6.9/10
2,916
22 user 34 critic

Fata Morgana (1971)

Not Rated | | Documentary, Comedy, Drama | 1 February 1972 (West Germany)
Fata Morgana Poster
Footage shot in and around the Sahara Desert, accompanied only by a spoken creation myth and the songs of Leonard Cohen.

Director:

Writer:

(original screenplay)

Stars:

, , | See full cast & crew »
Reviews

Watch Now

From $3.99 (SD) on Prime Video

ON DISC

Photos

See all 10 photos »
Learn more

People who liked this also liked... 













◄ Prev 6 Next 6 ►

Next »
Land of Silence and Darkness (1971)
Documentary
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 8/10 X  

Through examining Fini Straubinger, an old woman who has been deaf and blind since adolescence, and her work on behalf of other deaf and blind people, this film shows how the deaf and blind... See full summary »

Director: Werner Herzog
Stars: Fini Straubinger, M. Baaske, Elsa Fehrer
Next »
Die große Ekstase des Bildschnitzers Steiner (1974)
Documentary | Biography | Sport
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7.8/10 X  

A study of the psychology of a champion ski-jumper, whose full-time occupation is carpentry.

Director: Werner Herzog
Stars: Walter Steiner, Werner Herzog
Next »
Auch Zwerge haben klein angefangen (1970)
Comedy | Drama
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7/10 X  

The inhabitants of an institution in a remote country rebel against their keepers. Their acts of rebellion are by turns humorous, boring and alarming. An allegory on the problematic nature ... See full summary »

Director: Werner Herzog
Stars: Helmut Döring, Paul Glauer, Gisela Hertwig
Next »
How much Wood would a Woodchuck chuck... - Beobachtungen zu einer neuen Sprache (TV Movie 1976)
Documentary
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 6.4/10 X  

Herzog examines the world championships for cattle auctioneers, his fascination with a language created by an economic system, and compares it to the lifestyle of the Amish, who live nearby.

Director: Werner Herzog
Stars: Steve Liptay, Scott McKain, Ralph Wade
Next »
Heart of Glass (1976)
Drama
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7.1/10 X  

The foreman of a small village glassworks dies without revealing the secret to the famous "Ruby Glass".

Director: Werner Herzog
Stars: Josef Bierbichler, Stefan Güttler, Clemens Scheitz
Next »
Massnahmen gegen Fanatiker (1969)
Short | Drama
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 5.9/10 X  

The film features several horse trainers and other track workers talking about their roles at the track, always eventually interrupted by an older man who claims to be the true authority, ... See full summary »

Director: Werner Herzog
Stars: Petar Radenkovic, Mario Adorf, Hans Tiedemann
Next »
Behinderte Zukunft (TV Movie 1971)
Documentary
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7.1/10 X  

Illuminating look at the way physically disabled people were dealt with in West Germany in the late 60's / early 70's.

Director: Werner Herzog
Stars: Rolf Illig, Adolf Ratzka, Werner Herzog
Next »
Lebenszeichen (1968)
Drama
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7.3/10 X  

A wounded German paratrooper named Stroszek is sent to the quiet island of Kos with his wife Nora, a Greek nurse, and two other soldiers recovering from minor wounds. Billeted in a decaying... See full summary »

Director: Werner Herzog
Stars: Peter Brogle, Wolfgang Reichmann, Athina Zacharopoulou
Next »
Letzte Worte (1968)
Short
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 6.3/10 X  

The story of a solitary man who refuses to leave a Greek island (at one time a leper colony) is told by a strange variety of characters who don't have much to say except to repeat their ... See full summary »

Director: Werner Herzog
Stars: Lefteris Daskalakis, Antonis Papadakis
Next »
Woyzeck (1979)
Drama
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7.2/10 X  

Franz Woyzeck is a hapless, hopeless soldier, alone and powerless in society, assaulted from all sides by forces he can not control.

Director: Werner Herzog
Stars: Klaus Kinski, Eva Mattes, Wolfgang Reichmann
Next »
Glaube und Währung - Dr. Gene Scott, Fernsehprediger (TV Movie 1981)
Documentary
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 7/10 X  

The documentary follows Gene Scott, famous televangelist involved with constant fights against FCC, who tried to shut down his TV show during the 1970's and 1980's, and even argues with his... See full summary »

Director: Werner Herzog
Stars: Gene Scott, Werner Herzog
Next »
Huie's Predigt (TV Movie 1981)
Documentary
    1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 6.3/10 X  

The reverend Huie L. Rogers delivers an intense and impassioned sermon at his church in Brooklyn.

Director: Werner Herzog
Stars: Huie L. Rogers
Edit

Cast

Credited cast:
Lotte Eisner ... Narrator (voice)
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Eugen Des Montagnes
James William Gledhill
Wolfgang von Ungern-Sternberg
See full cast »
Edit

Storyline

Footage shot in and around the Sahara Desert, accompanied only by a spoken creation myth and the songs of Leonard Cohen.

Plot Summary | Add Synopsis

Plot Keywords:

desert | voice over | three parts | experimental film | sahara desert | See All (14) »

Genres:

Documentary | Comedy | Drama

Certificate:

Not Rated | See all certifications »

Parents Guide:

Add content advisory for parents »
Edit

Details

Country:

Language:

Release Date:

1 February 1972 (West Germany)  »

Also Known As:

Фата Моргана  »

Filming Locations:

 »

Company Credits

Production Co:

 »
Show more on  »

Technical Specs

Runtime:

Sound Mix:

Color:

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1
See  »
Edit

Did You Know?

Trivia

[All trivia items for this title are spoilers.] See more »

Connections

Featured in Die Nacht der Regisseure (1995) See more »

Soundtracks

So Long Marianne
Written and Performed by Leonard Cohen
See more »

Frequently Asked Questions

This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.

User Reviews

 
The Viewer as Collaborator
10 December 2005 | by – See all my reviews

You will be able to tell within the first 30 seconds of this film whether you want to finish watching it. The film opens with images of planes landing at an airport, one plane after another diving into a mirage-filled runway. You will be able to accurately guess that this movie is not about a "story." At first viewing, it's even easy to think the opening images are repetitive shots of the same plane. The initial drama is in the acuteness of your perception, which is built on your willingness to experience the film simply as a series of images. If after this opening, you want to see the movie, you will not be bored. You may even be mesmerized. The movie may be an emotional experience; it may be an intellectual experience; it may be both. Judging from the DVD commentary, which is essential, it was primarily an emotional experience for Herzog, and, at one point, he talks explicitly about how the film is a collaboration between filmmaker and viewer. There's plenty of room for the viewer to make of this film exactly what he or she wants to make of it. Take a gamble?
21 of 22 people found this review helpful.  Was this review helpful to you? | Report this
Review this title | See all 22 user reviews »
Getting Started | Contributor Zone »

Contribute to This Page

Stream Trending TV Series With Prime Video

Explore popular and recently added TV series available to stream now with Prime Video.

Start your free trial


Clear your history

Recently Viewed