Review of Fitzcarraldo (1982) by Sean L — 16 Jun 2008

I feel bad saying it, but the first hour or so of this movie really bored me. I'd seen Rescue Dawn, but this was my first exposure to classic Herzog. I had begun to feel really worried and saddened, but once they set off on their journey the movie picked up.

By the time Fitzcarraldo's crazy plan was fully revealed, I was hooked and the agonizing slowness and power of what transpires blew me away. Knowing that they could have just used a model, it was very obvious that the boat was real, and that made all the difference in the world.