in 1987 . Photo: Dr. Eugen Lehle
Fitzcarraldo is considered one of the most difficult productions in the history of cinema. In his autobiographical film
Portrait Werner Herzog (1986), Herzog said that he concentrated in
Fitzcarraldo on the physical effort of transporting the ship, partly inspired by the engineering feats of ancient
standing stones. The film production was an incredible ordeal, and famously involved moving a 320-ton steamship over a hill. This was filmed without the use of special effects. Herzog believed that no one had ever performed a similar feat in history, and likely never will again, calling himself "Conquistador of the Useless". Two similar-looking ships were bought for the production and used in different scenes and locations, including scenes that were shot aboard the ship while it crashed through rapids. The most violent scenes in the rapids were shot with a model of the ship.
Jason Robards was originally cast in the title role, but he became ill with
dysentery after completing forty percent of the film and was subsequently forbidden by his doctors to return to Peru to finish. Herzog considered replacing Robards with
Jack Nicholson, or playing Fitzcarraldo himself, before
Klaus Kinski, with whom Herzog had worked on three previous films, accepted the role. Due to the delay in production,
Mario Adorf was no longer available to play the role of the ship's captain, which was recast, and
Mick Jagger had to leave to tour with
the Rolling Stones, so Herzog wrote the character of Fitzcarraldo's assistant Wilbur out of the script. Kinski displayed erratic behavior throughout the production and fought virulently with Herzog and other members of the crew. A scene from Herzog's documentary about the actor,
My Best Fiend (1999), shows Kinski raging at production manager
Walter Saxer over such matters as the quality of the food. Herzog has noted that the native extras were greatly upset by the actor's behavior, while Kinski claimed to feel close to them. In
My Best Fiend, Herzog says that one of the native chiefs offered, in all seriousness, to kill Kinski for him, but that he declined because he needed the actor to complete filming. According to Herzog, he exploited these tensions. For example, in a scene in which the ship's crew is eating dinner while surrounded by the natives, the clamor the chief incites over Fitzcarraldo was inspired by actual hatred of Kinski. Locations used in the film include:
Manaus, Brazil;
Iquitos, Peru;
Pongo de Mainique, Peru; and an
isthmus between the
Urubamba and Camisea rivers in Peru (at 11° 44′ 18″ S, 72° 56′ 12″ W, 36 miles west of the actual
Isthmus of Fitzcarrald). Herzog's first version of the story was published as
Fitzcarraldo: The Original Story (1982) by Fjord Press (). He made alterations while writing the screenplay.
Deaths, injuries and accusations of exploitation There were numerous accusations against the production, especially regarding Indians being injured and killed. While there were some injuries during the shooting, none of them were directly related to the production, according to Herzog in the book
Werner Herzog – A Guide for the Perplexed: Conversations with Paul Cronin. In the movie one can see Indian workers seemingly getting trapped under the ship while hauling it over the hillside, apparently with fatal consequences. However, in the documentary about the film production, one can see these persons jumping up laughing after shooting the scene. The accusations about deaths therefore have no basis. Two small plane crashes occurred during the film's production, which resulted in a number of injuries, including one case of paralysis. Another incident involved a local Peruvian logger who, after being bitten by a venomous snake, amputated his own foot with a chainsaw so as to prevent the spread of the venom, thus saving his life. Herzog has been accused of exploiting Indians during the making of the film, and comparisons have been made between Herzog and Fitzcarraldo himself. In 1982, Michael F. Brown, now a professor of anthropology at
Williams College, claimed in the magazine
The Progressive that, while Herzog originally got along with the
Aguaruna people, some of whom were hired as extras and laborers, relations deteriorated when Herzog began the construction of a village on Aguaruna land. He allegedly failed to consult the tribal council and attempted to obtain protection from the local militia when the tribe turned violent. Aguaruna men burned down the film set in December 1979, reportedly careful to avoid casualties, and it took Herzog many months to find another suitable location. The rumors and accusations eventually made Herzog so exhausted that he contacted Amnesty International to invite them to examine the conditions for the Indians during the production. According to the conversations with Paul Cronin, the Amnesty report found no evidence of exploitation or bad conditions for the Indian workers. ==Music==