Werner Herzog Interview
18
Nov
2009
With the awesomeness of Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans (our review) opening in many theaters this week and expanding steadily over the next few weeks, I wanted to share this great interview from Collider with the great Werner Herzog.
The film itself is fantastic and absurd bad-assery. Herzog takes Cage and harnesses his outlandish energy to the most positive. This is one of the better films of the year and I love hearing this unique director talk about this work.
Here are the cliffs:
- I tell him how much I loved the movie and ask when did he come up with the movie. Talks about how fast this project came together.
- I tell him thank you for bringing the great Nic Cage back and we talk about his performance.
- Talks about how most of the movie was done on just a few takes. Also how he didn’t shoot a lot of coverage..
- Did he delete a lot of footage and does he like extended cuts on DVD.
- What did it mean to have 2 films in Toronto. He says it meant more to have 2 films in Venice.
- What’s up with My Son, My Son, What Have You Done.
- 8:15 – What is he going to do next. Gives a great answer.
- Says he has 5 or 6 feature film projects and 2 or 3 documentary projects he wants to do.
- Does he want to do doc than feature and back again. How does he pick.
- What does he think of digital filmmaking and 3D.
- I try and find out what he is going to do next and he says he is about to leave for Jordan to see if a film he is planning is doable but doesn’t want to talk specifics until he knows if it is.
“There is no ‘OK’ Nic Cage.”
“3D…would distract from quality of storytelling” – YES!

















Anyway, I don’t think that there is a filmmaker I find more interesting to listen to talk than Werner Herzog, although I found most of the questions in this interview not very engaging. Oh, and I’d love to here Herzog’s thoughts on fellow German filmmaker Uwe Boll. That’s a question I want to hear asked.
Comment by Jonathan B. — November 18, 2009
Comment by Jay C. — November 18, 2009
Comment by Marina Antunes — November 18, 2009
both a transcript and and abridged youtube video of the 2nd TIFF screening.
Comment by Kurt — November 19, 2009
Comment by derek — November 29, 2009