KEY OBSESSIONS: POWER, ART AND LEGACY
Few directors are as associated with exploring the eccentric and the single-minded as German auteur Werner Herzog. In his 1982 epic adventure drama, his noxiously explosive regular collaborator Klaus Kinski stars as the would-be early 20th century rubber baron Brian Sweeney Fitzgerald; AKA Fitzcarraldo. He is obsessed with the seemingly impossible task of transporting a steamship over a steep hill in order to access a rich rubber territory in the Amazon Basin, where he will leave behind his legacy... a grand opera house. The film became well-known for the intense, laborious, even reckless shooting conditions that seemed to darkly reflect on the main character’s mind and experiences, with a driven Herzog determined to see the full-scale steamship prop actually be hauled uphill on-set to get the right shots for the final cut. The film’s demented, troubling production story begs the question: who was the more obsessive: Fitzcarraldo (real and fictional) or Werner Herzog?
“ As a document of a quest and a dream, and as the record of man's audacity and foolish, visionary heroism, there has never been another movie like it.” - Roger Ebert Chicago Sun-Times ✭✭✭✭
Deptford Cinema’s CINEMATIC OBSESSIONS Season has been made possible with support from Film Hub Midlands through funds from the National Lottery. Film Hub Midlands supports people to watch, show, and make films in the Midlands. The season is part of the nationwide Film Feels campaign; a curated campaign launching in summer 2019 across the UK, designed to celebrate film's unique ability to transport us, to illuminate ideas, and to spark a conversation. See more at filmfeels.co.uk.
Those of us who are obsessive about cinema know full well that the medium allows us to delve into our deepest desires and obsessions; the joy and community to be found in pursuing your passion, as well as the cautionary tales that obsessive behaviour can bring. This year the nationwide Film Feels campaign explores cinematic obsessions- from auteurs to oddballs, imitation to identity theft, Stalkers to Stans, this theme offers a rich feast of genres, icons and subtext for audiences to sink their teeth into.
dir. Werner Herzog
year. 1982
158 min
£6.00 (£4.50 conc.)
Doors 6.30PM
Film 7.00PM
This screening is part of Film Feels: Obsession, a UK-wide cinema season, supported by the National Lottery and BFI Film Audience Network. Explore all films and events at www.filmfeels.co.uk
