Fitzcarraldo (1982)

The story of Brian Sweeney Fitzgerald, an extremely determined man who intends to build an opera house in the middle of a jungle.

Director:

Werner Herzog

Writer:

Werner Herzog

Stars:

Klaus Kinski, Claudia Cardinale, José Lewgoy

Nominated for 1 Golden Globe. Another 4 wins & 3 nominations.

Cast

Complete credited cast:
Klaus Kinski	...	Brian Sweeney Fitzgerald - 'Fitzcarraldo'
Claudia Cardinale	...	Molly
José Lewgoy	...	Don Aquilino
Miguel Ángel Fuentes	...	Cholo
Paul Hittscher	...	Captain (Orinoco Paul)
Huerequeque Enrique Bohorquez	...	Huerequeque (The Cook) (as Huerequeque Enrique Bohórquez)
Grande Otelo	...	Station master (as Grande Othelo)
Peter Berling	...	Opera Manager
David Pérez Espinosa	...	Chief of Campa Indians
Milton Nascimento	...	Black Man At Opera House
Ruy Polanah	...	Rubber Baron
Salvador Godínez	...	Old Missionary
Dieter Milz	...	Young Missionary
William Rose	...	Notary (as Bill Rose)
Leoncio Bueno

Storyline

Fitzcarraldo is an obsessed opera lover who wants to build an opera in the jungle. To accomplish this he first has to make a fortune in the rubber business, and his cunning plan involves hauling an enormous river boat across a small mountain with aid from the local Indians.

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Plot Keywords:

based on true story | rainforest | opera | jungle | new german cinema | 

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Genres:

Adventure | Drama

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Certificate:

PG

Details

Country:

West Germany

Language:

German Spanish Italian English

Release Date:

10 October 1982 (USA)

Also Known As:

Fickaraldo

Filming Locations:

Brazil

Box Office

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$2,874

Company Credits

Production Co:

Werner Herzog Filmproduktion, Pro-ject Filmproduktion, Filmverlag der Autoren

Technical Specs

Runtime:

158 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

During one of the region's driest summers on record, river levels plunged to two feet or less. The movie's steamship was stranded on a sand bar for months. When rains came, Werner Herzog found himself working during the wildest rainy season in history.

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Goofs

When the Molly Aida is to be re-floated on the Ucayali river, coming from the west, the river visibly flows from left to right. It should be flowing to the north, which would be from right to left.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Brian Sweeney Fitzgerald - 'Fitzcarraldo': Come on, we are late!
Molly: As long as we're doing it, let's do it in style. A few in minutes more.
Brian Sweeney Fitzgerald - 'Fitzcarraldo': We're going to miss Caruso!

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Connections

Featured in Auge in Auge - Eine deutsche Filmgeschichte (2008)

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Soundtracks

Opera on board
from "I Puritani" by Vincenzo Bellini
Orquesta Sinfonica del Repertorio, Lima
Conducted by Maestro Manuel Cuadros Barr
Chorus Camerata Vocale "Orfeo"
Soli: Dona Elvira: Isabel Jimines de Cisneros
Arturo: Liborio Simonella
Giorgio: Jesús Goiri
Walton: Christian Mantilla

User Reviews

Magical masterpiece of film technique

Amazingly beautiful, well-acted jungle drama details entrepreneur Fitzcarraldo's attempts to mine rubber in order to raise money to accomplish his dream -- to bring grand opera to his tiny town in Peru. Girlfriend Cardinale buys him a boat (to help with the mining), but unfortunately can't go on the journey, which ends up with Fitz and hundreds of indians physically dragging the huge riverboat over a mountain. Kinski's performance is top of the line, very good direction, some very memorable scenes -- Fitzcarraldo on top of his boat playing Caruso records into the jungle, the huge boat cresting the wave of the mountain, and even the triumphant ending rings true. The best film by Werner Herzog that I have seen.