287 Burden of Dreams

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Martha
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287 Burden of Dreams

#1 Post by Martha » Fri Dec 03, 2004 7:00 am

Burden of Dreams

[img]http://criterion_production.s3.amazonaws.com/release_images/1520/287_box_348x490_w128.jpg[/img]

For nearly five years, acclaimed German filmmaker Werner Herzog desperately tried to complete one of the most ambitious and difficult films of his career—Fitzcarraldo, the story of one man's attempt to build an opera house deep in the Amazon jungle. Documentary filmmaker Les Blank captured the unfolding of this production, made more perilous by Herzog's determination to shoot the most daunting scenes without models or special effects, including a sequence requiring hundreds of native Indians to pull a full-size, 320-ton steamship over a small mountain. The result is an extraordinary document of the filmmaking process and a unique look into the single-minded mission of one of cinema's most fearless directors.

Special Features

-New, restored high-definition digital transfer
-Audio commentary by director Les Blank, editor and sound recordist Maureen Gosling, and Fitzcarraldo director Werner Herzog
-Dreams and Burdens, a new 38-minute video interview with Herzog
-Werner Herzog Eats His Shoe (1980), a 20-minute film by Blank featuring Herzog fulfilling a bet
-Deleted scenes
-Photo gallery of images taken by Gosling
-Theatrical trailer
-New and improved English subtitle translation and optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
-Plus: A new essay by film scholar Paul Arthur and an 80-page book of excerpts from Blank’s and Gosling’s production journals

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ola t
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#2 Post by ola t » Fri Dec 03, 2004 7:36 am

The Chicago Tribune article is here (not sure if it requires registration).

Last two paragraphs:
Criterion keeps its upcoming slate under pretty tight wraps, and release dates are indeed prone to delay for numerous reasons. But Hendrickson is willing to confirm a few new titles for the Criterion faithful and hint about several more in store for 2005 and beyond. These include Powell/Pressburger's "The 49th Parallel" and "A Canterbury Tale," Antonioni's "L'Eclisse," Les Blank's riveting Werner Herzog documentary "Burden of Dreams," and a new edition of "Seven Samurai" (plus possibly other re-released Kurosawa titles as well).

"We're always addressing the issues of the library and getting out new filmmakers that we haven't been able to put out before," Hendrickson says. "I feel like 2005 is the introduction of a lot of people to the Criterion library that you haven't seen before. John Ford is possibly on the horizon. There will be Mizoguchi and a few more women inserted into the collection. But we're driven as much by what the collection is missing and how we're going to address those gaps."

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#3 Post by Martha » Fri Dec 03, 2004 7:58 am

Originally posted by ola t:
I've gotten the impression that Herzog doesn't like Burden of Dreams much, and would never allow it to be included in any director-approved release of Fitzcarraldo. That would be an excellent reason to release it separately -- but I don't know if it's actually true.

I have the Korean Herzog box set from Alto Media, which includes Burden of Dreams (and also Les Blank's shorter documentary Werner Herzog Eats His Shoe). The quality is really, really good -- I don't know if we ever quite straightened out whether Alto and Criterion have some kind of relationship or not, but I wouldn't be surprised, based on how good it looks, if it's actually Criterion's transfer that Alto somehow got their hands on.

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#4 Post by rumz » Fri Dec 03, 2004 12:49 pm

I just saw this again recently, and while it's a great film, it's merely the icing to Fitzcarraldo's 340-ton cake.

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#5 Post by Eric » Fri Dec 03, 2004 12:51 pm

Here are 99 more dollops of icing.

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#6 Post by Cinephrenic » Fri Dec 03, 2004 12:58 pm

So this would some how confirm Herzog's Fitzcarraldo, am I right? I've not seen Burden of Dreams though, not sure.

From the article:
Our release schedule has increased," notes Criterion producer Kim Hendrickson. "It's somewhere above 40 titles per year.
Hell yeah, bring it on!

