Fitzcarraldo
Werner Herzog’s classic film starring Klaus Kinski as a businessman on an equally insane and life-threatening mission to build an opera house in the Peruvian rainforest.
Peru, early 20th century. Businessman Brian Sweeney Fitzgerald, nicknamed ‘Fitzcarraldo’, is crazy about opera, and in particular the world-famous tenor Enrico Caruso. He wants to build an opera house in the middle of the rainforest for Caruso. To raise the necessary money, Fitzcarraldo buys a plot for a rubber plantation and boards a steamer to the jungle.
The breathtaking final part of FITZCARRALDO, in which a steamboat is pulled by cables and rolling logs over a mountain in the rainforest, gave the film mythical status. Herzog filmed the perilous undertaking without trickery, a decision which was also heavily criticized. Crew members were exposed to too much risk; some extras were said to have died. The director dismissed it as a media frenzy, intended to increase the circulation of tabloids. The film had its world premiere at the 1982 Cannes Film Festival, where Herzog won the award for best director.