Herzog Pt 1: Every Man for Himself and God against All

The people (okay, well two of you) asked for it, so here we go- a Herzog mini-series! This is the series for you if you suffer from Seasonal Affective Disorder- but in the summer. We'll be looking at three of Herzog's films that explore themes of deep alienation from communities of origin and the communities the characters encounter. *The Enigma of Kaspar Hauser* (1974) Based on the true story of a young man who arrived in Nuremberg in 1828, claiming to have been raised chained to a wall in a cell with virtually no human contact. He could barely talk or walk. Herzog uses letters that were found with Hauser as the foundation of his script and the unfettered performance of Bruno S., who so impressed Herzog that he wrote a whole movie for him, the incomparable: *Stroszek* (1977) Three German misfits travel to Wisconsin in search of the American Dream. It does not go well. From RogertEbert.com, "*Stroszek* is one of the oddest films ever made. It is impossible for the audience to anticipate a single shot or development. We watch with a kind of fascination, because Herzog cuts loose from narrative and follows his characters through the relentless logic of their adventure. Then there is the haunting impact of the performance by Bruno S., who is at every moment playing himself." *Little Dieter Needs to Fly* *(1997)* The documentary of Dieter Dengler, a German who immigrated to the U.S. specifically to learn to fly. He enlists in the navy and is promptly shipped off to Vietnam where he is shot down over Laos and held in a POW camp for six months before escaping into the jungle. Herzog and Dengler return to the locations of his captivity, reenacting many of the events he experienced. All of these films are available to stream for free on Kanopy and Tubi. We'll try a new location for this event: The Wild. It's located directly across from Union Station. If light rail is an option for you, I recommend using it! Otherwise,…