German Film Master Herzog: The measured pace of the world, "geeks"

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July 15, "civilization sigh - German documentary film master Herzog retrospective," concluded in Beijing. By the German Cultural Center Goethe Institute Beijing and Ullens Center for Contemporary Art Center, MOMA Contemporary Broadway Cinematheque in collaboration documentary screenings held in the last two months, a total of screenings of 27 films, many of them still the first in China Ying, involving "Creation and the end" "the beginning and end of language", "fighters and criminals," "take-off and fall" and "Werner Herzog on" and several other topics.

The screening process, the organizers specially invited Chinese documentary film director Li Yifan, Beijing Film Academy, Yang Hui, Zhang Xianmin and China Film Archive Teng Guoqiang together with the viewing audience, communication. Herzog, this strange name, along with screenings and discussions overwhelmed, gradually enter the Chinese audience perspective.

With the measured pace of the world, "geeks"

Herzog is the most clear-cut identity, "New German Cinema," one of four Lord. The mid-1970s, Herzog, Shilongduofu, Mercedes and other cultural director Fassbinder, promote post-war German film-making into a new climax. "Herzog subject to the artistic styles from three other directors have a very different, has its own unique value." Teng Guoqiang said, "As the film in the shape of those 'isolated' hero, as he himself is such a lonely artist. "

Herzog said: "Just because I was alone, but will also continue to work alone, it is difficult to put my film classified as a genre here." In his film, the hero is desperate lonely most of the rebel persons, their language is often confusing, it is this verbal defects so that they tortured, doomed their rebellion will fail. However, they do not give up, they go it alone, "like a manic and one wounded fighter."

1960, this self-taught director to leave Germany, began in the U.S. film-making, and in the international film set a good reputation. Swedish film director Ingmar Bergman has to Herzog's "man for himself, God, anti-people" as his "life of the ten best films to see one"; U.S. film director Francis * Coppola has a soft spot for Herzog's films, not only purchasing the right of projection many of his films, but also that he was filming "Apocalypse Now" and learn from Herzog in "God's anger "in the film riding a bamboo raft expedition along the Amazon River rafting lens means ... ...

Herzog has a strong experience of life. He has wrote in his memoirs: "I will have to do a photography college, I do not teach the students photography, I want to teach them to exercise every day, like a warrior, like his own training, in this natural fitness, develop their strong passion for living life. "he insisted from the beginning has been doing is hiking, he was hoping" the world with a measured pace, "person walking on earth, to experience life.

"So he wrote many such heroes, is to come up with the life force. Herzog film's subject matter or theme is often the ultimate experience, ultimate experience." Teng Guoqiang said.

Boundless strange images showing

As a hard-working, prolific film director Herzog in 1962, sold the first short film "Hercules" to the end of 2010 a new film, "Dream of the forgotten cave" came out 48 years, shooting nearly 60 films, including more than 40 documentaries, short films, literature film, television and science fiction. In addition, there are more than 10 Herzog strange subject matter, content, grotesque, rather their own unique artistic style of the feature film, Herzog film-making which is the most important and most parts of the soul.

"Herzog's film is often related to natural phenomena, whether Western or Eastern culture." Yang Hui said, "We often talk about human nature is a kind of cultural nature, such as the idyllic nature. But Herzog's image, we see that sense of intimacy, is replaced by troubles out of the city unite in the open. "

The Film Festival by screening a lot of the film, an expression of the Herzog constructed out of this vast mystery, even with a cruel, cold natural image. If the film "Land boating" that shape an uncivilized environment, without the slightest of modern civilization; "mirage" to show us the Sahara Desert in North Africa a lonely sight ... ... Herzog tried to use terror, not civilized nature to respond to human civilization, people in the face of nature was extremely small. But he has a lot in the film depicts an extreme hero, fighting with nature, trying to conquer nature. Yang Hui believes that Herzog's hero is his desperate now completely opposed to making sense of human beings, we have been making negative thinking, making the values ​​of civilization.

"Herzog has been completely negated the traditional Western culture, including Christianity, including the Enlightenment rationality." Screenings of the film "curse" on the story of a hero to lead the team of people frantic to find the legendary El Dorado, the Missionaries from the King to the ranks, and some people still like Jesus carrying the entire team to find El Dorado, and finally ended in failure. Movie guns and other modern Western industrial civilization can represent all the elements to show. In fact Herzog of Western civilization has been completely negative. The final outcome demonstrated, all are empty.

Chinese documentary: the need for more "Herzog element"?

Li Yi-fan said: "In China, Herzog is not understood, or not in many years has been respected, not promotion, because of his great experience and we are advocates of reform and opening up of elite culture is the contrary. "Herzog has said that China emphasized that the documentary back to the scene and experience the site, is a way of accounting-type records. He strongly opposed the creation of Certified Public Accountants in style, way to go to a pile of microscopic details, he tried to "touch directly through the phenomenon of nature, the nature of leaving the audience to see naked."

"Today the financial crisis, we face the world has broken into tiles, and like blog, microblogging, and other large web-based tools have joined the ranks of the accounting records, everyone in the debris narrative, we need also to try Heer Zuo format directly to the collision with a sense of the nature of it? Herzog's approach is not for us this rational, instrumental understanding of the world is a very important way to correct and supplement it? "Li Yifan in the creative process, further study is underway.

Herzog on the world regardless of where any of the events that occur have a high degree of sensitivity, and danger to the event to go shooting. For instance, he went on an island close to the Caribbean concept Chasufuli El volcano ready to go, risking their lives to observe the scene before the outbreak of the interview to stay on the island only an old man ... ... Teng Guoqiang said: " every moment of the world events with a high degree of sensitivity should have a documentary filmmaker and the pursuit of professional quality. "

In Herzog's film, we can often see used a lot of famous classical music as the soundtrack, and even the Mongolian long-tune. The late 1980s, Herzog has for several years was converted opera director, has directed over 20 Wagner, Mozart and other famous composers of opera. In addition, Herzog often essays the script, double producer. Teng Guoqiang commented: "Herzog is a multifaceted talent, he has many qualities that we Chinese director - both feature films and shoot a documentary film director should be cited as a model of."