Julianes Sturz in den Dschungel (2000) (TV)

User Rating:

7.6/10   

Director:

Werner Herzog

Writer:

Werner Herzog (writer)

Release Date:

1 February 2000 (Germany)

Genre:

Documentary

Plot:

Werner Herzog returns to the South American jungle with Juliane Koepcke, the German woman who was the sole survivor of a plane crash there in 1971. They find the remains of the plane and recreate her journey out of the jungle.

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

Werner Herzog	...	Himself
Juliane Koepcke	...	Herself
Dr. Juan Zaplana Ramirez	...	Himself

Also Known As:

Wings of Hope (International: English title)

Runtime:

65 min

Country:

Germany

Language:

English | German

Color:

Color

Filming Locations:

Lima, Peru

Company:

Werner Herzog Filmproduktion

Movie Connections:

Features I miracoli accadono ancora (1974)

A tenacious lady and the man who gave her wings (or hope)

To understand the genius of Werner Herzog, one need look no further than this quirky documentary.

By sheer stroke of luck, I attended a talk by Beat Presser (a photographer collaborator of Herzog's in the seminal Fitzcarraldo). The talk was entitled, "Werner At Work", where we'd see Beat's exclusive footage of Herzog during his filming sessions of Cobra Verde, Invincible and yes, Wings of Hope.

During one presentation, we saw the footage Beat shot of Herzog filming the "Wings of hope" woman. She was seen wandering around the Zoology Museum where she worked. The woman merely she strolled along the shelves of animal specimens. She's also trying her earnest best to follow the subtle nudges from the man behind the camera. In Beat's footage, those shots were actually very matter of fact. Its just the woman, trailed by Herzog, a camera man and a sound guy. But Herzog's midas touch (read: embellishment) transformed those shot footage into a re-enactment of the woman's "dream sequence' in the final take of Wings of Hope. Wow. I couldn't stop laughing.

Herzog is such a zany genius. I love the guy. Love him!!!