Incident at Loch Ness (2004)

A documentary exploring the myth of the Loch Ness monster.

Director:

Zak Penn

Writer:

Zak Penn

Stars:

Werner Herzog, Kitana Baker, Gabriel Beristain

1 win.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Werner Herzog	...	Himself (Crew of Discovery IV)
Kitana Baker	...	Herself
Gabriel Beristain	...	Himself (Crew of Discovery IV)
Russell Williams II	...	Himself (Crew of Discovery IV) (as Russell Williams)
David A. Davidson	...	Himself (Crew of Discovery IV)
Michael Karnow	...	Himself (Crew of Discovery IV)
Robert O'Meara	...	Himself (Crew of Discovery IV)
Zak Penn	...	Himself (Crew of Discovery IV)
Steven Gardner	...	Himself (Crew of Discovery IV)
John Bailey	...	Crew of Herzog in Wonderland
Matthew Nicolay	...	Crew of Herzog in Wonderland
Tanja Koop	...	Crew of Herzog in Wonderland
Marty Signore	...	Crew of Herzog in Wonderland
Elisabeth Beristain	...	Party Guest
Katherine Ferwerda	...	Party Guest

Storyline

This is a mockumentary within a mockumentary. The ensemble cast is a Who's Who of modern filmmaking, from Werner Herzog, independent director (Nosferatu, Grizzly Man, Rescue Dawn) playing himself directing a documentary, to cinematographer Gabriel Beristain (of the Blade movies) playing himself, to Sound Recorder/Mixer extraordinaire Russell Williams II (of Independent Lens, Moesha, Training Day) playing himself, to.. well you get the idea. Throw in the legend of Nessie and you've got a totally hilarious thriller mockumentary directed by Zak Penn, Make sure you watch the commentary with the Director and cast members, which continues the fiction of the movie. It's brilliant.

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Plot Keywords:

loch ness | director | monster | loch ness monster | boat | 

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Taglines:

This fall... There's something in the water

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Genres:

Adventure | Comedy | Horror

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for brief strong language

Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

17 September 2004 (USA)

Also Known As:

Incident au Loch Ness

Filming Locations:

Loch Ness, Highland, Scotland, UK

Box Office

Budget:

$1,400,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$13,313, 19 September 2004, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$36,830, 28 November 2004

Company Credits

Production Co:

Eden Rock Media

Technical Specs

Runtime:

94 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Zak Penn and Werner Herzog perform the DVD commentary while still in character, trading insults frequently, scolding each other and referring to a fake legal agreement that presumably would have been reached after the events take of the film take place. Their argument gets so heated that Herzog 'leaves' and the commentary stops and then restarts, this time hosted by Penn and producer Jana Augsberger.

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Quotes

Zak Penn: I don't want to make some sort of blanket comment about the people of Scotland, but the fact that they picked on Michael Karnow, of all people, I think is pretty low. I mean, this is a guy who wouldn't hurt a fly. Literally. I mean, he literally has a thing about flies. He will not hurt flies.

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Connections

Features La Soufrière - Warten auf eine unausweichliche Katastrophe (1977)

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Soundtracks

Elegante
Written and performed by Hugh Burns
Appears courtesy of The Extreme Music Library plc

User Reviews

Ridiculously funny!

This film is answers the age-old question, "what would a Herzog documentary look like if taken the way of Spinal Tap?" That's right, after decades of stunning works and intimate studies, Herzog has finally gone and made (or at least involved himself in)... a Mockumentary.

I caught this on the Canadian Documentary channel the other night and was floored by Herzog's famously dry wit, and the utter ridiculousness of the film itself. It's essentially a Herzog project where all pretense of objectivity is supposedly embedded within one film crew as it studies the workings of yet another in the creation of a second Herzog documentary. This documentary is a study of the "Loch Ness" phenomenon, one aimed at taking Herzog's incisive wit (superb UFO quote in the beginning of the film) and great eye to the people involved with, and the history of the subject. OK, straight forward enough. But when a series of events begin to cripple the production, Herzog and his merry band are ultimately drawn into a situation even murkier than the depths of the lake they're studying...

Typical film class issues like Herzog's use of truth vs. the lies implicit in film are given a tongue-in-cheek treatment as the two crews begin to bicker and expose one another, and recurrent themes like Herzog vs. big boats (Fitzcarraldo) are made light of and just as quickly thrown about the wayside, alongside any semblance of reason or prudence. What is left is a fascinating exploration of what a funny sense of humor Herzog has, I mean, who else could include a cameo by Jeff Goldblum, the crew of a boat searching for a mythical fish, ridiculous matching jumpsuits, and clever references to Jacques Cousteau without incurring the wrath of Wes Anderson? Oh, yeah, this film also features brief, albeit fitting, appearances by Crispin Glover and Yucca roots. Genius!!!