Conquest of the Useless: Reflections from the Making of Fitzcarraldo - Softcover

Herzog, Werner

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0061575542 ISBN 13: 9780061575549

Publisher: Ecco, 2010

Synopsis

A vision had seized hold of me, like the demented fury of a hound that has sunk its teeth into the leg of a deer carcass and is shaking and tugging so frantically that the hunter gives up trying to calm him. It was the vision of a large steamship scaling a hill under its own steam, while above this natural landscape soars the voice of Caruso...One of the most revered of contemporary filmmakers, Werner Herzog kept a diary during the making of "Fitzcarraldo", the lavish 1982 film that tells the story of a would-be robber baron who pulls a steamship over a hill to access a rich rubber territory. Later, Herzog spoke of his difficulties when making the film, including casting problems, reshoots, language barriers, epic clashes with the star, and the logistics of moving a 320-ton steamship over a hill without the use of special effects. Fitzcarraldo was hailed by critics around the globe, and won Herzog the 1982 Outstanding Director Prize at Cannes. "Conquest of the Useless", his diary on his fever dream in the Amazon jungle, is an extraordinary glimpse into the mind of a genius during the making of one of his greatest achievements.

About this title

Review:

Werner Herzog: in search of 'ecstatic truth' A feature about the german director --The Sunday Times & Times Online 26th April 2009 --The Sunday Times & Times Online 26th April 2009

Werner Herzog: in search of 'ecstatic truth' A feature about the german director --The Sunday Times & Times Online 26th April 2009

Werner Herzog: in search of 'ecstatic truth' A feature about the german director --The Sunday Times & Times Online 26th April 2009

From the Back Cover:

Werner Herzog is one of our most revered contemporary filmmakers, a visionary director who ceaselessly tests the boundaries of art. Fitzcarraldo, his lavish 1982 film about a would-be rubber baron who pulls a steamship over a hill to access a rich rubber territory, was hailed by critics around the globe and won Herzog the 1982 Outstanding Director Prize at Cannes.

The text of Conquest of the Useless emerged as if out of an Amazonian fever dream: the crew's camp in the heart of the jungle was attacked and burned to the ground; the production clashed with a border war; two planes crashed during filming; and Herzog had to unravel the logistics of moving a 320-ton steamship over a hill without the use of special effects.

More than just a journal or diary of the shooting of Fitzcarraldo, Conquest of the Useless is a work of art unto itself, which charts the inner landscapes born of the delirium of the jungle and offers an extraordinary glimpse into the mind of a genius during the making of one of his greatest achievements.

About this edition

• Publisher: Ecco
• Publication date: 2010
• ISBN 10: 0061575542
• ISBN 13: 9780061575549
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 320