Synopsis
“One of
Werner Herzog's most acclaimed and audacious films,
Fitzcarraldo tells the incredible story of
Brian Sweeney Fitzgerald (played by Herzog regular
Klaus Kinski), an opera-loving fortune hunter who dreams of bringing opera (specifically Caruso) to a remote trading post on the heart of the Peruvian jungle. With the help of the beautiful madam Molly (
Claudia Cardinale), his loyal crew, and an indigenous tribe,
Fitzcarraldo journeys up the rivers of the Amazon hauling his steamship, the Molly Aida, over a mountain in order to access the riches of hitherto unexploited rubber territory. Evocative of the troubled circumstance of its own production,
Fitzcarraldo is both a confessional self-portrait of Herzog the adventuring artist and a grandiose paean to those who dare to live out their wildest dreams.” – BFI