up a 40-degree Andean mountain slope, and down the other side. This mammoth task is taken on by a mad Irish-

man, Brian Sweeney Fitzgerald — Fitzcarraldo to the natives — who wants to set up his own rubber route in order to raise sufficient money to fulfil another magnificent obsession — the building of a grand opera house in the Peruvian jungle.

To propose the raising of the vessel took an amazing man with touches of megalomania; and to make a large-scale, authentic film about it took a man of similar inclination. Both men took on outrageous projects which any sensible person would not even have considered, faced seemingly endless problems and misfortunes — and succeeded.

In 1981, Werner Herzog, the director of “Fitzcarraldo,” said of his five-year undertaking:

“We knew we would run into difficulties, but that they would be so serious, we couldn’t imagine ... People have lost their lives ... But I have no choice, I have to do this work. I live my life or I end my life with this project.” Herzog’s life actually was threatened several times, including attempts to shoot him by the leading actor, Klaus Kinski.

One can go on just talking about the making of this film, and a 94-minute documentary, “Burden of Dreams,” was actually made, and will be shown at the Academy in a fortnight. Here, however, our task if supposed to be to talk specifically about the film, “Fitzcarraldo,” only to find that one can never get away from its writer-director, Herzog.

This German eccentric has always been fascinated by the darker, demonic side of man, as seen in “Nosferatu,” “Woyzek,” “Aquirre, the Wrath of God” and “The Mystery of Kaspar Hauser.” This time, Herzog goes on to follow the visionary obsessions of another misfit — and also his own. He could have shot the film in much safer and more comfortable surroundings on many other locations, but took his crew hundreds of kilometres into the jungle. The historical Fitzgerald

is supposed to have transported the riverboat overland in 14 or 15 pieces; the film’s steamboat weighed 320 tonnes and was dragged in one piece. Herzog’s engineer demanded that the boat’s inclination up the hill be no more than 20 degrees; when Herzog insisted it be 40 degrees, the engineer quit, predicting catastrophe.

Herzog’s choice of Kinski for the main role was circumbendibus, for the man required was to have equal touches of madness and persuasions of charm — something that Jack Nicholson both possesses and oozes. Nicholson, however, opted out as the thought of an extended stay in the steamy jungles did not appeal; the next choice, Warren Oates, also could not make it; and Jason Robards, who was persuaded to go to the Upper Amazon, was struck with amoebic dysentery after six weeks of shooting.

The name of Kinski, who had played in most of Herzog’s other films, then came up again; and although he may have lacked some of the Irish charm, his sharp, demon-like face still made him ideal for the part. With his twisted mouth, peeled-egg eyes and shock of yellow hair, Kinski became the man crazy enough to dream impossible schemes of trans-Andean railways, ice making in the jungle, an opera house great enough for Caruso, and the hauling of the steamer. (“We are going to drag that ship over the mountain” ... “How the hell are you going to do that?” ... “Just like the cow jumped over the moon.”) The film also conveys the dream-like atmosphere of the main project, with the ship steaming upriver through the silent, watching jungle, Fitzcarraldo on deck playing a reedy Caruso on his tin-horn gramophone to soothe the savage, and the silent natives, with painted faces, following Fitzcarraldo’s bidding, and then taking the final magic into their own hands. This surrealistic treatment of an epic-propor-

tioned film is very reminiscent of another larger-than-life director, Francis Ford Coppola, who also helped to finance “Fitzcarraldo.” The similarities between these two directors and their biggest productions seem uncanny, for in “Apocalypse Now,” Coppola also had a small group heading upriver on a va-guely-defined mission, the film becoming more surrealistic as it went along, and Coppola also met an almost overwhelming number of problems.

Much more could be said about “Fitzcarraldo,” an incredible, crazy adventure bordering on the edge of reality. It is a story of great fantasies coming true under adversity. I don’t know if you will like it, but you certainly won’t forget it.