Werner Herzog in conversation with Mark Kermode

The undisputed master of world cinema reveals the story of his extraordinary life to Mark Kermode.

Werner Herzog has always been drawn to the extremes of human experience, and over a lifetime at the forefront of world cinema, has repeatedly pushed himself and others to the limits – from building an opera house in the middle of the jungle to descending into an active volcano and living among grizzly bears.

From his early movies to his later documentaries, he has made a career out of exploring the boundaries of human endurance: what we are capable of in exceptional circumstances and what these situations reveal about who we really are. But these are not just great cinematic themes.

As a child in rural Bavaria, a single loaf of bread had to last his family all week. The hunger and deprivation he experienced during his early years perhaps explain his fascination with the limits of physical endurance. All his life, Herzog would embrace risk and danger, constantly looking for challenges and adventures.

He joined Mark Kermode to reveal the influences and ideas that drive his creativity and have shaped his unique view of the world.

[MarkAntonioYhap]

It's been 20years now since I participated in the white diamond documentary and I've not heard from Mr herzorg or Annette shurich, i think I need them now more than ever

[MinutemenMInutemen-zisy]

Did Mark Kermode miss the possible reason why Werner Herzog didn't react when he was shot as Mark interviewed him in LA in 2006? When I listened to the episode in Herzog's autobiography 'Every man for himself and God against all' on audible in which he describes knifing his brother and says that as a result he felt deserving of wounding or words to this effect, it brought to my mind how dismissive Herzog was of having been shot and had resisted it being acknowledged and was determined to continue with the interview. The LA shooting incident struck one as a bizzare: they didn't take cover or run away. Shame, I would have loved to know if the knifing episode had informed how Herzog reacts to danger or dangerous situations and pain etc.

[saldanhaabimael]

44:42 Advice to aspiring filmakers
52:40 Thoughts on IA

[liltick]

I’d take 15 years off of my life expectancy to have a chat with Werner.

[marcus]

mark what kinda setup u use lmfao, camera quality is total ass

[simonschreyer]

I love Werner's steampunk headphones !

[splankhoon]

Herzog's a great filmmaker but the beginning goes to show that it's not because you're a good artist, you're knowledgeable about other stuff. His 'overpopulation' view is typical of the mindset of that generation. I've experienced that too. The Club of Rome and consorts did their utmost best in the seventies to convince an entire generation of the dangers of too many people on the planet, scarcity of resources and so on. Alarmist nonsense.

[rodserling-uq]

surprised those headphones don't rip kermodes hairpiece off

[faraway_lights]

Herzog is a remarkable film director, but I take issue with his view on the human population. It's odd to view spectacular human progress as 'the supreme catastrophe' of the 20th century. Disappointed.

[bayreuth]

Mark Kermode is a bloody awful film critic. The shit films that he has recommended belies belief.