fitzcarraldo

Once upon a time the very act of making a film was a miracle. When it became commonplace, the filmmakers began to take their magic for granted. Herzog and Kinski came along and realised a way of recapturing a sense of awe. They went to places where films shouldn’t be made, and made them. In German. They took the Amazon for a set. Where time stood still, so the extras didn’t need period costumes. Challenged themselves to achieve remarkable things, and film them, no matter how arduous that process might be for themselves, the crew and the viewer. Fitzcarraldo lasts nearly three hours. A large chunk of screen time is spent in dragging a steamship over a mountain. The steamship inches forwards. It’s progress is painstaking. And miraculous.