It’s ironic that, in my 10th year of doing the “Movie a Week” column, not only was I on point with regards to keeping up with the stated idea of reviewing an older movie a week more often than not, but that I also feel like, moving forward, it might be in my best interest to not stress over keeping up with it in 2019. The reason is simple- I have so much more I am doing with Sonic Cinema than I had when I began this column in 2009. I have big ideas for the podcast to keep me more than busy. I have a Patreon subscription I’m doing to build the fanbase, and bring in money in a more satisfying manner than just trying to put ads on the side. And, as a new member of the Georgia Film Critics Association, modern movies are looking to occupy more of my time, along with me branching out to other interests that will hopefully further build Sonic Cinema’s readership.
All of that being said, I will still maintain this space for reviewing older films- I just will not be forcing the “movie a week” portion of it. If I don’t get to a movie, I don’t get to it; if I miss a week, it happens. The structure of the column will fundamentally be the same- each year will be bookended by a filmmaker, and some film choices will be dictated by recent releases, while others will be ones I’ve wanted to review for a while. I love that I’ve given myself an opportunity to watch movies from the past, whether it’s something I’ve long wanted to discuss, or something I’m seeing for the first time, and I hope it’s something you’ve enjoyed reading, as well.
FYI. If you’re interested in my Patreon, as well as enjoy the reviews like I’ve done for “Movie a Week,” all level of patrons have started to receive early-access reviews for older films. Sometimes they are reviews of movies I’ve watched for a particular episode of the podcast, sometimes they are just movies I’ve wanted to write about. These reviews will find themselves on Sonic Cinema 3-4 weeks later, usually, but for patrons, they are made available at the time they are written. My goal is to do at least one of these a month for patrons.
This year was a wonderful collection of movies I’d previously seen, as well as new discoveries from great filmmakers I was already familiar with. This was probably my favorite rundown of movies for this column since the first year’s selections in 2009. From finally watching Orson Welles’s “Chimes at Midnight” to discovering the power of “The World According to Garp.” From finally seeing Pam Grier in her exploitation days to finally writing about the sensual delights of “Belle de Jour.” From trying to articulate my admiration rather than adoration of “Brazil” to realizing “Lara Croft: Tomb Raider” does not hold up. From watching Warren Beatty’s political epic, “Reds,” to finally seeing Stanley Kubrick’s first film. From rewatching one of Truffaut’s oddest films to rediscovering the fire in one of Spike Lee’s best. From looking at “Forrest Gump” with needed perspective to finally watching a film that my generation adores. From accepting a long-favored Kevin Smith comedy’s flaws to finding unparalleled beauty in a Miyazaki masterpiece, 2018 had some great movie experiences in this column, and that’s not counting finally watching Martin Scorsese’s most bizarre film, or the singular oddity coming from our bookend director this year, Werner Herzog.
I hope you enjoy what I have to offer you in the coming year, and we close 2018 with one of Herzog’s most famous documentaries, “Little Dieter Needs to Fly”. I hope you enjoy!
Viva La Resistance!
Brian Skutle, www.sonic-cinema.com
“Little Dieter Needs to Fly” (1997)– A
Werner Herzog is the greatest director to move between feature films and documentaries of all-time. Yes, Martin Scorsese and Spike Lee have made great documentaries, but Herzog’s greatness in going between the two storytelling forms comes from the authenticity he brings to his narrative work, and the unbelievable as he tells stories of real-life accomplishment. I think he’s probably just a bit better as a documentary filmmaker as he is a narrative director, but that he can go between the two so effortlessly is what makes him great.
One of the first experiences I had with Herzog’s work in theatres was his 2007 war drama, “Rescue Dawn,” which told the story of Dieter Denglar, a German-American pilot who crashed, and was captured, during the Vietnam war, and his attempts to escape from the POW camp he was being held at. Herzog had previously told Denglar’s story, however, in his 1997 documentary, “Little Dieter Needs to Fly,” and it’s taken me too long to finally watch Herzog’s film for myself. Both narrative film and documentary serve as companions to one another rather than just Herzog retreading a previous story. To get a full look at the individual, and life, of Denglar, you need to watch both, and it’s easy to recommend the double bill.
