Possibly the RNC/John McCain subliminally caused me to want to watch Werner Herzog’s 1997 doc Little Dieter Needs to Fly. I had never seen it, which is surprising because upon being introduced to Herzog a few years ago by M I have enjoyed his films, and this particular one is highly regarded. In short, the doc retraces the captivity of a German-American who served in the Navy during the early stages of Vietnam. His plane was shot down and he was held captive for over six months. Over that time period he was tortured and escaped once before being promptly re-captured. His second attempt was a large-scale prison break and he and a fellow prisoner almost made it to Thailand before trouble struck. I won’t spoil the film’s plot by sharing any more.
Herzog’s narrative approach for this film is fascinating, as he takes Dieter back into the jungles of Laos as the subject recreates the events of his captivity, including staging several scenes where he is ushered hands tied through the jungle with actual armed guards. This form of reliving his captivity on camera makes for engaging viewing. Of the three Herzog films I have seen (Grizzly Man and The White Diamond being the others), this one featured the most interesting person. While Timothy Treadwell, aka Grizzly Man, was also intriguing, his virtue as a subject lie in his own charming absurdity. Dieter, by contrast, is a man who is far more in touch with reality, which makes his suppression of his past (and grappling with it) all the more of interest.
Has anyone seen Herzog’s Hollywood reprise of this doc, Rescue Dawn?
