While Werner Herzog movies are often captivating portraits of individuals struggling against nature or their own mad ambitions, the director himself is also equally fascinating. A commonly-told story had him threatening to first shoot actor Klaus Kinski and then himself if the volatile performer attempted to leave the production of Aguirre, the Wrath of God. He also ate his own shoe after losing a bet, and dismissed being shot by an air rifle while being interviewed by the BBC (“It is not a significant bullet.”). In other words, he often seems to fit the stereotype of the crazy German all too well, but there’s boatloads of genius to go along with the low-key madness. Give a few of these films a try, and you’ll soon find yourself becoming a Werner Herzog fan.

Herzog shares tips on the best way to tear a man apart with your bare hands.

For a site dedicated to the offbeat and unusual of the cinematic world, watching Werner Herzog movies are like finding an oasis in the middle of the desert. Here are a few examples of the good German movies helmed by the director:

• The Grand (2008) – Before we dive into the Werner Herzog movies actually directed by the German genius, let’s look at one that features him as an actor. This largely improvised comedy revolves around a poker tournament in Las Vegas and the colorful assortment of gamblers who show up to participate. Entrants include Woody Harrelson, Cheryl Hines, David Cross, Dennis Farina, and Richard Kind. But Herzog trumps them all as The German, a leather-clad cheater who’s notorious for sacrificing animals before tournaments for good luck. He’s not in the film for long, but fans of the director should still get a kick out of it. The rest of the movie isn’t bad either, especially Ray Romano’s obsession with getting Peyton Manning onto his fantasy football team.
• Nosferatu the Vampyre (1979) – Meant as a remake of the 1922 German vampire movie from F.W. Murnau, Nosferatu the Vampyre stars Klaus Kinski as the title character, a hideous undead noble whose hunger for love is matched only for his thirst for blood. Also starring Isabelle Adjani and Bruno Ganz.

If you ever needed proof that Klaus Kinski was nuts, here's Exhibit A.

• Aguirre, the Wrath of God (1972) – A group of Spanish conquistadors head down the Amazon River in search of the fabled city of gold, El Dorado. Besides dealing with hostile locals and the unforgiving heat of the jungle, the group must also contend with the mad ambitions of Don Lope de Aguirre (Klaus Kinski), a delusional soldier who fancies himself the next ruler of the world. A brilliant look at the dangers of greed and ambition, the film scales back the dialogue and allows the scenery and Kinski’s crazed eyes to tell the story. The first of five collaborations between the director and actor, it’s the finest of all Werner Herzog movies in my opinion.
• Fitzcarraldo (1982) – Based on a true story, this collaboration between Klaus Kinski and Werner Herzog tells the tale of Brian “Fitzcarraldo” Fitzgerald, an Irishman who dreams of getting into the Peruvian rubber trade and then building an opera house in city of Iquitos. But in order to do so, he’ll have to have his three-story steamer physically pulled across a muddy hillside from one river to another. Another manic performance from Kinski, and the lovely Claudia Cardinale co-stars as his brothel-owning lover. There was the usual tension on the set that one would expect from a film starring Kinski, and Herzog later revealed that a local tribal chief offered to murder the actor for him. Herzog declined, stating that he needed Kinski to complete the film.
• Grizzly Man (2005) – For 13 summers, Timothy Treadwell traveled to Alaska to interact with the bear population of Katmai National Park and Preserve. But in 2003, he and his girlfriend were attacked and eaten by one of the creatures that he so fiercely loved. Herzog tells his story in this documentary about one man’s dangerous passion.
• Cobra Verde (1987) – The final collaboration between Herzog and Klaus Kinski, the latter stars as a rancher who becomes a famed bandit and then sets out on a suicide mission to reestablish the slave trade between Brazil and Africa. Kinski is both mesmerizing and manic (nothing new there), and the film is a triumphant adaptation of the novel The Viceroy of Ouidah by Bruce Chatwin.

"You can either put these on or watch The Sorcerer's Apprentice. Your choice."

• Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans (2009) – Nicolas Cage gets to act batshit crazy as Terrence McDonagh, a New Orleans cop with chronic back pain, gambling and drug addictions, and a high-class prostitute girlfriend (Eva Mendes). Herzog’s direction is equally offbeat, with portions of the film shot from the perspective of iguanas and alligators. A number of critics placed it on their lists for the best films of 2009, including Herzog devotee Roger Ebert.
• Encounters at the End of the World (2007) – Most people think that nobody lives in Antarctica, but they’re wrong. The vast landscape is actually dotted with interesting characters, and Werner Herzog wastes no time in capturing their life stories in this compelling documentary. The land itself is also a star, and you’ll get more out of this than any boring mainstream film about penguins.
• Stroszek (1977) -With most of the roles played by non-actors, Stroszek paints a bizarre portrait of a Berlin street singer who moves to Wisconsin with his prostitute girlfriend after being released from prison. Roger Ebert has called it “one of the oddest films ever made,” and that’s really saying something. Also starring Eva Mattes, who would also marry and have a child by the director.
• Invincible (2001) – Loosely based around the real-life events in the life of Zishe Breitbart (Jouko Ahola), a Jewish strongman working in Berlin. But the timeline is shifted, and the freakishly strong Breitbart finds himself in 1932, on the eve of the Nazi party’s ascension to power. Hanussen (Tim Roth) is his employer, a seedy mystic who tries to gain the favor of men such as Heinrich Himmler. An interesting perspective on the rise of evil through one man’s eyes.
• My Best Fiend (1999) – A fascinating documentary by Herzog about his longtime friend and frequent collaborator, tempestuous actor Klaus Kinski. The relationship was frequently stormy, and Herzog pulls no punches in both praising and damning his subject. Plenty of behind-the-scenes footage is shown, and Kinski co-stars such as Claudia Cardinale share their recollections of the unpredictable performer. If you’re a fan of any of the five films Herzog and Kinski did together, be sure to add this one to your Netflix queue.
• Werner Herzog Eats His Shoe (1980) – In an attempt to inspire fellow filmmaker Errol Morris, Werner Herzog stated he would eat his shoe if Morris ever completed his project, Gates of Heaven. He did, and Herzog honored his word. This 20-minute documentary captures the director preparing the shoe with the help of a chef and then chowing down at the premiere of the movie. Are all Germans this wacky?

If you enjoyed this discussion of Werner Herzog movies, here are other articles you’ll be interested in:

• Andy Warhol Movies
• Abel Ferrara Movies
• Takashi Miike Movies

When it’s time to discuss Terry Zwigoff movies, the conversation won’t be as long as those devoted to his contemporaries in the filmmaking business. That’s because Zwigoff is especially picky when it comes to his projects. As of this writing, it’s been four years since he directed a film (Art School Confidential in 2006), and he’s only turned out five movies in the last 24 years.

But that doesn’t mean he’s not worth discussing. Zwigoff brings a unique vision to the big screen, heavily influenced by independent comic books and pop culture from the first half of the 20th century. Often focusing on losers and social outsiders, his films have been hailed for their darkly comic tone and themes of alienation, the struggle of the individual against mainstream society, and the evils of Corporate America.

Terry Zwigoff Bio

Since there aren’t many Terry Zwigoff movies to talk about, I’ve also put together a brief bio on this oddball filmmaker.

Terry Zwigoff was born on May 18th, 1949 in Appleton, Wisconsin. When he was five, Terry’s father (a Jewish farmer) moved the family to Chicago.

Prior to becoming a full-time filmmaker, Terry was employed as a printer, welfare office worker, shipping clerk, and musician. During the 1970s, he moved to San Francisco and befriended the artist Robert Crumb after finding the two shared a love for folk music from America’s pre-war era. During this time, Terry learned to play the cello and mandolin, and he would join his friend’s band, R. Crumb & His Cheap Suit Serenaders.

In 1978, he discovered a rare recording by Chicago blues musician Howard Armstrong. Zwigoff would later spend two years researching the artist before releasing his first film project, Louie Bluie, in 1986.

