Burden of dreams

A documentary by Les Blank which provides a detailed look at the making of the ill-starred five year production of Werner Herzog’s feature film ‘Fitzcarraldo’. Set in the jungle of Peru ‘Fitzcarraldo’ is the story of an opera mad genius (played by Klaus Kinski) who will stop at nothing to achieve his ideal of building an opera house in the middle of the jungle. In many ways the narrative of Fitzcarraldo parallels Herzog’s production experiences. Despite one setback after another in filming: from monsoonal floods to warring native tribespeople, Herzog persisted with his dream until the film was complete. Not a conventional ‘behind-the-scenes’ promotional documentary, but a film which raises the question about the pursuit of art and what it can entail.