Thursday, August 7, 2008

Madness and Genius


An interview with the young Werner Herzog on his collaboration with the undisputedly insane and out-of-kilter Klaus Kinski on Aguirre, the Wrath of God


For artistic achievement, would you cross the line into insanity? Herzog did. And to my surprise - he said that Kinski was the only person he, a self-taught filmmaker, considered a teacher. 

On his growth as a filmmaker: "For the past 14 years I have been doing things not within my grasp by nature. I have learned that in order to make films, you have to be able to survive [sleepless nights, stress and humiliations]. Work them over and make them into something productive. All these humiliations [from Kinski]. They're essential parts of filmmaking. And anyone who can't take that, can't make films." 

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