Werner Herzog Eats His Shoe

I'm happy this exists even if there's not even close to enough eating of shoes for my taste

'Werner Herzog Eats His Shoe (1980)' is not just about Werner Herzog eating his shoe, even though he does indeed do that. The promise of an acclaimed director literally dining out on his worn-out leather loafers (or whatever non-alliterative make they really are) is, essentially, enough to get anyone to watch, but I suppose that people popping this documentary on for its eponymous premise alone may, indeed, be somewhat disappointed, especially considering that the footwear feeding takes up perhaps less than half of its run-time (though, the idea of it dominates the entire piece) and that the actual eating isn't technically on-screen at all. I have no doubt that Herzog really did do the deed, especially since most of it takes place in front of a live audience, but the lack of overt cobbler chewing is certainly a missed opportunity in terms of comedy, cringe and intrigue. Still, all three of those things are here in spades. The spectacle of watching a man cook and eat his shoe because he said he would do so, presumably in the flippant way the expression is usually used, is undoubtedly real. It's also quite funny, especially since Herzog himself is so casual all the time - I mean, this is the man who would later just brush off a bullet wound because "it's not significant". Here, he's more occupied with monologuing about the current, clown-like state of film, his dislike of commercials and talk-shows, how he views a 'lack of images' as a real world-threat, the time that he jumped into a cactus to show his crew that he understood what they were going through and, perhaps most importantly, how fantastic his friend Errol Morris' new film is. Of course, it's the latter that got this flick made. The whole shoe-eating bet came about because Morris was complaining of a lack of funding for his eventual 'Gates Of Heaven (1978)'; Herzog's fulfilment of this bet was used to promote that movie at one of its pre-distribution screenings and this documentary, essentially, furthers that goal. So, despite Herzog's apparent dislike of commercials, that's all this basically serves as, aside from a comic curiosity and opportunity for Herzog to express his views. It doesn't feel like it's selling you anything, aside from when it overtly is (when people talk up 'Gates Of Heaven (1978)' presumably because they genuinely enjoy it), and it has enough flair to be enjoyable in its own right. It feels like the sort of thing you'd see on YouTube nowadays, a well-produced video more at home online than on the big-screen. It's entertaining enough and is fairly funny on occasion. Plus, some of the stuff that Herzog says seems pretty wise, resonating across the years to be just as relevant today (if not more so). If you know what you're getting into or are a fan of Herzog and his dead-pan nonchalance, I'd say that you'll enjoy this short film... I wouldn't bet my shoe on it, though. 6/10

Entertaining, funny, and oddly thought provoking 20 minute short, in which, quite literally, director Werner Herzog eats his shoe.

He does it in response to a bet he made with then budding, but procrastinating film-maker Errol Morris. He told Morris that if he ever finally got a feature finished, he'd eat his shoe. And so he does, after cooking it, in front of a live audience before the local premiere of Morris' great first feature 'Gates of Heaven'.

As enjoyably silly as it all is, Herzog also makes some real points about needing to be willing to do foolish things to encourage art and artists, and that only by risking being absurd can we have the hope of transcending.

A short documentary in which directors Werner Herzog and Errol Morris make a bet which results in Herzog being forced to eat his own shoe.

Filmed in April 1979, the film features Herzog cooking his shoes (the ones he claims to have been wearing when he made the bet) at the Berkeley, California restaurant Chez Panisse, with the help of chef Alice Waters. (The shoes were boiled with garlic, herbs, and stock for five hours.) He is later shown eating one of the shoes before an audience at the premiere of "Gates of Heaven" at the nearby UC Theater.

This film is great because it connects three of the finest filmmakers of the era. Werner Herzog is a great documentarian and director, while Morris (just starting out) has gone on to become possibly the best documentary filmmaker in the business. And who should be filming this? Les Blank, the chronicler of America culture... quite possibly the best before Morris came along. All three being linked like this is a rare moment.

Werner Herzog Eats His Shoe (1980)

*** (out of 4)

Funny short has director Werner Herzog eating his shoe after losing a bet to a friend. The documentary does a nice job building up tension and there's some nice side talk about the importance of film.

Burden of Dreams (1982)

**** (out of 4)

Incredible documentary from director Les Blank about the making of Werner Herzog's Fitzcarraldo. The Herzog film is one of the most amazing films I've seen and it's rather shocking, due to that film's troubled history, that a documentary was being filmed on it. In the Herzog film you realize that the main character played by Klaus Kinski was crazy because of what he was trying to do. In this documentary, you realize that Herzog was crazy for even trying to make this film.