February 05, 2006
Two recent news stories have confirmed something I've long thought: Werner Herzog is magical, if not an outright superhero.
Exhibit A: Herzog hescued Joaquin Phoenix from his car wreck
Apparently, Joaquin was driving along a canyon road above Sunset when he overturned his car, and came to at the sound of Herzog's voice:
"I remember this knocking on the passenger window. There was this German voice saying, 'Just relax.' There's the airbag, I can't see and I'm saying, 'I'm fine. I am relaxed. Finally, I rolled down the window and this head pops inside. And he said, 'No, you're not.' And suddenly I said to myself, 'That's Werner Herzog' There's something so calming and beautiful about Werner Herzog's voice. I felt completely fine and safe. I climbed out. I got out of the car and I said, 'Thank you,' and he was gone."
See that? Classic superhero move - leaves before he can be thanked for his selfless act of heroism.
Exhibit B: Herzog Shot During BBC Interview
Yes, Herzog was shot. That's the kind of headline that might induce panic or worry. Had this been someone like Steven Spielberg or Ridley Scott, we'd have a story about how they were whisked off to Cedars-Sinai and are currently under close watch by a team of superdoctors to ensure their recovery. But not Herzog. No, instead, Herzog chooses to complete the interview, once again exhibiting an eerie calm:
The 63-year-old was chatting with movie journalist Mark Kermode about his documentary Grizzly Man, when a sniper opened fire with an air rifle.
Kermode explains, "I thought a firecracker had gone off.
"Herzog, as if it was the most normal thing in the world, said, 'Oh, someone is shooting at us. We must go.'
"He just carried on with the interview while bleeding quietly in his boxer shorts."
And then Herzog says this: ""It was not a significant bullet. I am not afraid."
Let's run these events against my "Superhero or not?" checklist:
Miraculous rescue of people in need: Check.
Uncanny knack for showing up at the right moment: Check.
Retreats before gratitude can be expressed: Check.
Makes others feel safe: Check.
Impervious to bullets: Check.
Unafraid of mortal danger: Check.
Unwilling to let villains stand in the way of his duties: Check.
Sent from a foreign land (Germany) to save us all: Check. (Thanks, Sam!)
Gives interviews in his boxer shorts: Check.
It's pretty clear: Werner Herzog is a superhero.
Posted by starlen at February 5, 2006 12:46 PM
Comments
And he's sent from another world (country, whatever) to make all of our lives better.
Posted by: Sam Felder at February 5, 2006 02:35 PM
Werner is starting to be my personal hero - not for his movies, but for his dark, Germanic moods. To see him in the documentary Burden of Dreams is to see a man at odds with nature. He calls nature something like, "vile and repugnet" cursing the very ground upon which he is standing.
Imagine! Cursing the earth on which you stand! THAT, my friend, is a superhero.
Posted by: Alex at February 5, 2006 07:01 PM
