After finally watching Herzog’s Fitzcarraldo, it seemed the perfect opportunity to revisit Les Blank’s excellent documentary on the torturous making of the film. Herzog’s undertaking uncannily mirrors that of his protagonist as he must contend with everything from mother nature and his explosive leading man to circulating rumours that he was a murderer and a cannibal who was planning to drain the fat from the natives and use it as fuel. Similar but not quite as sensational as Hearts of Darkness, this is nevertheless a delightful account of how filmmaking can prove as epic an undertaking as life itself.