Little Dieter Needs to Fly (1997)

User Rating:

8.1/10   

Director:

Werner Herzog

Writer:

Werner Herzog (writer)

Release Date:

2 October 1998 (USA)

Genre:

Documentary | Biography | Drama | War

Plot:

In 1966, Dieter Dengler was shot down over Laos, captured, and, down to 85 pounds, escaped. Barefoot...

Plot Keywords:

Escape | Vietcong | Torture | Pilot | Prisoner Of War

Awards:

Nominated for Primetime Emmy. Another 5 wins & 1 nomination

Cast

Dieter Dengler	...	Himself
Werner Herzog	...	Himself / Narrator (voice)
Eugene Deatrick	...	Himself

Also Known As:

Flucht aus Laos (Germany)

Runtime:

USA:80 min

Country:

France | UK | Germany

Language:

English | German

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Filming Locations:

California, USA

Company:

Werner Herzog Filmproduktion

Quotes:

Dieter Dengler: I don't think of myself as a hero. No, only dead people are heroes.

Movie Connections:

Version of "Höllenfahrten: Flucht aus Laos" (1998)

Documentary at its best

This film is excellent! Fear of watching documentary movies? Cancel your shrink and watch little Dieter's story. You won't believe how captivating this fine piece of film making is until you have experienced it. I'm eager to say that it even out goes almost any Vietnam war movie, including Apocalypse Now. It's a real story, it's a personal story, a story about the love for flying, the dream of being a pilot and the nightmare of being shot down above enemy's territory. All is shot in a "return to..." style - at location, Herzog asking the questions, Dieter answering them in a memorable German-English accent, and with fine remembrance pointing out what happened where about 25 years before. There is this part that I told friends over and over again: bailed out from his US Navy plane, Dieter becomes a POW of the Vietcong. Blindfolded for the greater part of the days, he is being dragged through the Southeast Asian jungle for miles and miles - on bare feet. Tortured, insulted, disorientated, hungered and covered with infectuous wounds, they arrive in a small, friendly village to spend the night. The next morning, after walking for several hours, Dieter discovers someone stole his wedding ring from his finger. That is it. He can take no more. He starts to cry, as a result of complete exhaustion. The Vietcong men react surprised. Dieter manages to explain what happened. Immediately, the group returns to the village and starts searching for the person that stole the ring. They find the man, immediately chop of his finger and return the ring to Dieter. - The movie is full of these mind boggling and surprising situations. The immense cultural differences, the clash of East and West, the fear of the unknown (i.e. all that stands for America on the one hand, the Asian jungle and his secrets on the other) can be sensed the entire movie. Back problems? That's because you sat at the edge of your seat for two hours and didn't notice.