Fitzcarraldo: towing a ship up a mountain.

[Greenheart]

I was watching that chap Bruce Parry, on his Amazon-travels show, on 'Dave'.

Reminded me of Werner Herzog's amazing film about a mad nineteenth century Irishman, named Fitzgerald, a name which the South Americans can best pronounce as "Fitzcarraldo". Brilliantly played by Klaus Kinski.

In order to harvest an up-river rubber plantation, he recruits thousands of locals to tug his ship up, over a hill, to circumnavigate the rapids. Great film, well worth a look when it comes up on Film4.

Here's the article on it: http://www.dga.org/Craft/DGAQ/All-Articles/0703-Fall-2007/Shot-To-Remember-Fitzcarraldo.aspx

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[Beadle]

When I sold my last boat the transporter that carried her away had a tractor unit named Fitzcarraldo.

I often wondered where the name came from

Amd now I know.

 

[DaveRo]

'Burden of Dreams' - about the making of Fitzcarraldo, is pretty good too.

And look out for 'Aguirre, the Wrath of God' too - my second-favourite film.

 

[laika]

Sadly not all instances involving Kinski and boats interacting with the element of earth were fictional

 

[KenMcCulloch]

One of my favourite films.

 

[Roberto]

I took a trip down the Peruvian Amazon from Pucallpa to Iquitos on the remaining one of the two ships that were built for the movie, it was then called Jhuliana (94-95); I had booked Kinsky cabin but it was so hot and full of spiders I slept on the hammocks outside

Puzzingly, captain and crews all used pink nail varnish on their toes, and told stories of Sendero Luminoso gangs attacks on the ship a few years earlier.

nice memories