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Little Dieter Needs to Fly

1997

Werner Herzog

Documentary, Self: Dieter Dengler

7.3

371

Documentary In 1966, Dieter Dengler was shot down over Laos, captured, and, down to 85 pounds, escaped. Barefoot, surviving monsoons, leeches, and machete-wielding villagers, he was rescued. Now, near 60, living on Mt. Tamalpais, Dengler tells his story: a German lad surviving Allied bombings in World War II, postwar poverty, apprenticed to a smith, beaten regularly. At 18, he emigrates and peels potatoes in the U.S. Air Force. He leaves for ... [+]

	Author	Review
United States	Brian Tallerico rogerebert.com	"Herzog makes the very interesting decision to take Dengler back to Laos and Thailand to convey his story. It makes for a production very different from what it would be if Dengler merely sat in a chair for an interview. It feels tactile and even dangerous"	POS
United Kingdom	Rob Mackie The Guardian	"Once again, the director comes up with a fascinating character and vivid taleteller and keeps the viewer gripped and enthralled despite a non-existent budget (…) Rating: ★★★★ (out of 5)"	POS
United States	Edward Guthmann SFGATE	"Yes, it's astonishing, but with Dengler quoting chapter and verse from his epic of survival, 'Little Dieter' starts to feel like a bragfest"	NEU
United States	Emanuel Levy Variety	"[It] is told with sharp observational powers and wit (...) Dengler’s personality is so charismatic and his story so compelling that they easily overcome the film’s problems"	POS
United States	Ed Gonzalez Slant	"Herzog’s symphonic use of native chants compliments the evocative use of stock footage from the war (…) Rating: ★★★ (out of 5)"	POS

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