Awesome, hypnotic storytelling, Fitzcarraldo finds this director working in top form
Fitzcarraldo (1982)
Tomatometer
How does the Tomatometer work ![]()
Reviews Counted:20
Fresh:17
Rotten:3
Average Rating:7.6/10
Runtime: 2 hrs 37 mins
Genre: Dramas
Synopsis: Director Werner Herzog returns to the exotic locales and obsessive themes of previous works in his Amazon masterpiece, FITZCARRALDO. Klaus Kinski gives a terrifying and determined portrayal of mad... Director Werner Herzog returns to the exotic locales and obsessive themes of previous works in his Amazon masterpiece, FITZCARRALDO. Klaus Kinski gives a terrifying and determined portrayal of mad genius Fitzcarraldo, whose twin goals of making a fortune off the Amazon rubber trade and bringing an opera house to the jungle give the film its crushing centerpiece--the maniacal leader's Sisyphean efforts at hauling a gigantic steamship over a mountain bank. The single-minded and wickedly energetic Fitzcarraldo moves mountains (and a boat) with his will and along the way acts out a stunning and emotional battle between man and nature, as in the similarly themed Herzog/Kinski collaboration AGUIRRE, THE WRATH OF GOD. Herzog's razor-sharp attention to the minutiae of both Fitzcarraldo's madness and the jungle's corresponding apathy and enormity makes the film a breathtaking metaphor for civilization's impact on the natural world. The documentary style of the film (the cast and crew actually hauled the boat over the mountain) gives the tale an urgency and suspense that, combined with Kinski's bravado performance and Herzog's striking sense of landscape, make FITZCARRALDO an unforgettable experience. [More]
Starring: Klaus Kinski, José Lewgoy, Claudia Cardinale, Miguel Angel Fuentes
Starring: Klaus Kinski, José Lewgoy, Claudia Cardinale, Miguel Angel Fuentes
Director: Werner Herzog
Director: Werner Herzog
Producer: Lucki Stipetic
Get This Movie
Reviews for Fitzcarraldo
A mesmerizing and engaging work of art about the adventures of a wild-eyed Irish dreamer in the exotic jungle world of the upper Amazon.
It's a stunning spectacle, an adventure-comedy not quite like any other, and the most benign movie ever made about 19th-century capitalism running amok.
If you have a dream, the only way to accomplish it is to face it head on. If your dream requires you to drag a massive boat up a mountainside, do it. So says director Werner Herzog in the bizarre but captivating Fitzcarraldo.
As a document of a quest and a dream, and as the record of man's audacity and foolish, visionary heroism, there has never been another movie like it.
Yes, the pursuit of dreams is vital to one’s feeling of empowerment and fulfilment, but surely there are limits to the costs one should exact in their pursuit.
The film may have been intended as an ironic comment on the absurdity of human ambition, but it's an irony that explodes in Herzog's face.
If there's a point to this, it's what Herzog's point always is: That obsession can drive you nuts. I'm not sure I needed a freaky German traipsing through the jungle for 2 1/2 hours to drive that point home.
Fitzcarraldo is a more objective record of a comparable fever dream, and as such is the preeminent testament of Herzog’s labor as a filmmaker.
Latest News for Fitzcarraldo
May 05, 2008:
Breck Eisner Talks Creature from the Black Lagoon ![]()
Breck Eisner is gearing up to direct a Creature from the Black Lagoon remake for Universal -- and he's naming Werner Herzog's Fitzcarraldo as a source of inspiration. More...
July 26, 2007:
Critical Consensus: Woo-Hoo! Simpsons Is Certified Fresh; No Reservations Is Bland; Rescue Dawn Shines
This week at the moves, we've got America's favorite family in their long-awaited big-screen debut (The Simpsons Movie); a tale of two chefs (No Reservations, starring Catherine... More...
| Tomatometer Percentage | Movie |
|---|---|
| 77% 77% | The Hangover |
| 88% 88% | Inglourious Basterds |
| 66% 66% | Public Enemies |
| 24% 24% | G-Force |
| 44% 44% | Night at the Museum: B… |
| Tomatometer Percentage | Movie |
|---|---|
| 90% 90% | District 9 |
| 86% 86% | 500 Days of Summer |
| 63% 63% | Extract |
| 06% 06% | All About Steve |
| 78% 78% | It Might Get Loud |
RT On Current TV
DIRECTV 358 | Comcast 107 | DISH Network 196 | More...
What’s Hot On RT
Other News
CloseSponsored Links
Around The Network
- Fitzcarraldo at Rotten Tomatoes
Fresh Links
Featured

Last week, MSN gave us their top 09 films. Now see what their favorites of the decade are!

Here's a list of the 50 best movies of 2009, according to the good people over at Moviefone.

Hollywood.com takes a stab at determining who in movies will be on Santa's naughty list in 2009.

TIME chimes in with their own list of the best films released this year.

Click through to see which movies BuzzSugar placed in their Best-of-Decade list!
Promos

Get the latest Tomatometer updates on upcoming movies!



Top Critic



