The focus of this fascinating documentary from veteran filmmaker Werner Herzog ("Cobra Verde," "Fitzcarraldo," "Aguirre: The Wrath of God") is Dieter Dengler, a 50-something German-American who left his home at age 18 to come to the United States, hoping he could learn to fly an airplane. - Dieter Dengler. Director Werner Herzog presents his film with a dual approach in which facts about Germany are also presented in order to depict a small segment of Dieter Dengler's past life. Wow.this is a touching story! The movie is mainly a monologue, with glimpses of Dieter's life nowadays, but built in its central section around the somewhat bizarre device of having him return to the jungle with a band of Vietnamese who partly reenact his experiences - he demonstrates torture techniques, the march through the jungle etc. That is it. See ALL his films. Shortly thereafter Dieter Dengler was diagnosed with the fatal neurological disease ALS. He tells us his story. He starts to cry, as a result of complete exhaustion. Dengler also displays incredible knowledge and speaks candidly about what has happened to him. And now i have seen the person , Dieter Dengler , about whom this story is being told by Herzog.Very Impressing.Dieter is a driven human being who encountered the most opposite emotions in his live on this earth.what an extraordinary life this person has led. The immense cultural differences, the clash of East and West, the fear of the unknown (i.e. In 1975, he won the Pulitzer Prize for distinguished criticism. You will never forget this story--or this man. Dieter Dengler lived a unique life. The digital transfer preserves the director’s spare yet startling use of primary colors and hypnotic use of stock footage. But he coaxes Dieter's story expertly and has the classic strengths of a good story-teller, and the movie's quite fascinating even if it doesn't completely gel in all respects. Dieter's story is enthralling, and Herzog's efforts at reenactment, putting Dieter through the paces of reliving his story on location while it is being filmed, are very effective. His film "Aguirre, the Wrath of God" was created from the diary of the Spanish Priest who accompanied Coronado's search for the City of Gold, Eldorado. He does not simply stand and watch, but arranges and adjusts and subtly enhances, so that the film takes the materials of Dengler's adventure and fashions it into a new thing. At all. I consider this a breathtaking but deceptive film because it seems so simple and straightforward: a Vietnam survivor tells his harrowing tale and some of the story is reenacted on location. Or at least that's what he seems to be by way of constantly opening/closing doors and with his large stock-pile of food in the cellar. Here certain memories are re-enacted: He is handcuffed by villagers, made to march through the forest, and demonstrates how he was staked down at night. Starring Dieter Dengler and narrated by Werner Herzog. Now here is an interesting aspect. He tells his story about his life growing up in Germany during WWII and the hardships. Play Trailer; In 1966, Dieter Dengler was shot down over Laos, captured, and, down to 85 pounds, escaped. all that stands for America on the one hand, the Asian jungle and his secrets on the other) can be sensed the entire movie. However, Werner Herzog is one of the few acclaimed directors who has shown the real success of an American dream in a film. Dieter is very comfortable in front of the camera. Dieter Dengler is an amazing man. Job well done! Dengler is now in his 50s, a businessman living in Northern California. Your jaw will drop to the floor about 3 minutes into the movie......and you won't pick it up again until the end. It's a real story, it's a personal story, a story about the love for flying, the dream of being a pilot and the nightmare of being shot down above enemy's territory. I knew it was about an ex-Viet Nam POW in Laos who escaped, but I didn't know much else. Truth murders fiction. His father died in the military. Herzog tries to answer these questions in his documentary of Dieter Dengler, German emigre and U.S. Navy pilot shot down over Laos in 1966, who was taken prisoner, tortured and starved, but ultimately escaped to be haunted by the experience for the rest of his life. What makes this film different as well as unique is its depiction of a foreigner making it big in life through his realization of an "American dream". This film, for about 80 minutes, have discovered a new dimension of storytelling. The man's name is Dieter Dengler. DVD and video reviews Little Dieter Needs to Fly 4 / 5 stars 4 out of 5 stars. But not all of his words are his own. 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