Werner Herzog Eats His Shoe (Short 1980)

Werner Herzog Eats His Shoe: Directed by Les Blank. With Werner Herzog, Tom Luddy, Michael Goodwin, Alice Waters. A short documentary in which directors Werner Herzog and Errol Morris make a bet which results in Herzog being forced to eat his own shoe.

“This is a little documentary prepared by Les Blank about Werner Herzogu0026#39;s sort of bet to Errol Morris that he should make a movie, but if he did with the luck that he would need as a first time director, he would literally eat a shoe. Herzog adamantly says in the documentary that heu0026#39;s only doing it in support of Morris and his film (which at the time this doc was released didnu0026#39;t yet have distribution despite its great acclaim at festivals), though thereu0026#39;s something sublimely absurd about it all, even through Herzogu0026#39;s deadpan/serious talks to the camera. He talks a bit about Morris and his film too, and his praise for it is all well and good. But itu0026#39;s even more interesting to see a) Herzogu0026#39;s views on commercialism and film-making and the lack of u0026quot;adequate imagesu0026quot;, and b) director Les Blanku0026#39;s inventive cross-cutting between the on-stage eating of the show, footage of Charlie Chaplin doing the act in a silent, and Herzog talking to the camera. Itu0026#39;s funny once or twice, perhaps unintentionally from Herzogu0026#39;s words (i.e. u0026quot;itu0026#39;s not self-destructive to throw yourself into a pile of cactusu0026quot;). But for the most part itu0026#39;s meant as a very serious act of foolishness not just for Morris but for filmmakers everywhere. If you can find it- and itu0026#39;s now available on free sites like you-tube- itu0026#39;s worth a look, especially if youu0026#39;re a fan of Herzog. And for Morris fans too thereu0026#39;s a quick treat in an outtake from Gates of Heaven spliced in at one point. That song, by the way, of which I quote in the one-line summary, is awesome.”