Burden of Dreams captures legendary director Werner Herzog’s filming of his most ambitious film, Fitzcarraldo, in which an entrepreneur endeavours to push a steamship over a mountain to build an opera house in the Amazon jungle, one thousand miles away from civilization.
Featuring visceral interviews with Herzog, Burden of Dreams depicts the full range of Herzog’s unflinching vision, spanning four years of production despite all odds, including the lead actor leaving the set after 40% of the shoot was complete, and ultimately being replaced by Herzog’s muse, Klaus Kinski. Most notoriously, the film features a jaw-dropping sequence where Herzog ropes in hundreds of native Campa, Machiguenga, and Aguaruna people to pull a full-size, 320-ton steamship over a small mountain. The result is an extraordinary document of the filmmaking process and a unique look into the single-minded mission of one of cinema’s most fearless directors.
Restoration CreditÂ
The 4K restoration was executive produced by Harrod Blank, with restoration by Anthony Matt, audio restoration by Nick Bergh, colour by Paul Cope and new subtitles by Maureen Gosling. It was re-released in 2024 by Argot Pictures.
