Werner Herzog Eats His Shoe

Has anyone ever seen "Werner Herzog Eats His Shoe"? Know where I can get a copy?

Looks like an interesting documentary. If you find out more, please post regarding what you found. I'll do my best to help in the meantime.

__________________
People demand freedom of speech to compensate for the freedom of thought which they avoid.

I can only find the VIDEO. It doesn't look like there is a DVD.

__________________
TOP 100 | "Don't let the bastards grind you down!"

What's it about?

Les Blank, the filmmaker who made "Werner Herzog Eats His Shoe" (1979), has it available for sale on his own site (www.lesblank.com). It is not yet on DVD, only VHS.



"Werner Herzog East His Shoe" is a must-see for Herzog devotees, for sure. It's only about twenty minutes long, so don't go in expecting something feature-length, but it's definitely amusing. The whole thing came from a 'bet' of sorts he made with fledgling documentary filmmaker Errol Morris - who recently won the Oscar (finally) for The Fog of War and who's distinguished career also includes The Thin Blue Line, Mr. Death and Fast, Cheap & Out of Control. Morris was struggling to get his first film made: Gates of Heaven, about pet cemetaries. Herzog met him as a young man full of ideas, but hesitant to action. Werner vowed to Errol that if he ever actually made one of those projects he was forever talking about, Herzog would eat his own shoe. This was done not to dismiss the possibilty, but to kick Morris into action. It did just that. Gates of Heaven was made, and it ran in the New York Film Festival to much acclaim. So true to his word, Herzog ate his shoe.

The movie's narrative is simply Herzog arriving in Berkeley, California (where he had met Errol Morris), cooking his boots, and eating one of them on stage. But what it's about is devotion to art and filmmaking. Herzog talks about his own works and passions, and those of Erroll Morris, and advises that all filmmakers should find the inspiration to get their visions on film.


While "Eats His Shoe" is amusing, the real absolute must-see for all cinephiles from Les Blank concerning Werner Herzog is Burden of Dreams (1982), chronicling the hazzardous making of Fitzcarraldo. That one is feature-length, and is an amazing document of the mania behind ambitious creation. It belongs right up there with Hearts of Darkness: A FIlmmaker's Apocalypse as the very best and most insightful behind-the-scenes looks at the moviemaking process.

__________________
"Film is a disease. When it infects your bloodstream it takes over as the number one hormone. It bosses the enzymes, directs the pineal gland, plays Iago to your psyche. As with heroin, the antidote to Film is more Film." - Frank Capra

lesbank.com doesn't look like the right website.

Yes it is. It's Les Blank's (and his Flower Films production company) site. Information on "Werner Herzog Eats His Shoe" as well as the ability to order it are on that site. It ain't cheap, at $30 + shipping for a twenty-minute VHS, but that's what Les is selling it for. All the copies on Amazon will be used ones that folks have bought through lesblank.com, which is the only place it is available commercially.

Do you own a copy Holden? Would you say it's worth the money?

Yes, I own "Werner Herzog Eats His Shoe". If you are a dyed-in-the-wool Herzog nut, yes, the video is probably worth it - even at that price. If not, find a good, local, independent video store and they should stock it (don't even bother with Blockbuster, where you'll be lucky to find Aguirre). If you're just plain curious is it worth $30? Probably not.

But Burden of Dreams most definitely is worth it. Les sells that for $40 + shipping, though also sadly only on VHS.

Thanks, Holden. Really helpful stuff!

When I visit lesbank.com I don't see any information about Les Bank or the video in question. It may be an error on my end, but I doubt it. Take a look at the site again Holden, is it still the same?? I hope I'm not the only one who can't view it properly.

Try lesblank.com

Ah, yes. You are missing the "L" there in Blank, Shaolin. No wonder you couldn't find it. BTW, all you had to do was click on the address in my post and it was linked directly to the site.

Whoops, how did I miss that so many times?

I watched it. Good stuff. Werner Herzog sounds a bit crazy too me. Great director though. Anyway this short, was only made better by that wonderful polka type music that plays, and also the reminder that Herzog was not the first to eat his shoe. Charlie Chaplin did so as well.

However the most important thing that the film did was convince me that I need to become an actor in the next 10 years. Whether it be some stupid local play production or indy film... and if I don't well then I'll eat my hair.

That's right you heard it here first... if iluv2viddyfilms doesn't become an actor in the next 10 years he will eat his hair. (though how I will be able to do so and not cough it all up in hair balls is something I'll have to figure out later)

__________________
"A candy colored clown!"
Member since Fall 2002
Top 100 Films, clicky below

http://www.movieforums.com/community...ad.php?t=26201

Just for anyone who cares to see this, Criterion is releasing Les Blank's Burden Of Dreams in May, 'Werner Herzog Eats His Shoe' is one of the special features. Burden of Dreams is well worth the purchase and 'Werner Herzog Eats His Shoe' is the icing on the cake.

Werner Herzog Eats his shoe!!what an interesting title. i like the way that the documentary seems to create a sort of atmosphere, it makes the whole thing a lot more viewable.

I saw it a long time ago. Remember it being pretty good and a worthy companion to My Best Feind and Burden of Dreams. I like how Herzog had the audacity to make a documentary about how his pal Kinski was crazy, when he's clearly much nuttier himself. "And then I jumped into a cactus to impress some midgets."

Burden of Dreams is amazing as is My Best Feind, holden have you seen that one yet?

You can rent both at www.bestvideo.com tell em mike c. sent ya

Saw that, I plan on buying this one. I fear this will go OOP in a very short time, as Les seems very cautious about issuing limited rights to his work. The owner of the video store I linked above (if I am remembering correctly) either talked at length to, or interviewed Les I remember him saying something to the effect that he was kind of "strange." But then again, it could have been a dream sequence....

I worked there for about 2 years, the education in film alone was worth the insanity of some of the customers.

Oh and BTW one of my customers was actor Bruce Altman, a very nice very unassuming guy.