And I said to him, 'Man, relax.'

September 15, 2010 6:33 PM

"When Herzog Rescued Phoenix", an animated short of Werner Herzog's account of rescuing Joaquin Phoenix from a car crash, from Sascha Ciezata, the creator of "When Lynch Met Lucas". (SLYT post, technically, but there's a true story behind that.)
posted by Doktor Zed (21 comments total)

There seems to be literally no end to amazing stories that involve Werner Herzog. He is Chuck Norris, but the facts are true.
posted by gwint at 6:39 PM on September 15, 2010 [6 favorites]

Flipping through the channels last night, I came across David Lynch talking at length about his beloved TM. It was really great television.

And then I realized what show I was watching: Last Call with Carson Daly. Whuhhh? When did that show become less than completely shitty?

Anyway, you were saying something about Werner Herzog?
posted by Sys Rq at 6:50 PM on September 15, 2010 [1 favorite]

When the accident occurred I don't think Phoenix had the done the crazy beard/sunglasses look yet, though I suspect some artistic license as it helps make the animated Phoenix more recognizable.
posted by bobo123 at 6:52 PM on September 15, 2010

Werner Herzog is such a badass. Somoeone should make an animated short about the time he got shot.
posted by lexicakes at 7:01 PM on September 15, 2010

Okay, now, watching Herzog's almost too colourful account of those events, I'm reminded of a fat wad of reckless conjecture I nearly posted in the last Joaquin Phoenix thread (totes still open, btw) regarding his dubious documentary:

Joaquin Phoenix, yeah? D'you think he and Casey Affleck might have ties to Leonardo DiCaprio? 'Cause, like, you know who's a friend of Leo's? This guy. ADDENDUM: You know who's friends with Leo and that guy? This guy, who is also closely linked to none other than one Mr. Werner Herzog.
posted by Sys Rq at 7:18 PM on September 15, 2010

fwiw, Werner Herzog & Errol Morris and, for no particular reason, David Attenborough meets Richard Dawkins :P that is all!
posted by kliuless at 7:49 PM on September 15, 2010 [1 favorite]

oicwutudidthere :P cheers!
posted by kliuless at 7:56 PM on September 15, 2010

I worship Werner Herzog more and more with each passing day. He is so low-key about it all.
posted by OolooKitty at 7:59 PM on September 15, 2010

Well, now Lynch can finally hear the whole story.
posted by punchdrunkhistory at 8:31 PM on September 15, 2010 [1 favorite]

That's hilarious and through it I found even more hilarity
Auto Maintenance With Werner and Special Guests Joaquin Phoenix and Klaus Kinski
Speed Dating With Werner Herzog and Special Guest Björk .
posted by melissam at 9:17 PM on September 15, 2010 [1 favorite]

-Herzog recalls that during the making of Fitzcarraldo, local Indians came to him with an offer to kill Kinski for him-
I needed Kinski for a few more shots, so I turned them down. I have always regretted that I lost that opportunity."

-from: something I couldnt quite remember and found it on the internet.
posted by clavdivs at 10:02 PM on September 15, 2010 [1 favorite]

Someone should make a movie about that time Werner Herzog promised - as encouragement - he'd eat his own shoe if Errol Morris completed Gates of Heaven and Morris totally did and Herzog totally did!

What's that?

Ok, well, somebody should make a film about that time Herzog was making a film wherein the lead character has a bunch of natives drag an old steamship over a steep hill in the middle of the Amazon and Herzog stages, literally, the same feat in making the movie.

...

I love Werner Herzog. And Les Blank. I never get tired of watching his monologue from Burden of Dreams.

And somebody SHOULD make a short film/animation about the time Herzog walked from Munich to Paris to see his deathly-ill friend Lotte Eisner.

Oh, and I loved the animated short from the OP :)
posted by BoatMeme at 10:18 PM on September 15, 2010

gwint: There seems to be literally no end to amazing stories that involve Werner Herzog. He is Chuck Norris, but the facts are true.

Indeed. Sometimes, they're even caught on video: Werner Herzog gets shot by LA sniper during interview
posted by joedan at 10:20 PM on September 15, 2010 [1 favorite]

ha! "But it's not a really ... it's not a significant bullet ...."
posted by mannequito at 10:47 PM on September 15, 2010

"it's not a significant bullet ...."

Kermode still brings that up to this day... I think it's like one of the most interesting things that's ever happened to him. Of course to Hertzog it's just like nothing.
posted by fearfulsymmetry at 4:25 AM on September 16, 2010 [1 favorite]

It's unfortunate that the piece is laced with interlace artifacts.
posted by bz at 7:36 AM on September 16, 2010

After I saw Mulholland Dr. and The Phantom Menace, I felt that Lucas and Lynch had followed entirely parallel paths.
posted by bonobothegreat at 7:41 AM on September 16, 2010

I kind of wish he would have saved River instead.
posted by HumanComplex at 8:21 AM on September 16, 2010

Where can we actually see the film?
posted by flyawaygal at 9:26 AM on September 16, 2010

...which, for those of you interested in this story, you can read about in Of Walking In Ice. It's great! Imagine The Road, minus the cannibals, plus Werner Herzog, in journal form.

Thanks for the pointer, I didn't realize that existed. Ordered!
posted by BoatMeme at 10:08 AM on September 16, 2010

Werner Herzog's personal life never ceases to amaze me, but after Incident at Loch Ness, I'm never sure when he's pulling our leg with this stuff. Which just makes him more awesome.
posted by KingEdRa at 11:46 AM on September 16, 2010 [1 favorite]