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cinema.indiana.edu
Fata Morgana
(1971) Directed by Werner Herzog
Saturday - September 8 - 9:30 p.m.
Conceived in 1969 but not released until 1972, Fata Morgana is the first installment in a trilogy of
films shot in Africa by a director who proved early on that he had vision few of his contemporaries
could match. Filmed on location in the depths of the Sahara desert, the film has a reputation for
its experimental techniques, which capture the beauty of the desert's legendarily mirage-studded
landscape. Through the rendering of its inhabitants and their geographically inspired personalities,
the solidification of Herzog's reputation for delivering unique perspectives to film began. (DigiBeta.
79 min. Not rated.)
Werner Herzog
Burden of Dreams
(1982) Directed by Les Blank
Tuesday - August 28 - 7:00 p.m.
For nearly five years, acclaimed German filmmaker Werner Herzog desperately tried to complete one
of the most ambitious and difficult films of his career, Fitzcarraldo, the story of one man's attempt
to build an opera house deep in the Amazon jungle. Documentary filmmaker Les Blank captured
the unfolding of this production, made more perilous by Herzog's determination to shoot the most
daunting scenes without models or special effects, including a sequence requiring hundreds
of native Indians to pull a full-size, 320-ton steamship over a small mountain. The result is an
extraordinary document of the filmmaking process and a unique look into the single-minded mission
of one of cinema's most fearless directors. (DigiBeta. 85 min. Not rated.)
Werner Herzog's range of work across artistic disciplines is unequalled. He has directed over 50
films and 20 opera productions on six continents, and has published numerous books, screenplays
and articles. Established as one of the leading figures of world cinema, he has developed a powerful
artistic vision with a capacity for critical reflection.
As a director, Werner Herzog challenges the lines between traditional, narrative feature and
documentary film, and has even called his fictional film Fitzcarraldo the best documentary of his
career. He proclaims that, "...it is possible to reach a deeper stratum of truth--a poetic, ecstatic
truth, which is mysterious and can only be grasped with effort; one attains it through vision, style,
and craft".
These events are sponsored by the William T. Patten Foundation and IU Cinema. The Patten Lecture
series invites eminent writers, scholars, and artists to the Bloomington campus, offering stimulating
opportunities for intellectual exchanges and artistic expressions. Screenings are $3, unless noted.*