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Buttery Jeb
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#7 Post by Buttery Jeb » Fri Dec 03, 2004 1:08 pm

Actually, I'd say that the fact they specifically mentioned "Burden of Dreams" as the release bodes poorly for a Criterion "Fitzcarraldo." In many ways "Burden of Dreams" would be the ultimate supplement for a Herzog SE, similar to the Bergman-directed "Making of 'Fanny and Alexander'" is in the "Fanny and Alexander" boxset. If the two were being paired up, I would assume they would have specifically said "Fitzcarraldo" (the movie being considered somewhat more important than its making-of), and maybe mentioned "Burden" as being included in the set.

I'd like a super Herzog special edition of one of his better known movies. The Anchor Bay DVDs were always good, but nothing I ever felt super excited over. The absense of any Les Blank on DVD has been felt, so seeing his best known film get the attention it deserves. But a "Fitzcarraldo"/"Burden of Dreams" two-discer would have been icing on cake.

-BJ

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#8 Post by NABOB OF NOWHERE » Fri Dec 03, 2004 1:21 pm

Burden is on the German 2 dvd Arthaus edition of Fitzcarraldo . No subtitles mentioned .... but aren't both films hybrid language mixes anyway??????

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#9 Post by solaris72 » Fri Dec 03, 2004 1:28 pm

I really doubt that Herzog doesn't like Burden of Dreams. I mean, he used footage and outtakes from it for My Best Fiend (some footage was also used in Incident at Loch Ness, though he didn't direct that of course). In all the interviews I've read of Herzog, the only thing bad he's said about the film is that he doesn't like how people have reacted to certain things in it.
I do agree that the fact that Burden of Dreams has been announced instead of Fitzcarraldo doesn't bode well for a release of the latter with the former as a supplement, but frankly that doesn't bother me much. The Anchor Bay DVD has a good transfer; not Criterion quality, but good. Furthermore, it's got a Herzog commentary track. Herzog gives the best commentaries I've ever heard. Once Criterion puts out Burden of Dreams, between it and the Anchor Bay Fitzcarraldo we'll pretty much have a definitive release.

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#10 Post by J M Powell » Fri Dec 03, 2004 1:40 pm

I agree that it sounds like we're looking at a "Burden of Dreams" CC sans "Fitzcarraldo". To me this is preferable. We may well end up with a CC "Burden" as well as, God I hope so, "Werner Herzog Eats His Shoe" as a supplement and one or two other goodies, all for $30 retail. And anyone reading this thread who doesn't already own the Anchor Bay HerzogKinski box should experience an intense feeling of shame mitigable only by purchasing that set immediately. It and the non-Kinski box are surely the best values on the R1 foreign-film market today. Deepdiscountdvd.com still has the best price, I think. Leave me now and do your duty.

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#11 Post by Martha » Fri Dec 03, 2004 1:59 pm

From Herzog on Herzog:
I did not invite Les Blank to the jungle, but he was very eager to come down and make a film down there. I was at first quite reluctant to have a camera around because there is something distasteful about making films about films. When you work, like when you cook a meal at home, and there is someone staring at your hands, watching what you are doing all the time, suddenly you are not a good cook any longer. I have the feeling that we function differently when being observed. But Les turned out to be a good presence. He is very unobtrusive and he certainly does have a good eye. But something to remember is that what he recorded for his film was shot in only five weeks, while Fitzcarraldo took four years to make. So he captured only a tiny fraction of what went on during the making of the film.

What I always liked about Les was that...he was as much interested in what was going on with the ants as he was with the film itself. I always liked that attitude. Though in some sequences the film might not project a particularly favorable image of me, I do like Burden of Dreams...

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#12 Post by unclehulot » Tue Dec 07, 2004 12:23 am

As long as Burden of Dreams IS released, who really cares whether it is bundled with Fitzcarraldo or not? I don't mean to be flippant, but they are not going to fit on the same platter anyhow (at least I wouldn't want a disc with that much crammed on it), and one can't watch both at the same time, and most of us already have the film on our shelves. I say bring on the documentary and be thankful for it as a seperate release.

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#13 Post by zedz » Tue Dec 07, 2004 12:31 am

unclehulot wrote:As long as Burden of Dreams IS released, who really cares whether it is bundled with Fitzcarraldo or not?
Yep. Burden of Dreams is one of the best films ever made about filmmaking and it's definitely strong enough to stand on its own (as even something as fascinating as Ingmar Bergman Makes a Movie probably isn't). This is obviously a minority opinion on this forum, but I actually think it's superior to its parent film.

