After years of only marginal interest on my part (plus a few more years of the DVD kicking around in my Netflix queue) I finally got around to watching Werner Herzog's Even Dwarfs Started Small. I'm an enthusiastic Herzog fan and have seen many of his films and enjoyed them tremendously, but for some reason the notion of this one had never been terribly compelling to me. An "uncompromising allegory about the consequences of imprisonment and rebellion" and a "powerful statement about the repercussions of ostracism," as the Netflix sleeve tries to convince me? Perhaps. And perhaps my hero just wanted to show little people parading around with a live monkey tied to a cross. Los Olvidados shot from waist high. Visions of a "profound nightmare." Acknowledged, Herzog did take very good care of his actors.
In the commentary on the DVD, he says that he "fear(s) chickens because they are so stupid." The word "gloom" also comes up a lot, which, when he says it, sounds like "gluume." Herzog also says, "It's not that the midgets are monstrous, and that was a misunderstanding" ... "Some of the fiercest opposition ... was from the dogmatic left, which believed that this film depicted, was somehow, ridiculing and depicting the world revolution, which was failing, and was ending in destruction and catastrophes." Watching Even Dwarfs... with the director's commentary track rolling turned out to be the least ambivalence-producing experience for me, as it often happens that I find Herzog the lunatic, Herzog the creative force of nature, to be even more interesting than his films. Either way, Even Dwarfs... is filled with some arresting and beautifully photographed images. If you've visited my full-time Web home, My Castle of Quiet, you know that I appreciate a good DVD screen capture—so here are a few of my favorites from EDSS:
It really could have been a half hour or 45 minutes in length - insufferably long shots of the truck circling around (which he used again at the end of Stroszek). I didn't get the genius that is apparent in any of the Bruno S. or Kinski films. But I did like "Herzog eats his shoe' - wasn't that part of that disc?
Posted by: Dale | May 05, 2009 at 09:31 AM
The entire film is on youtube.
Posted by: MrD | May 05, 2009 at 01:00 PM
My friend just showed me snippets of this and I loved what I saw.
Posted by: Mr. Headphones | May 05, 2009 at 02:32 PM
Thanks MrD, that was most helpful!
Posted by: K. | May 05, 2009 at 04:29 PM
Yes, thanks! There are other full-length Herzog features on YouTube as well. Little Dieter Needs to Fly for one. How weird. I had no idea! I guess they've given up on DVD sales....
Posted by: Wm. | May 05, 2009 at 05:02 PM
Oh yeah, I just saw this a few weeks ago. Totally incredible. Love the part with the blind ones playing the rolling the ball at pots game and then swinging their sticks wildly.
Posted by: Nat Roe | May 05, 2009 at 05:19 PM
This movie is available in full on Youtubes new movie section.
Posted by: Me | May 05, 2009 at 08:57 PM
The greatest film of all time, hands down. To the suggestion that the long shots were "insufferable," I recommend growing an attention span. From the soundtrack to the dialogue to the bizarre sequence of happenings that little Hombre must laugh at, it simply doesn't get better than this.
And the DVD commentary track with Crispin Glover ain't bad, either.
Posted by: Jim | May 06, 2009 at 06:32 AM
I love every Herzog film I've seen - except this one. It's okay, just not my favorite. And to suggest to someone who doesn't share your elation about the film to try 'growing an attention span,' well, that's just small (pun intended).
Posted by: Dale | May 06, 2009 at 10:14 AM
Not my favorite Herzog, but still well worth a look. It can be tiresome, but I think that's part of the point. In any case, it's certainly full of unique and original images.
And I did like having Crispin Glover on the commentary, but that other film student-y guy that's on all the Herzog commentaries really bugs the f#ck out of me.
Posted by: snarfyguy | May 06, 2009 at 05:04 PM
Didn't FMU DJ/film-mixologist John Schnall (?) use one of the songs from this as his opening theme?
Posted by: Listener James from Westwood | May 06, 2009 at 05:27 PM
Calling something "insufferable" implies that it's equally tedious for everyone, which is clearly not the case here. I did enjoy the riposte, but in the future could you be a little less suggestive? I don't think the 3 year olds understood what you were referring to.
Citizen Kane has been called boring, as has 2001. I've seen all of Herzog's film, and I prefer this one to all others. Of course, I really don't think it's the greatest film of all time, but neither do I think it's "insufferable." Not by a long shot. Apart from snarky would-be film critics, who wouldn't be entertained by incessantly cackling midgets?
To say this film is a masterpiece would be understatement of the century.
Posted by: Jim | May 09, 2009 at 08:03 PM
I've been trying to find the music from this movie for years... I think it's at the closing of the movie possibly, I can't remember. Very haunting, fantastic music. Maybe a young female's voice chanting over the music? If anyone knows what I'm talking about, please fill me in. Thanks,
Jim
Posted by: Jim Herrington | May 11, 2009 at 04:15 PM
I invite anyone who feels that Even Dwarves Started Small is great and not boring (Jim and not Dale) to visit Cinemania and contribute to the discussion there. As the person who has been most vocal in that conversation, I am hoping to get some feedback on my thinking. Thank you, here's the link.
http://djardine.blogspot.com/2007/05/even-dwarfs-started-small-germany-1971.html#comments
Posted by: Ben Livant | July 08, 2009 at 06:35 PM