Little Dieter Needs to Fly
Werner Herzog / DEUZE, GB, FR, 1997 / 78 min.
Dieter Dengler seems to be a typical Herzog hero: an undaunted dreamer at the edge of madness. But Dengler – a fighter pilot in the Vietnam War – really existed. Nine years after making this documentary, Herzog would adapt his astonishing story for the feature film Rescue Dawn.
Dieter Dengler grew up in the Black Forest, where during World War II he saw an enemy aircraft zoom low over his parents’ house. From that moment on, one thing was clear to the young boy; he would become a pilot. This dream takes him to the United States, where he participates as a jet fighter pilot in the Vietnam War. When his plane is shot down, he finds himself in a nightmare situation, undergoing months of captivity, torture and exhaustion.
Images © Werner Herzog Film
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Special screenings
Details
Director
Werner Herzog
Production year
1997
Country
DEUZE, GB, FR
Original title
Little Dieter Needs to Fly
Length
78 min.
Language
English
Subtitles
NONE
Format
DCP
Part of
Werner Herzog
Eye Filmmuseum presents an exhibition and extensive film programme around the work of celebrated filmmaker Werner Herzog. With an unorthodox oeuvre of more than seventy features, documentaries and shorts, Herzog has fascinated audiences with unforgettable stories, images and characters for more than half a century. His films grant us insights into the relationship between people and the chaotic world around them, as well as into the endless indifference of nature towards human life.
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