Even Dwarfs Started Small (1970)

A group of dwarfs at a correctional facility erupt in anarchy.

Director:

Werner Herzog

Writer:

Werner Herzog

Stars:

Helmut Döring, Paul Glauer, Gisela Hertwig

Cast

Cast overview:
Helmut Döring	...	Hombré
Paul Glauer	...	Erzieher
Gisela Hertwig	...	Pobrecita
Hertel Minkner	...	Chicklets
Gertrud Piccini	...	Piccini
Marianne Saar	...	Theresa
Brigitte Saar	...	Cochina
Gerd Gickel	...	Pepe
Erna Gschwendtner	...	Azucar
Gerhard Maerz	...	Territory
Alfredo Piccini	...	Anselmo
Erna Smollarz	...	Schweppes
Lajos Zsarnoczay	...	Chapparo
Pepi Hermine	...	The President

Storyline

A group of inhabitants of a correctional colony for people of small stature raises a riot against the local order. Tired of adhering to the many rules that require good behavior from them, they decide to become bad. Their immediate leader (also a dwarf) is forced to take refuge in one of the premises while waiting for the police to arrive. Meanwhile, the rioters are having fun: they beat dishes and glasses, start a car and eventually break it, kill a big pig, scoff at blind dwarfs living next door, arrange cockfights, set fire to flowerpots with their favorite colors, and so on.

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Plot Keywords:

actor injured | rebellion | chaos | dwarf | actual animal killed | 

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Did You Know?

Trivia

Werner Herzog promised the cast he would jump into a field of cactuses if they managed to pull through the movie. Eventually, he fulfilled his promise.

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Quotes

Hombré: When we behave nobody cares. But when we are bad nobody forgets.

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Alternate Versions

UK versions are cut by 2 minutes 17 secs by the BBFC to remove a cockfight and shots of a live crucified monkey.

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Connections

Referenced in Portrait Werner Herzog (1986)

User Reviews

You laugh for a while until it sinks in.

Werner Herzog made his madman mark with this, his second feature film. Inmates at some sort of institution take over for hilarious and anarchic results. You laugh for a while until it sinks in. The haunting tone, other world locations and sympathy with those on the edge of society set the scene for Herzog's later and better-known masterpieces AGUIRRE and MYSTERY OF KASPAR HAUSER. The German director doesn't exploit outcasts; he loves and defends them, showing that normal people are the ones with something to prove. He insists that it is not the actors who are small, but "the world that has gotten out of shape." Filming was rough: one actor was run over by the driver-less car in the film and another caught on fire. Herzog promised the actors that at the end of shooting he would jump into a spiny cactus to show his understanding. He still has some of the needles in his leg. But this won't appeal to a lot of the usual trash film hounds, as they really want the mainstream versions of "edgy".

Details

Country:

West Germany

Language:

German

Release Date:

2 February 1971 (West Germany)

Also Known As:

A törpék is kicsin kezdték

Filming Locations:

Canary Islands, Spain

Box Office

Budget:

$200,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Werner Herzog Filmproduktion

Technical Specs

Runtime:

96 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1