Review of Fitzcarraldo (1982) by Rainer K — 25 Jun 2013

"Fitzcarraldo" should be viewed as a sort of companion piece to "Aguirre, the Wrath of God." It, too, focuses on a character that heads downriver in search of fulfilling his hopes and dreams, yet it isn't as unforgiving nor does it end as harshly.

What makes "Fitzcarraldo" such an enjoyable and undemanding watch is the amount of time given to flesh out such a simple story and how quickly the two-and-a-half hours fly by. Klaus Kinski had a rather remarkable talent of looking insane but always delivering a very controlled and understated performance.