MovieChat Forums > Julien Donkey-Boy (2000) Discussion > Herzog

Herzog

posted 20 years ago by PhonxMonkey
12 replies | jump to latest

I can see a lot people not liking and also hating this movie, because I definetly agree with you guys, but there were also many moments that were wonderful. I thought that there was so much discontinuity that it was hard for me to like the film as a hole, but I loved particular scenes, especially when Herzog is hosing down is son and telling him to be a man, that scene was very interesting.

That brings me to my next point, whether or not you hated/loved this film, it is very hard to deny the fact that Werner Herzog was really quite good in this film, and he was able to play a very cruel father without the traditional beating of his kids. It was a refreshing view of what abuse trully is, as Herzog in this film, never beat his kids, or did he even tell them off, but rather asked someone else to tell them off. And this is still abuse and it is very well portrayed and not quite as "hollywood obvious."

Herzog was great in this film, and I enjoyed almost every scene with him in it.

"Lets get in a square and fight!" -Barry Lyndon

[–] bravebug 20 years ago

Hear, hear!

He attempts to drink cough syrup out of his slipper! Herzog earns big marks in my book with this one. He does it so naturally I wonder how much of it was scripted or how much of it come out of his own crazy skull.

[–] requiem4riclew 20 years ago

Werzog was absolutely brilliant.. and there was something so calming about his voice... was a bit of an irony given his cruelness..

Apparently only one scene was actually scripted. Cant remember which that was.. check the Harmony Korine site.. it says there in the Trivia

[–] 20 years ago

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[–] sslop 18 years ago

goddamnastronaut: I alway's thought of that scene as a nod to the Les Blank directed "Werner Herzog Eats His Shoe" (1980). Herzog bet a student of his (Errol Morris), that'd he'd never make a film. Well, Mr. Morris made several films and Herzog made good on his promise by making the self explanitorily-titled film mentioned above. Wish I could find a copy of this. Is explanitorily a real word?

Werner Herzog Eats His Shoe is included on the Criterion DVD release of the film Burden Of Dreams.

[–] 18 years ago

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[–] thefortysixand2 17 years ago

herzog was drinking robotussin. and when he was talking about mt. everest, he says something to the effect, "this stuff(robotussin) gets you high like mt. everest, where are you my everest, give me some everest."

[–] uptowngbv 20 years ago

"Your sister's a dilettante!"

I just love that line.

[–] 202222 20 years ago

An astounding performance by Herzog. If the great director can a a tenth as repulsive in real life as the character he portrays, no wonder Klaus Kinski tried to kill him.

[–] gizpatcho 17 years ago

herzog was amazing in this movie.
very funny.

[–] 17 years ago

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[–] 17 years ago

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[–] elliscooper 17 years ago

Herzog is also my favourite part of this movie. He plays such a cruel father! Although you see his grief and troubled side, you feel no sympathy for how he treats his kids. Telling the son "Your sister's a dilettante" is so cutting and dismissive.

Most painful for me is the scene where he sprays his son with the hose and berates him to "be a man", "quit that moody brooding", and "a winner doesn't shiver". He very thinly disguises his abuse as concern for his son's manhood. And there's his poor son, standing in the cold, drenched to the skin.