Yes, it's beautiful at times, but other than that there's little going for this film. The story is pathetically dumb and boring, the characters are all flat, the ending is anticlimactic. There are plenty of beautiful films that are far better on all other levels. Also, I think all movies shot in the jungle should be beautiful as a given, doesn't take much talent to do.
Maybe worth 4/10.
~ Observe, and act with clarity. ~
Pulling the boat over the hill was the most pointless and illogical business venture ever. There would be nothing for them to pick up, people don't harvest stuff in inaccessible regions and stockpile it.
~ Observe, and act with clarity. ~
He explained this...
Once the boat was pulled over the hill, it would be put back in the water and sent up stream for the collection of rubber. This rubber would be transported in the ship back to the isthmus, where it would be unloaded and carried over the hill to the settlement. There it would be put on another boat and sent upstream to civilization where it could be sold or transported to other parts of the world. The ship that went up and down the hill would be used to go back and forth delivering shipments or rubber. It would be necessary to deliver large amounts of rubber over that distance. Bringing the rubber over the isthmus would be easy.
This is what the real fitzcarraldo did, but had a much smaller ship and it wasn't pulled over the hill whole, but rather taken over the hill in pieces and assembled on the other side. Same concept, but perhaps a bit less dramatic.
And guys. the whole point of the movie is that his true dream wasn't to make money, it was to build an opera house in the jungle. The scheme with the rubber was just a way to get the money to accomplish this. In the end he was still able to achieve his goal, and thus it was a triumph.
But there's no rubber to collect, simple supply and demand, nobody is producing it because nobody is collecting it.
~ Observe, and act with clarity. ~
You're arguing with the real events, bub.
shareThere are 14 million rubber trees in the area they are trying to access. If it works out they would be filthy rich, but not sure the natives would have any interest in helping them, since money would be of no use to them and their territory would be exploited.
It's crazy, but they actually moved the boat over the mountain and that's impressive. Why no one bothered to lower the anchor(s) Before or after they cut the boat loose made my head scratch.
Did they all actually drink that disgusting fermented saliva? yuck.
While it isn´t unfair to suggest that Fitzcarraldo is sloppier, more meandering, less haunting and has a not-100%-satisfying climax as well as not-so-memorable Popol Vuh score... ´compared to Aguirre´, it´s still an outstanding film and a remarkable athletic feat. It took Herzog 27 years to make a fictional film as good as this... even though, of course, for Herzog, no difference exists between a fictional film and documentary.
"facts are stupid things" - Ronald Reagan
I love Herzog, but i find this to be his most overrated movie.
sharepeople have some balls bashing this film. even if you hated it, it represents one of the greatest personal achievements in human history. that of werner herzog's. he had a dream, and he overcame more hardship than you could comprehend to make his dream a reality. a true inspiration.
shareTotally agree. Werner Herzog almost literally moved mountains in this movie and someone who probably sits in a cubicle or works in a restraunt has the nerve to say "Ehh that was unimpressive." Gimme a freakin break.
shareTotally agree. Werner Herzog almost literally moved mountains in this movie and someone who probably sits in a cubicle or works in a restraunt has the nerve to say "Ehh that was unimpressive." Gimme a freakin break.
^ This.
Thank you. Some people are too pathetic for words.
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"It's better not to know so much about what things mean." David Lynch
Sure it was a brilliant personal achievement for Herzog, but that doesnt make the film any better....
Favorite films of all time list
http://www.imdb.com/list/ls031708001
I agree, it was boring most of the time. I fast-forwarded it most of the time.
share