Werner Herzog Eats His Shoe

1980
22m

IMDb RATING

7.2/10

2.8K

YOUR RATING

Werner Herzog in Werner Herzog Eats His Shoe (1980)

Documentary Short

A short documentary in which directors Werner Herzog and Errol Morris make a bet which results in Herzog being forced to eat his own shoe.A short documentary in which directors Werner Herzog and Errol Morris make a bet which results in Herzog being forced to eat his own shoe.A short documentary in which directors Werner Herzog and Errol Morris make a bet which results in Herzog being forced to eat his own shoe.

See production info at IMDbPro

IMDb RATING

7.2/10

2.8K

YOUR RATING

See production info at IMDbPro

Trivia
The woman who helps Werner Herzog cook his shoes is the famous chef Alice Waters. The shoes were cooked in the kitchen of her restaurant, Chez Panisse, in Berkeley, California. There are shots in the film of Herzog entering the restaurant wearing his shoes, and leaving it barefoot.

Quotes
Werner Herzog: Give us adequate images. We, we lack adequate images, our civilization doesn't have adequate images. And I think our civilization is doomed, is gonna die out like dinosaurs if it does not develop an adequate language or adequate images.

Connections
Edited from Cuộc Săn Vàng (1925)

Soundtracks
Old Whisky Shoes
Played by Walt Solek Band
Courtesy of Starr Records

User reviews22

Review

Featured review

8/10

Very funny and even a little profound

Entertaining, funny, and oddly thought provoking 20 minute short, in which, quite literally, director Werner Herzog eats his shoe.

He does it in response to a bet he made with then budding, but procrastinating film-maker Errol Morris. He told Morris that if he ever finally got a feature finished, he'd eat his shoe. And so he does, after cooking it, in front of a live audience before the local premiere of Morris' great first feature 'Gates of Heaven'.

As enjoyably silly as it all is, Herzog also makes some real points about needing to be willing to do foolish things to encourage art and artists, and that only by risking being absurd can we have the hope of transcending.