Fitzcarraldo (Amazon Prime) is an award-winning 1982 West German adventure drama film written, produced, and directed by Werner Herzog. It stars Klaus Kinski as would-be rubber baron Brian Sweeney Fitzgerald, an Irishman known in Peru as Fitzcarraldo, who dreams of building an opera house in Iquitos, Peru. He has an indomitable spirit but little money. The character was inspired by Peruvian rubber baron Carlos Fitzcarrald, who once transported a disassembled steamboat over the Isthmus of Fitzcarrald.
I watched for the Herzog/Kinski team. Jason Robards, the original lead, became sick halfway through filming. Herzog hired Kinski to replace him even though they'd had previous violent clashes. When shooting was nearly complete, the chief of the Machiguenga tribe, whose members were used extensively as extras, asked Herzog if they should kill Kinski for him. Herzog declined. Those two are priceless both together and separately.
The movie is on Roger Ebert's list of Great Movies, and famed Japanese filmmaker Akira Kurosawa cited Fitzcarraldo as one of his favorite films. This movie is great fun to watch, and I can highly recommend it.
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that is some background story for this movie
ReplyDeleteA wild history, that lol
Delete...you find everything!
ReplyDeleteNo, but I keep trying lol
DeleteThe backstory sounds even better than the movie!
ReplyDeleteIt made a great story to inspire a movie.
DeleteI have absolutely zero interest in opera, but this might be worth a look for other reasons--lol! ;)
ReplyDeleteSo many other reasons lol
DeleteI never heardof it!
ReplyDeleteIt was new to me, too.
DeleteYou always find such entertaining movies and I bet this one was fun 😊. Happy wishes! Hugs, Jo x
ReplyDeleteYes, this was a lot of fun :)
DeleteI need to add this one to my list too. I hope you had a great start to your week.
ReplyDeleteI've been glued to FB and politics lol
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