Visually, this is a stunning film with incredible cinematography of the South American jungles--especially the scene in the rapids. Though the team of Werner Herzog (director) and Klaus Kinsky (lead actor) also teamed up for another Peruvian jungle film (Aguirre: The Wrath of God) just a few years earlier, this film is MUCH more beautifully filmed--as if the prior film allowed Herzog to learn and perfect his craft for the later film. Plus, I found the overall experience more interesting and involving than AGUIRRE. About the only drawback is that at times I felt a bit disconnected from the main character, Fitzcarraldo. I was fascinated by his actions but ultimately didn't really care ABOUT him. While this isn't necessary for a film to be good, it did prevent me from giving the film a slightly higher rating. HOWEVER, this film deserves major kudos for being different and for all the trouble it took to film.

Also, if you do see the film, also try to see the documentary "Burden of Dreams"--a making of feature for "Fitzcarraldo". When you do see it, you learn just how difficult it was to make the film--as if the production was somehow cursed because so many problem occur trying to get the picture completed--such as the loss of the original leading man, Jason Robards.

'Fitzcarraldo' has two main interest points. One is that it's directed by Werner Herzog, a very talented film-maker with a lot of great films. The second is that it stars Klaus Kinski, a commanding, larger than life and quite great if notoriously volatile actor who could be seen at his best in his collaborations with Herzog.

Its setting, that it features operatic music sung by great voices including one of the greatest and most influential singers to ever live in Enrico Caruso (speaking as a huge lifelong opera fan) and the unforgettable images of the boat are further interests. To me, while perhaps not as ground-breaking or influential as 'Aguirre Wrath of God' (a crowning achievement of German cinema) as far as Herzog's films go, 'Fitzcarraldo' is his masterpiece. It may be lengthy and paced at a deliberately slow pace, but neither are bad things here. There are so many memorable things to captivate and the pacing proved necessary.

Of all Herzog's films, 'Fitzcarraldo' is one of his most visually beautiful. It's exquisitely photographed with Amazonian scenery to take the breath away, while there are some unforgettably striking images here like with the boat. The music is an ideal fit and works very well on its own too, standing out in particular is the grandiose and beautiful use of operatic excerpts with Caruso's singing especially enough to take one's breath away and make even the most cynical tear up.

As ever, Herzog delivers on the substance as well as the style, while the script is cohesive and works well, with a surprising subtle quirkiness too, and the story is both uplifting and inspiring with an eccentric central character that one roots for.

Klaus Kinski gives an as ever imperious performance that is among his best, the intensity burning on the screen while also allowing some poignant subtlety. Claudia Cardinale is similarly tremendous.

In conclusion, masterful film and Herzog's masterpiece. 10/10 Bethany Cox

FITZCARRALDO is the second outing for German director Werner Herzog and star Klaus Kinski to feature them to venture into the Amazon jungle on a "heart of darkness" type trip. However, the setting aside, the two films couldn't be more different. This is based, incredibly, on the true story of an eccentric who decided to take a ship over the mountains, and how said endeavour came about. It's a slow and lengthy production that nonetheless grips thanks to it being so well made. The photography is excellent, the performances similarly so (Kinski has never been so involved in his materia, or as convincing),the atmosphere one of brooding and mystery and the human spirit. FITZCARRALDO is an immersive cinematic experience that celebrates the very joy of the medium and gives Herzog a chance to explore all of his usual obsessions: madness, obsession, colonialism, inhospitable terrain, myth and legend, the nature of reality, man's attempts to master his world, and indigenous societies. It's a one-of-a-kind production.