Celebrating Werner Herzog

My Werner Herzog journey began, like so many others, with the gripping intensity of 2005’s Grizzly Man. Where I ventured from there in the Herzog cannon, however, was much trippier. I rented some of his older shorts like The Great Ecstasy of Woodcarver Steiner, a poetic (albeit sentimental) documentary on the psychology of a champion ski jumper-cum-carpenter, and the stoned-out The Potential, the Danger in which an impetuous (some would argue stupid) Herzog and his crew fly to the island of Guadaloupe after they hear a volcano threatens to wipe out the entire island. This month The Northwest Film Center celebrates the cinematic achievements of the legendary German filmmaker with the series A Quest for the Sublime: The Films of Werner Herzog. This series is a strong survey of the Herzog canon, with something for everyone. From obvious selections like Grizzly Man (screens Fri May 16-Sat May 17) to lesser know works like Herzog’s 1979 remake of the seminal 1922 vampire film Nosferatu (Thurs May 29). Also included is 2006’s excellent Vietnam POW film Rescue Dawn starring Christian Bale (Sat May 24) and the 1997 documentary that inspired it, Little Dieter Needs to Fly (Fri May 23-Sat May 24). This is a great chance to watch some of your favorite Herzog films in all their splendor on the big screen, to catch one for the first time, or to introduce a friend to the work of a true living master.

A Quest for the Sublime: The Films of Werner Herzog
Fri May 2-Thurs May 29
Northwest Film Center’s Whitsell Auditorium
1219 SW Park Avenue

* For more info go to the festival website at nwfilm.org.