Werner Herzog represents a rare case of a filmmaker whose oeuvre is divided neatly into both feature and documentary films. Herzog’s prominence within the realm of nonfiction cinema has grown in recent years, both due to the films themselves and to his promotion of the idea of an “ecstatic truth” that hinges on the director’s manipulation of reality. At the same time Herzog has gained attention by critiquing other, more passive approaches, such as Direct Cinema.
Nevertheless, it is not easy to say what defines a Herzog documentary, aside from the presence of his almost legendary voice and his interest in outsiders who are often confronted with extraordinary circumstances. Guest curated by
Alejandro Bachmann and
Michelle Koch – the editors of a recent German-language book on Herzog’s documentaries – this film program attempts to illuminate this unique body of work by pairing particular Herzog films with works by other filmmakers that focus on similar topics, deal with comparable material, or employ related approaches.
The pairings work in different ways: in some cases the films show close affinities, while in others they stand in opposition to each other. Either way, they represent an opportunity to contemplate what makes Herzog’s documentaries so unique. The series also provides a chance simply to experience a wide variety of films that engage with the world – taken together they demonstrate the multiplicity of meaning inherent in the term “documentary.”
Guest curated by Alejandro Bachmann and Michelle Koch, co-editors of
Echos: Zum dokumentarischen Werk Werner Herzogs (Echoes: On the Documentary Work of Werner Herzog), who are also responsible for the series introduction and all the program descriptions below. Co-presented with the Goethe-Institut New York.
Film Program
DOCUMENTARY IN DIALOGUE: CAPTURING PERFORMANCE
HUIE'S SERMON / Huies Predigt
Werner Herzog, 1981, West Germany, 43 min
BUT THE WORD DOG DOESN'T BARK / Aber das Wort Hund bellt ja nicht
Bernd Schoch, 2011, Germany, 48 min
April 18, 7:30pm
April 24, 7:30pm
ECHOES FROM A SOMBER EMPIRE / Echos aus einem düsteren Reich
Werner Herzog, 1991, Germany, 93 min
April 19, 6:45pm
April 25, 7:00pm
GENERAL IDI AMIN DADA: A SELF PORTRAIT
Barbet Schroeder, 1974, France/Switzerland, 90 min
April 19, 9:15 PM
April 25, 9:15 PM
DOCUMENTARY IN DIALOGUE: CHILDREN, ATHLETES, OUTSIDERS
NO ONE WILL PLAY WITH ME / Mit mir will keiner spielen
Werner Herzog, 1976, West Germany, 14 min
AUFSÄTZE
Peter Nestler, 1963, West Germany, 10 min
TARIS, ROI DE L'EAU
Jean Vigo, 1931, France, 9 min
THE GREAT ECSTACY OF WOODCARVER STEINER / Die große Ekstase des Bildschnitzers Steiner
Werner Herzog, 1974, West Germany, 45 min
BULLFIGHT AT MALAGA
Richard Leacock & Robert Drew, 1958, 28 min
April 20, 3:30pm
April 28, 6:00pm
INTO THE ABYSS
Werner Herzog, 2011, Germany, 107 min
April 20, 6:15pm
April 27, 4:30pm
THE CHAIR
Gregory Shuker, Robert Drew & Richard Leacock, 1962, West Germany, 79 min
April 20, 9:00pm
April 27, 7:00pm
DOCUMENTARY IN DIALOGUE: AUTOPORTRAITS
CHANTAL AKERMAN PAR CHANTAL AKERMAN
Chantal Akerman, 1997, France/Belgium, 63 min
PORTRAIT WERNER HERZOG / Werner Herzog - Filmemacher
Werner Herzog, 1986, West Germany, 1986
April 21, 3:30pm
April 27, 9:00pm
GRIZZLY MAN
Werner Herzog, 2005, USA, 103 min
April 21, 6:15pm
April 26, 6:45pm
SOUVENIR
André Siegers, 2014, Germany, 85 min
April 21, 8:45pm
April 26, 9:15pm
DOCUMENTARY IN DIALOGUE: RELIGIOUS AMERICA
GOD'S ANGRY MAN / Glaube und Währung
Werner Herzog, 1980, West Germany, 45min
COMMUNITY OF PRAISE
Richard Leacock & Marisa Silver, 1981, USA, 58 min
April 22, 7:30pm
April 28, 4:00pm
DOCUMENTARY IN DIALOGUE: SEEING WITHOUT EYES
BLIND CHILD / Blind Kind
Johan van der Keuken, 1964, West Germany, 25 min
LAND OF SILENCE AND DARKNESS / Land des Schweigens und der Dunkelheit
Werner Herzog, 1971, West Germany, 85 min
April 23, 7:30pm
April 28, 8:30pm
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