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Here the latest, and in my humble opinion, the best trailer so far for German director Werner Herzog’s upcoming film, Rescue Dawn. Herzog has strayed away from fictional features in recent years, possibly due to the immensely disappointing Invincible. Instead, he stuck to exploring oddities in the human condition through the art of documentary, with Grizzly Man being a fascinating account of one man’s salvation through an endangering bond with wild bears.
Rescue Dawn is actually loosely based on one of his documentaries, Little Dieter Needs to Fly, tracing the story of a pilot shot down during the Vietnam war and imprisoned for months, only to scrape to escape. In this fictionalised account, the ever wonderful Christian Bale plays the protagonist in thick American drawl, and utmost intensity.
But of course, the real conflict isn’t between Yanks and Vietnamese, but between man and nature. As is said in the trailer, “the jungle is the prison”, and I expect much of the movie to concern the journey home, as opposed to the action-packed jail-break. Herzog has always been best when filming in the jungle, so here’s hoping the film does well.
Rescue Dawn is released on March 30.
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Matt McCarty said
January 29 2007 @ 5:34 pm
First of all, I consider myself a very big fan of Herzog.
Secondly, I don’t like the trailer at all. It’s much too conventional, though maybe that’s what it needs to be so it brings in the drooling crowds with their fat wallets. I really hope the actual film is very different from the trailer, and I am 99.9% certain that it will be. Werner is definately not a man of conventions. The trailer makes me think it will be a cross between Behind Enemy Lines and the Deer Hunter. I highly doubt the end product will resemble either of those films in the slightest, but I have been let down before.
Thirdly, I definately agree that more than likely, very little of the movie will take place before Dieter’s eventual escape into the jungle.
Eoin said
January 30 2007 @ 8:24 am
hmmm… a cross between Behind Enemy Lines and Deer Hunter would make it an average film overall.
I don’t blame the distribution company for trying to make it look thrilling. I’d love to see a Herzog movie get commercial success, enabling him to do whatever he wants next.
Lorin said
January 31 2007 @ 3:47 pm
Doesn’t Herzog already do whatever he wants anyway?
Eoin said
January 31 2007 @ 6:40 pm
Pretty much, Lorin, but with a it of success behind him he’d have money thrown in front of him a bit more. Sure, he goes for whatever he’s interested in, but a bit of financial back-up makes things go a lot smoother.
Peter Nellhaus said
February 1 2007 @ 4:07 am
If “Rescue Dawn” is a success, Hollywood logic would dictate that Herzog remake another of his films. Next up, “Every Man for Himself, and God against All” starring Will Farrell or better yet, a remake of one of the films Herzog did with raving lunatic Klaus Kinski, like “Aguirre, the Wrath of God” starring raving lunatic Mel Gibson.
Eoin said
February 1 2007 @ 8:42 am
Thank god Werner owns the rights to his movies, and can say no.
I’d love to see Fitzcarraldo with Steve Martin!