How much Wood would a Woodchuck chuck... - Beobachtungen zu einer neuen Sprache

I had to shake my head in wonder for 45 minutes. This has to be one of the most bizarrely motivated documentaries I have ever seen. It documents an auctioneer's contest. And believe me, we have to sit through the whole routines of every contestant, a death march of blather.

Its not that he's making fun of this American "institution." He really is fascinated by this and had the winner here appear in "Bruno S," in a fabricated part. And he has on numerous times commented on how he finds this hypnotizing. The interesting part of the film is not in the film; that's amazingly boring. Its in the wonder of why this German filmmaker, this sometimes genius who had by then made one of the best two dozen films in history, this risktaker, this idealist – why he would spend his time and ours on this. If it were 45 minutes of dirt and clouds, I might understand, but this?

There are a few transcendental moments that he's caught, The context is in Amish country, and he had a crew, so before we begin the contest proper, he shows us some of these people. Now that's the Herzog we know and love. Some of these faces are worth cherishing, especially the women: and one little girl, so cleanly groomed, with hair so perfectly and carefully combed back in an ultramodest style. Except, except for one twist that you know requires an artist to create and wear. A whole life of creativity in that one movement on a patient cherub's head.

Ted's Evaluation -- 2 of 3: Has some interesting elements.

Apparently, Werner Herzog was very fascinated with the vocal skills and cadence needed to be a livestock auctioneer. Here, he and his crew attend the livestock auctioneer world championship and seem to record EVERYTHING. While this might have been interesting for 10-15 minutes, at 45 minutes it was a bit of a chore to stick with this one. Just how many fast-talking auctioneers do you need to hear before boredom sets in--I don't know for sure, but Herzog more than surpassed that. Had the film had more back story and information about the participants themselves, the film probably would have sustained my attention longer. In addition, a few little vignettes could have been expanded--such as Herzog and the Quakers trying to communicate in German together. I am no expert on German language, but I could tell that the two languages had diverged considerably over the centuries and I wish this segment had been a bit longer. Or, perhaps he and his folks could have interviewed some of the members of the audience or the auctioneers' families. All I know is that it just felt way over-long.

They talk so fast that you need ears like a super-hawk to really decipher what they're getting at, but it's this speed at going about selling goods that interest Werner Herzog so much. He's said in interviews that it's almost like "the poetry of capitalism", as these high-stakes auctioneers, selling off cattle within a matter of seconds, are in a unique little world unto themselves and their small audience, mostly full of small town yokels and Amish. This doesn't make his documentary on them particularly exceptional, however, as it's a little too long and a little much without a lot of human interest; we don't know who most of these ultra-fast talkers are. It is, however, quite funny at times to see them go this fast, perhaps in a sort of detached way (then again, how can one who's never been to a cattle auction know anything about what it's like to see mouths go at a mile a minute).

It's great to see when he's interviewing one guy and he starts explaining how he auctions, and at first in regular speed soon as a sort of reflex goes off into his ultra-fast speaking voice. I also liked getting into the groove of the competition, as it were, seeing how despite it being still at lighting speed with numbers and calls it can be understood which ones are the slower ones. Although Herzog fares a lot better using the auctioneer in his fiction film Stroszek- Scott McKain is the one featured in the scene where Stroszek's items are sold off in an immediacy that is purely staggering and, as it's so unexpected following the pace of that film, is one of the most hilarious scenes of the 70s in cinema- it's a fine little portrait of a group that is somewhat representative of the fun that's missing in more run of the mill acts of commerce. You're not going to see this kind of auction at an art gallery in midtown New York, only in a Herzog film.

For the most part any documentary that Werner Herzog has made results in you seeing something in a new light, even if you don't like the subject. There is always a reason behind anything he has taken a look at. The subject here is auctioneers. I wouldn't have thought twice about a film about men who sell live stock for a living, however having seen a good number of Herzogs films I decided to give this one a shot as well. What fascinates the director is the sounds the men use. It seems to be more music or singing rather than talking;the words becoming a poetry thanks to the cadences. Its a weird sensation. Granted the magic goes away when the film ends and you watch auctioneers at work away from the film, however during the 44 minutes the film runs you are in the hands of a master who makes you believe that music and poetry is something other than what you think it is. Definitely worth a look.

How Much Wood Would a Woodchuck Chuck (1976)

** (out of 4)

Werner Herzog documentary about cattle auctioneers is rather strange to say the least. We really don't learn anything about the actual auctioneers except how they got into the business. It seems Herzog's main interest is just listening to them speak their fast talk and asking them what it means when they say it slowed down.

I've seen quite a few of Herzog's documentaries and this one isn't the best but he has many great ones out there.

You can buy this film from Herzog's website.