I'm 3 movies into the Herzog/Kinski set, and oh my heaven.

Talk about some great, engrossing films! This man is great! Are all his films as good, or am I setting myelf up?

And people talk of Kubrick? Herzog's seems to run circles around him. I never though foriegn films could be so great!

I wouldn't rank Herzog over Kubrick, but at his peak Herzog's films feel truly alive, and that's one of the best compliments I can pay any movie. Like Kubrick, he seems 'obsessed' by stories of madmen, perpetual outsiders and those who go against natural forces and the grain of life. He is an excellent example, like many other master directors, of using symbol and metaphor in an organic way, as storytelling itself.

Why is there a question mark in the thread title? It should read: "Herzog: A Master!" While I also wouldn't rank him above Kubrick, he is a truly amazing filmmaker. While not all of his films are incredible (I could never get into Even Dwarfs Started Small), his good films are SO good. I was lucky enough to have the pleasure of seeing him for several nights in Los Angeles when the American Cinematheque did a series on him. A very intelligent and insightful man, also very personable.

Acutally some of Kubrick's work ranks below Herzog's (in my book)... I just think that Kubrick's films speak to the American market better than Herzog's (which definately has a strong German feel).

"alive" is a good word. I've seen three of the Kinski ones (Nos, Aqu. and Fitz) and these things not only have a great sense of realism to them, but he makes any cinema "film-school" shots very subtle. So it actually LOOKS like a real documentry.

Unusal themes, lack of "in your face" soundtrack, these things are a treat.

What of his non-Kinski movies would you recommend?

Give Stroszek a look....Watch out for the ending though

here are some thoughts on herzog that i recently posted on another forum that i frequent:

Definately give Heart of Glass & Enigma of Kaspar Hauser a try for non-Kinski films. The Heart of Glass still resonates long after I have seen it.

Aguirre: The Wrath of God & Fitzcarraldo are still his masterpieces though.

Kefrank

Exactly!!!!

I'm so sick of "art film/stlyle/camera angles/mood/shadows/colors/compositions" etc. of all things that film critics and fans think make a good film.

sitting back and watching these, it's like "yes", this is how I like my movies.

I've read that some think Herzog has declined latley. that's too bad.

My favorite Non-Kinski film is Stroszek, which is my second favorite Herzog film.

I also recommend Even Dwarfs Started Small, you'll never see another film quite like it.

I love Herzog. Bless Anchor Bay.

Favorite would have to be Aguirre, followed by Woyczek

By the way, is 1.33:1 OAR for Aguirre? I presume it is because the rest in the box set are letterboxed, but I just wanted to double check if anyone knew for sure.

1.33:1 is indeed the correct aspect ratio for Aguirre.

Herzog has not declined as of late. I recently saw his latest film, Invincible, with Tim Roth, and it is outstanding. It's a pre-Holocaust film (when the Nazis were just gaining power in Germany) and it's a true story of a Jewish strong man who for a short time became like Samson for the Jews in Germany. Interesting that this and The Pianist came out in the same year. I'm usually not very happy with Holocaust movies, but both of those were excellent.

According to IMDb, the original aspect ratio is 1.37 : 1

and IMDB is always accurate!

heh, anyway, i would think a difference in aspect ratio of 0.04 is fairly negligible. the overscan on your tv is possibly more than that for a ~4:3 image.