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Fitzcarraldo
1982 157 min Germany, Peru PG 12+
★7.8
Drama, Adventure
Director: Werner Herzog
Trailers
EN
EN
Description
Fitzcarraldo is a dreamer who plans to build an opera house in Iquitos, in the Peruvian Amazon, so, in order to finance his project, he embarks on an epic adventure to collect rubber, a very profitable product, in a remote and unexplored region of the rainforest.
Budget:
$7.36M
Starring
Klaus Kinski
Actor
Claudia Cardinale
Actor
José Lewgoy
Actor
Awards
San Sebastián International Film Festival 1982
— OCIC Award
Cannes Film Festival 1982
— Best Director
Cannes Film Festival 1982
— Palme d'Or
Golden Globe 1983
— Best International Feature Film
BAFTA 1983
— Best International Feature Film
Key opinion
Werner Herzog's Fitzcarraldo is widely regarded as a cinematic achievement defined by its extreme, authentic production and the volatile intensity of Klaus Kinski's performance. While the film is praised for its ambition, historical depth, and unique blend of documentary realism, its challenging length and slow, meditative pace are divisive points of critique.
| Acting | Klaus Kinski delivers a masterful, maniacal performance that perfectly captures the protagonist's obsessive, dream-driven nature. | |
| Production | Herzog's refusal to use special effects, opting to physically haul a massive steamship over a mountain, results in an unmatched sense of scale and authentic, documentarian realism. | |
| Theme | The film functions as a profound, mythic exploration of human will, idealism, and the boundary between rational society and impossible dreams. | |
| Pacing | The three-hour runtime and deliberate, linear pacing are viewed by some as an immersive, epic experience, while others find the film monotonous, exhausting, and difficult to watch. | |
| Screenplay | While the narrative is celebrated for its singular focus on ambition, some viewers find the plot sparse and the protagonist's self-absorbed nature makes him an unlikeable, frustrating figure. |