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Movies / On DVD / Little Dieter Needs To Fly
Little Dieter Needs To Fly

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Little Dieter Needs To Fly (1997)

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Reviews Counted: 14

Fresh: 13

Rotten:1

Average Rating: 7.8/10

Runtime: 74 mins

Genre: Foreign Films

Synopsis: An extraordinary documentary about an extraordinary man, Werner Herzog's LITTLE DIETER NEEDS TO FLY details the life of Dieter Dengler, a survivor of both WWII and Vietnam. Dengler grew up in... An extraordinary documentary about an extraordinary man, Werner Herzog's LITTLE DIETER NEEDS TO FLY details the life of Dieter Dengler, a survivor of both WWII and Vietnam. Dengler grew up in Germany, and, dreaming of one day flying a plane, left for the US when he was 18, unable to speak English. Soon, he was in the Navy, flying bombing missions over Laos and Vietnam, where his plane was shot down and he was taken prisoner. He and six others escaped the prison, but only he was known to have survived. Herzog turns Dieter's story into something much different than one might expect by putting Dieter back into scenes from his past and recording his amazingly understated reactions. For instance, in Laos, where he was taken prisoner, Herzog binds Dengler's hands and feet as they were in 1966 and uses Vietnamese actors, complete with rifles, to play Viet Cong. It's a startling technique, one that lends this film an intensity and sense of danger that Dengler consistently plays down. [More]

Starring: Dieter Dengler

Starring: Dieter Dengler

Director: Werner Herzog

Director: Werner Herzog
Screenwriter: Werner Herzog
Producer: Lucki Stipetic

[See More Credits]

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Release:

Jan 8, 2002

No Details Exist
 
 

Reviews for Little Dieter Needs To Fly

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1 - 14 (sorted by date)
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No review available.

comment Comment
02/23/08
Cole Smithey
ColeSmithey.com

Werner Herzog's remarkable docu tells with sharp observation and witty humor the heroic tale of the imprisonment and escape of Dieter Dengler, a native German who became an American pilot in the Vietnam War; Dengler exudes plenty of charisma.

Full Review Source: Variety | comment Comment
02/15/07
Emanuel Levy
Variety
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

A stunning tale of survival.

Full Review Source: Lessons of Darkness | comment Comment
10/21/05
Nick Schager
Lessons of Darkness

No review available.

comment Comment
07/16/05
Emanuel Levy
EmanuelLevy.Com
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

A summation of the director's work in so many ways that one is tempted to point the neophyte to it ahead of better-known Herzogs.

Full Review Source: Film Freak Central | comment Comment
06/21/05
Walter Chaw
Film Freak Central

A compassionate and personal story of the brutality and oddity of war

Full Review Source: Not Coming to a Theater Near You | comment Comment
12/21/04
Leo Goldsmith
Not Coming to a Theater Near You

No review available.

comment Comment
11/19/04
Robin Clifford
Reeling Reviews

Dengler is a marvelous storyteller and opens his heart and soul for Herzog without hesitation.

Full Review Source: Combustible Celluloid | comment Comment
09/27/02
Jeffrey M. Anderson
Combustible Celluloid

Death did not want Dieter Dengler, whose life often sounds like that of a fairy tale character thrust into an existential wonderland.

Full Review Source: Slant Magazine | comment Comment
02/21/02
Ed Gonzalez
Slant Magazine

Herzog has likened Dengler's experience to a Greek tragedy, involving dreams, punishment and redemption.

Full Review Source: San Francisco Examiner | comment Comment
04/20/01
Walter V. Addiego
San Francisco Examiner

Little Dieter -- just slightly out of the realm of the ordinary -- but not enough to stand among the remarkable, mystical works that Herzog has delivered in the past.

Full Review Source: San Francisco Chronicle | comment Comment
04/20/01
Edward Guthmann
San Francisco Chronicle
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

There are a lot of current motion pictures that have had difficulty creating even one compelling character. Little Dieter Needs to Fly has just one subject, but his life could make several interesting movies.

Full Review Source: Deseret News, Salt Lake City | comment Comment
04/20/01
Jeff Vice
Deseret News, Salt Lake City

As often happens in Mr. Herzog's haunting documentaries, the most interesting figure seems to be the one behind the camera.

Full Review Source: New York Times | comment Comment
04/20/01
Janet Maslin
New York Times
Top Critic Icon Top Critic

Herzog starts with a balding middle-aged man driving down a country lane in a convertible, and listens, questions and shapes, until the life experience of Dieter Dengler becomes unforgettable.

Full Review Source: Chicago Sun-Times | comment Comment
04/20/01
Roger Ebert
Chicago Sun-Times
Top Critic Icon Top Critic
 
 
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Latest News for Little Dieter Needs To Fly

September 09, 2006: TORONTO: Herzog's "Rescue Dawn" Kicks Off Market On the Road to Oscar
MGM made the first major pick-up Saturday at this year's Toronto International Film Festival, shelling out the bucks for Werner Herzog's Vietnam POW pic, "Rescue Dawn." More...

July 21, 2005: Bale and Zahn Come to Herzog's "Rescue"
Christian Bale and Steve Zahn will star in Werner Herzog's adventure tale "Rescue Dawn," says The Hollywood Reporter. More...

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