Reconquest of the Useless

In Werner Herzog’s adventure film Fitzcarraldo, the eccentric explorer Brian Sweeney Fitzgerald – embodied by Klaus Kinski – has the crazy idea of hauling an old steamboat over a mountain in the Amazon jungle. Thirty years later, young filmmakers Sam, Harley and Luke set off to the Peruvian jungle on the trail of Herzog’s classic. What they discovered there is not only the showplace of famous scenes, or former Herzog employees, such as the producer Walter Saxer who continues to live at ‘Hotel Fitzcarraldo’ in Iquitos, but also new experiences of a country, it’s people, dances and music. Far off the beaten tourist track, Reconquest of the Useless is a journey of inspiration – and not only for fans of Werner Herzog. (Zurich Film Festival)