Even Dwarfs Started Small
Dir: Werner Herzog
1970
*****
Even Dwarfs Started Small is a prime example of Werner Herzog: the pioneer. Unsurprisingly, he wrote, directed and produced the film alone and it remains one of the first (and greatest) independent films in the purest sense. The story is a combination of several experimental ideas, mainly based on experiences had by Herzog, for instance, the circling car is based on real events from when he worked at one of Munich's infamous Oktoberfests. Herzog had to make sure that people didn't drive home drunk after the event, in one such instance, he actually locked the steering of a customer's car, put him in it, started the engine and let it go round in circles until the petrol ran out. I've no doubt that the overall film is an allegorical statement but I'm still not sure exactly what it is about. I see something new in it every time I watch it, I think it is meant to be somewhat subjective but I also believe it was a leg-stretching exercise that would become notorious due to it's sensationalist title and bizarre content. I believe it is a satire, the dwarfs representing a different version of ourselves (non-dwarfs - no offense intended) in an asylum that really isn't as strange or as chaotic as the outside world. Man descended from Apes, so the crucifixion of a Monkey is no stranger than the crucifixion of Christ. It's the reflection of the 'ordinary' world in a distorted form. It is an interesting companion piece (certain elements link the films) and altogether completely different direction to the two other projects Herzog made that year; The Flying Doctors of East Africa and Fata Morgana.