Fitzcarraldo (Werner Herzog)

The first of many Werner recs -- Fitzcarraldo is a source of endless inspiration for me. I've got this photo framed by my desk. Essentially Werner Herzog had a vision that, in his words, seized him "like the demented fury of a hound that has sunk its teeth into the leg of a deer carcass and is shaking and tugging." He wanted to make a film about an impossible endeavor, portaging a steamship over the Andes mountains. But he didn't want to just make a film about it...he wanted to actually do the impossible thing himself. The film, as one person said, captures the triumph of madness. This rec is a three-fer, you've got 1. Fitzacarraldo 2. the Les Blank doc, Burden of Dreams, shot while making the film, and 3. Conquest of the Useless, Herzog's journals while filming, all hazy with jungle chaos.