A Werner Herzog Christmas

December 20, 2010 10:11 AM

Werner Herzog Reads Twas The Night Before Christmas. Previously in the series, Werner Herzog Reads Where's Waldo, Werner Herzog Reads Madeline, Werner Herzog Reads Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel, and Werner Herzog Reads Curious George. Covered previously on Mefi: 1, 2, and 3.

(OK, not really Herr Herzog, but homages by Ryan Iverson.)

posted by kmz (15 comments total)

thank you for this.
posted by clavdivs at 10:15 AM on December 20, 2010

These are amazing. Thank you.

Also equally amazing: Werner Herzog narrates the life of a plastic bag.
posted by bloody_bonnie at 10:25 AM on December 20, 2010 [2 favorites]

"It is not a significant clatter."
posted by Zozo at 10:30 AM on December 20, 2010 [1 favorite]

"He is barely larger than the children he serves."
posted by Corduroy at 10:35 AM on December 20, 2010

Very good, reminds me again of John Malkovich reading Twas the Night Before Christmas.
posted by phirleh at 10:36 AM on December 20, 2010

Christopher Walken reads Goodnight Moon, on The Simpsons.
posted by filthy light thief at 10:42 AM on December 20, 2010

Am I the only person that thinks this doesn't sound much like Herzog? He seems to miss all the nuances that make Herzog's voice so interesting.
posted by corey le fou at 10:58 AM on December 20, 2010

Did anyone flash on the vision of a Herzog TV special, with Klaus Kinski as The Grinch?
posted by adipocere at 11:20 AM on December 20, 2010

Herzog's own stories are much less believable.
posted by benzenedream at 11:43 AM on December 20, 2010

Am I the only person that thinks this doesn't sound much like Herzog?

Oh no, not at all. It's just a existential german man speaking quietly and making children's stories depressing. That is enough for me.
posted by The Devil Tesla at 12:04 PM on December 20, 2010

I still love Speed Dating With Werner Herzog and Special Guest Björk (extended version).
posted by maudlin at 12:17 PM on December 20, 2010 [3 favorites]

As I noted before I don't like these because they sound absolutely nothing like Werner Herzog. Would people settle for a fake Orson Welles reading something? Or a fake James Earl Jones? And if someone did would they not at the very least expect the voice to sound similar enough to Welles or Jones to trick us into thinking it might be them?

Why not just say - as The Devil Tesla note - that these are an "existential german man speaking quietly and making children's stories depressing". [Obviously, they would not get as many YouTube hits. But still].
posted by Rashomon at 1:51 PM on December 20, 2010

I think we have a winner for today's December Post of the Day competition.
posted by UbuRoivas at 2:32 PM on December 20, 2010

In case anybody hasn't seen it yet, here's Herzog brings us Jackass for intellectuals.
posted by UbuRoivas at 2:34 PM on December 20, 2010

Sadly, I too fall on the "would be so much better if this were actually a good Werner Herzog impersonation" side of things. I love the concept of these, and always want to enjoy them, but then I always wind up sighing with disappointment at my renewed modest hopes being dashed yet again.

Which, come to think of it, is fairly Herzog-esque...
posted by scody at 2:36 PM on December 20, 2010