by Seth Rogovoy
This is Wim Wenders, who directed 'PINA'
We got a chuckle out of Charles Giuliano’s review of Wim Wenders’s new 3D documentary, PINA, about legendary choreographer Pina Bausch, which was screened by the Berkshire International Film Festival last week at Pittsfield’s Beacon Cinema.
In particular, it was Giuliano’s second paragraph that caused us to question what we were reading, do a reality check on our own memory of German cinema of the last 40 years, and ultimately figure that when Giuliano wrote:
Wenders is know [sic] for his narrative films, particularly those starring the eccentric Klaus Kinsky [sic], as well as quirky documentaries. Often his projects test the limits of endurance, risk and even sanity.
he was actually writing about Werner Herzog, that other German film director, whom indeed is known for his narrative films, particularly those starring the eccentric Klaus Kinski, as well as quirky documentaries. And yes,
This is Werner Herzog, who has made quirky narratives with Klaus Kinski and whose mad ravings at times pose a challenge to his sanity and that of his audience
often Herzog’s projects test the limits of both his and his audience’s endurance, risk and even sanity.
Indeed, it can be difficult keeping all those nutty German film directors straight.
To err is human; to fact-check is divine.