Thursday, April 16, 2009

A freak. A brilliant freak. But a freak.

That's how I described Werner Herzog to someone today, who forwarded me a link to a recent interview by The Guardian with the German-born director. An avant garde, fringe director for decades, Herzog broke into the mainstream (again?) a few years ago with his documentary "Grizzly Man," about Timothy Treadwell, an Alaskan misfit who got a little too cozy with the wild Yogi Bears and paid with his life. 

Herzog is himself attracted to the fringes of society, so he was the natural choice to make a documentary about science and society in Antarctica, "Encounters at the End of the World," which was nominated for a Best Documentary Oscar. The film is far from fluffy, focusing on the quirky characters who live and work at McMurdo Station, most of whom I know to varying degrees. I was working at the station the summer Herzog filmed his movie, though my colleague Steven Profaizer ended up interviewing him for an article in The Antarctic Sun

He even came into our office one day with his cameraman, carrying the sound boom like a scythe. At one point, Herzog turned to me, asking a question. He smiled -- a grim smile like one that must greet the souls seeking passage to the Underworld on Charon's ferry across the River Styx. Smiling does not come naturally to that man, who in the Guardian interview admits that he likes to act a bit, playing psychopathic characters. Though he stresses that he's unlike those characters in real life.

Still, I think Herzog would make a good guide to Hades in a film directed by David Lynch and co-starring Laura Dern. Just because.


1 comment:

  1. I would like to go a step further, Peter. I did not think Werner Herzog gave the Antarctic community the fair representation with which he has been credited.

    Two points:

    One, in his interview with David P., it was obvious from my time with David that he was trying to give Werner what he wanted ... and what he wanted was to make David look silly, an effect he may have achieved with many viewers. Werner may not have known that David was severely injured several weeks later.

    Two, you know I was in the office that day he and his cameraman waded in. He asked me a question and didn't like the answer. He suggested how I should answer. I tried to play along, without out-right lying, but that wasn't good enough. I believe he re-entered ("surprising" us at work) three times. No surprise I didn't make the movie!

    I do treasure the film for the views of some friends from the Ice, but I'm glad he didn't win a documentary award for it.

    One last thought ... Werner would love serving as a guide to Hades, I believe. Therefore, Satan would probably only let Werner watch an inferior perform the job.

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