Werner Herzog discusses climbing an active volcano in order to get the shot.  Although, as he puts it, he was merely playing “the blind lottery” and didn’t do it to “show bravado.”  Filmmakers and cinemaphiles tend to have strong opinions about Herzog; from positive to negative to genuinely amused to gravely concerned… and just about everything else in-between.  Often the topic of controversy is just as much about Herzog himself as it is his films and subjects.

For some deeper insight into the psyche of Herzog, Les Blank’s Burden of Dreams can’t be recommended enough.  One of the earlier feature length, making of-, behind-the-scenes documentaries, it chronicles Herzog’s production of Fitcarraldo, shot on-location in the Amazon.  No matter what you think of Herzog, you’ll almost certainly be entertained with Blank’s treatment (though you may finish it with more questions than answers regarding what makes Herzog tick).

This clip is part of a much bigger project by the National Film Board of Canada, directed by Pepita Ferrari.  Capturing Reality:  The Art of the Documentary is a series of interviews of some of the greatest documentary filmmakers alive.  From the NFB: “[filmmakers] offer insight into their craft while reflecting on the nature of representation and the perennially contested status of the truth.”

The NFB is really pushing the envelope of innovative new media on the project’s website.  There, the entire experience is interactive… clips are parsed into topic and filmmaker, all available on-demand. Furthermore, Robert Lepage’s original score plays quasi-randomly in the background – somehow making everything more cinematic than typical internet video browsing.  [For a similarly engaging project, check out the website for Standard Operating Procedure, the latest documentary by Errol Morris]. The entire uninterrupted film (including footage of the landmark films being discussed) can be viewed here, at sling.com.