As we await his next feature, Queen of the Desert, there is no better time to revisit the works of Werner Herzog than this summer. The filmmaker’s library is getting extensive Blu-ray collections next month courtesy of Shout Factory and BFI, but unless you pick up both, one will have to choose which is right for you.
First, to hopefully help make the decision easier, the Shout Factory edition is available for the U.S. while BFI’s set is for Region B/2, but that shouldn’t matter for those with region-free players. The BFI also has 8 films the Shout set doesn’t: The Unprecedented Defence of the Fortress Deutschkreuz, Last Words, Precautions Against Fanatics, Handicapped Future, The Great Ecstasy of Woodcarver Steiner, How Much Wood Would a Woodchuck Chuck, Huie’s Sermon, and God’s Angry Man.
However, the Shout set exclusively includes Even Dwarfs Started Small, Ballad of the Little Soldier, Where the Green Ants Dream, Lessons of Darkness, Little Dieter Needs to Fly, and My Best Fiend. To celebrate the release, BFI have unveiled a trailer that celebrates Herzog’s filmography, which can be seen below, along with ITV’s 1982 one-hour special on the director from The South Bank Show, also included on the their set. With both collections including some of the director’s best work, from Aguirre to Fitzcarraldo, let us know which one you’re going with in the comments.
Films
Even Dwarfs Started Small
Land Of Silence And Darkness
Fata Morgana
Aguirre, The Wrath Of God
The Enigma Of Kaspar Hauser
Heart Of Glass
Stroszek
Woyzeck
Nosferatu The Vampyre
Fitzcarraldo
Ballad Of Little Soldier
Where The Green Ants Dream
Cobra Verde
Lessons Of Darkness
Little Dieter Needs To Fly
My Best FiendSpecial Features
English Audio Commentaries: Even Dwarfs Started Small, Fata Morgana, Aguirre, The Wrath Of God, The Enigma Of Kaspar Hauser, Heart of Glass, Strozek and Cobra Verde.
German Audio commentaries: Nosferatu the Vampyre, Fitzcarraldo, Where the Green Ants Dream.
In Conversation – Werner Herzog and Laurens Straub (in German with English Subtitles)
The Making of Nosferatu The Vampyre
Portrait: Werner Herzog documentary
Herzog In Africa documentary
Theatrical Trailers
Films
The Unprecedented Defence of the Fortress Deutschkreuz (1967)
Last Words (1968)
Precautions Against Fanatics (1969)
Handicapped Future (1970)
Fata Morgana (1971)
Land Of Silence and Darkness (1971)
Aguirre, Wrath of God (1972)
The Enigma of Kaspar Hauser (1974)
The Great Ecstasy of Woodcarver Steiner (1975)
Heart of Glass (1976)
How Much Wood Would a Woodchuck Chuck (1976)
Stroszek (1977)
Nosferatu, the Vampyre (1979)
Woyzeck (1979)
Huie’s Sermon (1980)
God’s Angry Man (1980)
Fitzcarraldo (1982)
Cobre Verde (1987)Special Features
All films remastered to High Definition
Alternative German and English versions of Nosteratu, the Vampyre
Nosferatu On set documentary (1979, 13 mins)
Burden of Dreams (Les Blank, 1982, 95 mins)
South Bank Show: Werner Herzog (Jack Bond, 1982, 50 mins)
Illustrated booklet with extensive essay by Laurie Johnson; full film credits
Full-length audio commentaries with Werner Herzog on selected titles
The Shout Factory collection can be pre-ordered here and the BFI collection pre-ordered here.
Which set will you pick up?