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#14 Post by Faux Hulot » Tue Dec 07, 2004 2:33 am

zedz wrote:This is obviously a minority opinion on this forum, but I actually think it's superior to its parent film.
I agree with you completely about that. Maybe it's my documentarian bias showing, but to me Fitzcarraldo is brilliant and extravagant yet ultimately a failure, while Burden of Dreams is perfect as is.

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#15 Post by oldsheperd » Tue Dec 07, 2004 2:27 pm

Perhaps Criterion can borrow the license from Anchor Bay and get Fitzcarraldo. Anchor Bay did have Straw Dogs and they do have license of Time Bandits.

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#16 Post by Cinephrenic » Tue Dec 07, 2004 4:01 pm

Come on people, there is no point in Criterion releasing this film by its own. Is it really worthy to stand alone if most of it is on the making of Fitzcarraldo. They must have licenced Fitzcarraldo from Anchor Bay, and preparing a 2-disc release of the film.

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#17 Post by Tribe » Tue Dec 07, 2004 4:20 pm

Is it really worthy to stand alone if most of it is on the making of Fitzcarraldo. They must have licenced Fitzcarraldo from Anchor Bay, and preparing a 2-disc release of the film.
This makes the most sense. Criterion generally doesn't release "making of" documentaries as stand-alones. And in any event, this documentary, reagrdless of how well done it is (and I happen to like it alot), would simply be "lost" without the context of Fitzcarraldo.

John

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#18 Post by Cinephrenic » Tue Dec 07, 2004 4:33 pm

Besides, it has been five years since its street date, so maybe they got a shot at licensing it for release.

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#19 Post by oldsheperd » Tue Dec 07, 2004 4:39 pm

It would be nice. 2 disc set. Fitzcarraldo disc one. Audio commentary from the Anchor Bay disc. Second disc Burden of Dreams, Werner Herzog Eats his Shoe, Interviews, trailer, etc.

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#20 Post by Jeff » Tue Dec 07, 2004 7:58 pm

John wrote:Criterion generally doesn't release "making of" documentaries as stand-alones. And in any event, this documentary, reagrdless of how well done it is (and I happen to like it alot), would simply be "lost" without the context of Fitzcarraldo.
John
I really hope that you're right, John. I'd love a two-disc set of both films. I don't think that Burden of Dreams can be viewed as a traditional "making-of" doc, though. Like Hearts of Darkness, it stands on its own, and I can see Criterion releasing it that way.

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#21 Post by godardslave » Wed Dec 08, 2004 3:47 pm

maybe, just maybe, they will release a "documentary of films" box set. :wink:

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#22 Post by Harold Gervais » Fri Dec 10, 2004 12:36 pm

Burden of Dreams...yea!.....second best making-of documentary I've seen. Although the thing that caught my eye here and is making my credit card weep in advance of future abuse is the increased production slate to 40 titles a year. That a lot of great cinema.

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#23 Post by zedz » Tue Dec 14, 2004 4:47 pm

Whether or not Fitzcarraldo is involved, wouldn't it be terrific to have a Herzog commentary on Burden of Dreams?

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#24 Post by exte » Tue Dec 14, 2004 7:48 pm

Herzog's hilarious. "That was a good toss..." If anyone's seen Julien Donkey-Boy, you know how memorable he can be. A commentary together with Les Blank would be fantastic, though.

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#25 Post by Martha » Mon Feb 28, 2005 4:26 pm

For nearly five years, acclaimed German filmmaker Werner Herzog desperately tried to complete the most ambitious and difficult film of his career—Fitzcarraldo, the story of one man’s attempt to build an opera house deep in the Amazon jungle. Documentary filmmaker Les Blank captured the unfolding of this production, made all the more perilous by Herzog’s determination to shoot the most daunting scenes without models or special effects, including a sequence requiring hundreds of natives to pull a full-sized, 320-ton steamship over a small mountain. The result is an extraordinary document of the filmmaking process and a unique look into the single-minded passion of one of cinema’s most fearless directors.

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