It would be eight years before another Terry Zwigoff movie hit theaters, but this one would bring him great attention and critical acclaim. Crumb was a documentary movie about his friend and former bandmate, underground comic artist Robert Crumb. While it won the Grand Jury Prize at Sundance and became one of the highest-grossing documentaries of all time, it failed to receive an Academy Award nomination (which, along with the snub of Hoop Dreams that same year, caused an uproar and change in Oscar policy).

After Crumb brought him to the attention of Hollywood, Zwigoff received a number of offers to direct mainstream projects (including Will Farrell‘s Elf). He turned them all down. He even passed on $10,000, to appear in an ad for The Gap, saying it would have been more than a little disingenuous given his stance on the corporate saturation of the United States.

Terry Zwigoff currently lives in San Francisco, where he continues to read comics, collect old vinyl records, and play the cello and mandolin. A true original, we here at Odd Films eagerly await his return to the filmmaking process.

Terry Zwigoff Movies

As promised, here’s a list and brief description of all the films directed by Terry Zwigoff:

• Louie Bluie (1986) – Zwigoff goes looking for 1930s bluesman Howard “Louie Bluie” Armstrong, a member of the last black string band in America. He finds him, and the documentary is filled with the recollections and tales from Armstrong and fellow musician Ted “Dark Gable” Bogan. From tales of racial struggles to fascinating insights into American music in the first half of the 20th century, Louie Bluie demonstrates the wealth of untapped stories waiting on the highways and byways of the United States.

• Crumb (1994) – Considered one of the best movies of the last 25 years and named the best film of 1994 by the late Gene Siskel, Crumb takes an in-depth look at underground comics legend Robert Crumb and his rather unusual family. Nobody was more qualified to make the film than Zwigoff, as he and Crumb had been friends for nearly two decades at the time of the project. But the film isn’t just a love letter to Crumb and his comics (including Fritz the Cat): Zwigoff talks to everyone from his critics to ex-girlfriends, creating a well-rounded portrait of a tormented and sexually frustrated genius.
• Ghost World (2001) – Based on the indie comic book from Daniel Clowes, Ghost World stars Thora Birch and Scarlett Johansson as best friends facing their first summer since graduating high school. Both social outsiders, the two girls end up befriending a lonely man with a passion for vinyl (Steve Buscemi) and slowly growing apart. An insightful look at the painful process of growing up, Ghost World co-stars Brad Renfro, Illeana Douglas, Teri Garr, and Stacey Travis. Clowes and Zwigoff received an Oscar nomination for the screenplay, while Birch and Buscemi both received Golden Globe nominations for their understated performances.

• Bad Santa (2003) – A raunchy and surprisingly touching Christmas movie, Bad Santa is the closet thing that Terry Zwigoff has come to mainstream filmmaking. Billy Bob Thornton stars as Willie Stokes, a miserable alcoholic who poses as a mall Santa each holiday season and then robs the safe with the help of his “elf” (Tony Cox). While scoping out his latest target, Willie befriends (sort of) a fat, unpopular preteen boy (Brett Kelly) who lives alone with his senile grandmother. In no time at all, Willie has moved into the boy’s house. When he’s not drinking himself unconscious, Willie engages in his hobby of having anal sex with big-bottomed women. Meanwhile, the suspicious mall manager (John Ritter in his final on-screen role) asks the head of mall security (Bernie Mac) to keep an eye on Willie and his partner. Co-starring Lauren Graham and Cloris Leachman. For an even more mean-spirited version of the film, be sure to check out the director’s cut, in which Zwigoff somehow makes Willie seem like an even bigger asshole.
• Art School Confidential (2006) – Zwigoff once again adapts a comic by Daniel Clowes, this time telling the story of a young man (Max Minghella) obsessed with art school. Once he enrolls in college, his notions of artistic merit are slowly trampled underfoot, and he must navigate a tricky world filled with amorous art models (Sophia Myles) and drunken, failed artists (Jim Broadbent). Oh, and there’s also a serial killer on the loose. A wickedly satirical look at the value of art, the film also features brief appearances from Anjelica Huston and Steve Buscemi.