Film: “Burden of Dreams” at Film Forum

Ever have one of those days when nothing seems to go right? Multiply that by four years of bad days, and you’ll get some idea of the woes director Werner Herzog faced when making his award-winning film “Fitzcarraldo” in the early 1980s.

The production of the film is the subject of “Burden of Dreams,” Les Blank’s 1983 documentary which has been given a 4k restoration and is now playing at Film Forum NYC. As we see, the idea of making a film about an Irish rubber baron determined to build an opera house in the Amazon became more of a burden than a dream.

Casting was an issue from the get-go. Herzog was able to get Jason Robards and—wait for it—Mick Jagger as the film’s leads; unfortunately both had to bow out due to illness and scheduling conflicts. This set production back two years.

To replace the ailing Robards, Herzog hired Klaus Kinski, an actor with whom he previously clashed. This collaboration fared no better. When shooting was nearly complete, the chief of the Machigugenga tribe, whose members were used extensively as extras, asked Herzog if they should kill Kinski for him. Herzog declined.

Once production resumed, and the location was moved hundreds of miles down the Amazon, bad weather sparked delays that lasted for months. The plot called for a 320-ton steamship to be hauled up a steep hill. Herzog had his crew attempt to do it, leading to multiple injuries.

While watching “Burden,” you may not know whether to laugh or cry at this comedy of errors. But Herzog remains stalwart throughout, even though he admitted feeling so defeated afterward, he vowed to leave the industry. Fortunately he did not. Indeed, “Fitzcarraldo” picked up multiple industry nominations —for a BAFTA, a Palme d’Or and a Golden Globe.

Meanwhile, making “Burden of Dreams” did exhaust Les Blank and his crew. By the last week of the shoot, he was so burnt out by the antics of Herzog and Kinski that he feared he would come out of production "like some Viet Nam veterans, horribly calloused.” He wrote in his journal: "I'm tired of it all and I couldn't care less if they move the stupid ship – or finish the f*cking film." Nevertheless, “Burden” received a British Academy Film Award for Best Documentary in 1983.

Like “Hearts of Darkness: A Filmmaker's Apocalypse,” the 1991 documentary about the making of “Apocalypse Now,” Burden of Dreams” illustrates the troubles filmmakers face when lofty dreams clash with harsh realities. Worth a trip to West Houston Street.

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