ILLUSTRATION- PETER STRAIN
EVERYONE HAS AN IDEA OF WHAT WERNER HERZOG IS LIKE.
The filmmaker has travelled to the frozen ends of the Earth where the sun only sets in winter; he has battled Klaus Kinski’s wild ego in the oppressive heat of the Amazonian jungle. He has staged operas, dragged a ship over a mountain, and descended into a pitch-black cave to film prehistoric paintings in 3D. He has stood inside a volcano as it erupted, emerging sooty and sweaty but alive, and eaten his own shoe after losing a bet. There is no one like Werner Herzog — his existence attracts parodies of a number usually reserved for American Presidents. But what is Werner Herzog like, as told by Werner Herzog?