The film is broken up into four segments, but while Herzog does his trademark narration at times, “Little Dieter Needs to Fly” finds Denglar telling his story for himself. He talks about how his town in Germany was bombed by Allied Forces during WWII, and how that inspired him to want to fly as a young boy while his parents had to scrounge for food and protein however they could, including the glue off of the wallpaper from bombed-out buildings. He makes his way to America, and eventually finds himself in fighter during the Vietnam war, which provides an unreal experience of war for him that will become more real when he is shot down and captured, finding himself in an isolated POW hut that makes escape a dangerous trek through the jungle.
“Rescue Dawn” is focused more on his capture and escape attempts, and is an entertaining wartime drama from Herzog, but to really get to the heart of Denglar, you need to watch “Little Dieter Needs to Fly.” Herzog takes Dieter away from his San Francisco home atop a hill, which has several paintings of open doors and a wide-open feel to it as a counterpoint to the closed-off isolation he felt in Vietnam, and takes him back to his German town, where he gives us a tour of the place he grew up; to Vietnam, where he describes the conditions he lived in after being captured, and how he tried to escape several times before; and even to one of the air craft carriers to allow Denglar a chance to open up about his eventual return to the air, and to his fellow pilots. Many of Herzog’s documentaries often focus on man vs. nature, whether it’s “Grizzly Man” or “Encounters at the End of the World” or “Land of Darkness,” but he spends a lot of time dealing with the cruelty of humanity, as well. Those two ideas collide in “Little Dieter Needs to Fly,” and it’s easy to see why he revisited the story in a narrative film a decade later- not only is it an important study in man’s harming man, but it also shows a triumphant spirit that can take flight, and survive, even when times are at their toughest. He has made better films in his career, with more ambitious ideas or eccentric subjects, but I think in Dieter Denglar, Herzog may well have found the individual, and story, that most reflects his own on a spiritual level.
Previous “A Movie a Week” Reviews
“Stroszek” (1977)
“Chimes at Midnight” (1965)
“Boogie Nights” (1997)
“The Karate Kid” (1984)
“The World According to Garp” (1982)
“Belle de Jour” (1967)
“Coffy” (1973)
“The Bridge on the River Kwai” (1957)
“Gates of Heaven” (1978)
“Brazil” (1985)
“Lara Croft: Tomb Raider” (2001)
“Annie Hall” (1977)
“Duel” (1971)
“Inside Moves” (1980)
“Reds” (1981)
“Through a Glass Darkly” (1961)
“Super” (2010)
“Fear and Desire” (1953)
“Fahrenheit 451” (1966)
“Hard Target” (1993)
“Willow” (1988)
“Get on the Bus” (1996)
“Ocean’s Eleven” (2001)
“Lilo & Stitch” (2002)
“Jurassic Park III” (2001)
“Dead Poets Society” (1989)
“Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid” (1969)
“Forrest Gump” (1994)
“Terminator 2: Judgement Day” (1991)
“National Lampoon’s Animal House” (1978)
“Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back” (2001)
“Stalag 17” (1953)
“The Elephant Man” (1980)
“Battling Butler” (1926)
“Conan the Destroyer” (1984)
“My Neighbor Totoro” (1988)
“My Darling Clementine” (1946)
“Battleship Potemkin” (1925)
“The Circus” (1928)
“The Mummy” (1932)
“The 7th Victim” (1943)
“The Birds” (1963)
“Poltergeist” (1982)
“Blow Out” (1981)
“Mumford” (1999)
“Dirty Rotten Scoundrels” (1988)
“Children of Paradise” (1945)
“G.I. Jane” (1997)
“After Hours” (1985)
“Man on the Moon” (1999)
“Throne of Blood” (1957)
“Little Dieter Needs to Fly” (1997)
See Brian’s list of 2009 “Movies a Week” here.
See Brian’s list of 2010 “Movies a Week” here.
See Brian’s list of 2011 “Movies a Week” here.
See Brian’s list of 2012 “Movies a Week” here.
See Brian’s list of 2013 “Movies a Week” here.
See Brian’s list of 2014 “Movies a Week” here.
See Brian’s list of 2015 “Movies a Week” here.
See Brian’s list of 2016 “Movies a Week” here.
See Brian’s list of 2017 “Movies a Week” here.
