Fitzcarraldo (1982)

Fitzcarraldo: Directed by Werner Herzog. With Klaus Kinski, José Lewgoy, Miguel Ángel Fuentes, Paul Hittscher. The story of Brian Sweeney Fitzgerald, an extremely determined man who intends to build an opera house in the middle of a jungle.

“One of the strangest films I have seen in some time tells the story of a South American rubber baron named Brian Fitzgerald, better known as Fitzcarraldo (Klaus Kinski), a man who dreams of building an opera house in the jungles of the Amazon.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eWith his white coat, white hat, and his bleached blonde hair, Fitz is quite an eccentric. In a social context, heu0026#39;s an outsider. But he has a bold vision. His romantic sidekick is a woman named Molly (Claudia Cardinale). As a compliment to Fitz, she speaks the filmu0026#39;s theme: u0026quot;Itu0026#39;s only the dreamers who move mountainsu0026quot;.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eAfter some preparation early in the film, Fitz and crew set sail up the Amazon on a huge boat, to stake out a claim for their business that will bring in the money to advance Fitzcarraldou0026#39;s dream. The boat is equipped with all the necessities, which include, naturally, a gramophone to play the operatic music of Enrico Caruso. And the best sequences of the film are those set in the remote jungle, as the boat moves through a large tributary of the Amazon, into headhunter territory. With the gramophone blaring out opera amid the sound of Indian war drums, itu0026#39;s the unusual contrast between the primitive and the cultural that makes this film interesting.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eFilmed entirely in South America, the story is set in the early years of the twentieth century, long before the advent of television or automobiles.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eColor cinematography is quite good. This is a very physical story. Most scenes take place outdoors. And the remoteness of the setting conveys a sense of doom, a sense of unknown terror and foreboding.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eWhile the visuals are stunning, some aspects of the story Iu0026#39;m just not sure about. I never did figure out the significance of the ice. Is that a reward for Indian cooperation? If so, how can ice be preserved in a land without electricity? And without electricity, isnu0026#39;t the whole idea of an opera house in the wilderness a tad ludicrous? Maybe these questions are all answered and I just missed them. Even so, these issues could have been better addressed in the script.u003cbr/u003eu003cbr/u003eNot as deeply thematic as u0026quot;Aguirre: The Wrath Of Godu0026quot; (1972), Werner Herzogu0026#39;s u0026quot;Fitzcarraldou0026quot; nevertheless is an unusual film, one that is worth watching for its stunning visuals and thematic contrasts, its physicality, and the eccentric character of Fitzcarraldo, the dreamer who can move mountains.”