Werner Herzog Eats His Shoe (1980)

Director:

Les Blank

Writer:

Werner Herzog (writer)

Genre:

Documentary | Short

Plot:

A film exactly described by its title. German film director Herzog had made a bet with fledgling director Errol Morris that...

Plot Keywords:

Shoe | Director | Bet | Promise | Eating Leather

Cast

Werner Herzog	...	Himself
Tom Luddy	...	Master of Ceremonies
Michael Goodwin	...	Driver / Interviewer
Alice Waters	...	Assistant Cook
Chris Strachwitz	...	Dwarf Voice (voice)
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Phil Harberts	...	Himself

Runtime:

20 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Mono

Filming Locations:

Berkeley, California, USA

Trivia:

Herzog once promised to eat his shoe if a certain young American film student went out and actually made the film he was always only talking about. The young student was Errol Morris, who met the challenge with his off-beat 1978 pet cemetery documentary Gates of Heaven (and went on to make The Thin Blue Line and Fast, Cheap and Out of Control ). Herzog makes good on his promise in this film.

Movie Connections:

Features Auch Zwerge haben klein angefangen (1970)

Soundtrack:

Old Whisky Shoes

Literally

There may be better directors than German New Wave auteur Werner Herzog, but if viewed entirely in terms of how interesting they are personally, Herzog stands above all. His tales of working with deranged German actor Klaus Kinski are the stuff of legend: from filming deep in the jungle using real natives to pushing a ship over a waterfall for Fitzcarraldo to apparently earnestly plotting to kill his star. Or, more recently he saved Joaquin Phoenix from a car crash and then disappeared before he could be thanked. His personality even transfers over remarkably in this short film directed by Les Blank.

We learn that Herzog apparently was friends with Errol Morris. While Morris was still a struggling young filmmaker, Herzog had made a bet with him that if he ever got his film made, the former would eat his shoe. Well, in 1979 he finally does make a film, Gates of Heaven, and Herzog comes to live up to his promise. The film chronicles Herzog as he garnishes, cooks, and eats one of the shoes with some salt and garlic on stage during the film's premiere. This all happens and Herzog still has time to say things like how we must declare holy war on what we see every day on television, talk shows and Bonanza; and how it requires some self-degradation in order to be a director, all in 17 minutes.

So for a short film it works quite well at capturing his essence. It's also up on YouTube to watch for free and in its entirety. This is a good thing, as it is not even available on Netflix. So if you have 20 minutes to spare, it's well worth watching.