Even Dwarfs Started Small

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Even Dwarfs Started Small
Werner Herzog Filmproduktion
Release dates
  • 15 May 1970 (1970-05-15) (Cannes)
  • 2 February 1971 (1971-02-02) (West Germany)
  • 15 December 1971 (1971-12-15) (US)
Running time
96 minutes
CountryWest Germany
LanguageGerman
Budget$200,000[1]

Even Dwarfs Started Small (

comedy-drama film written, produced, and directed by Werner Herzog
.

Plot

Dwarfs confined in an institution on a remote island rebel against the guards and director, also dwarfs, in a display of mayhem. They gleefully break windows and dishes,

cock fights, look at pin-up magazines, set fire to pots of flowers, kill a large pig, torment some blind dwarfs, and perform a mock crucifixion
of a monkey.

Cast

  • Helmut Döring as Hombré
  • Paul Glauer as Erzieher
  • Gisela Hertwig as Pobrecita
  • Hertel Minkner as Chicklets
  • Gertrud Piccini as Piccini
  • Marianne Saar as Theresa
  • Brigitte Saar as Cochina
  • Gerd Gickel as Pepe
  • Erna Gschwendtner as Azucar

Production

The film was shot on the

Fata Morgana and The Flying Doctors of East Africa, and there are visual and thematic connections between the three works. Notably, the goggles worn by the blind dwarfs are the same style as the goggles which several people wear in Fata Morgana.[1]

During the filming, Herzog gave some surprising stage directions to elicit particular performances from the actors. In directing one dwarf who continually struggled not to laugh, Herzog repeatedly told the actor that he must not laugh, but then made funny faces at him as soon as he started filming.[1]

While filming the scene where a van drives in circles with no one at the wheel, one of the actors was run over, but immediately stood up uninjured. During the flower burning scene, the same actor caught fire and Werner Herzog raced over and beat the fire out. The actor only had minor injuries from the fire. After these two accidents, Herzog promised the actors that if they made it through the rest of filming without any more injuries he would jump into a

petrol. This situation was repeated at the end Herzog's 1977 film Stroszek
.

Reception

Even Dwarfs Started Small has a 100% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes.[3]

References

  1. ^ a b c Werner Herzog, DVD audio commentary for Even Dwarfs Started Small
  2. ISBN 0-571-20708-1
    .
  3. ^ "Even Dwarfs Started Small". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 2021-10-11.

External links

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