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Forgotten dreams: is Werner Herzog’s brand overshadowing his work?

As the veteran German director releases his latest underwhelming film, it feels as if he’s spreading himself too thin

It used to be that a new movie by Werner Herzog was an anticipated event; these days it’s more of an “Oh, another one”. Herzog sure seems to be churning them out. His latest, Family Romance, LLC, is his sixth feature in four years. Pretty impressive for a 77-year-old, but as well as the worry that he is spreading himself too thinly, is there a danger that Herzog is becoming a brand?

It is almost sacrilege to suggest such a thing. The German director is a living legend, and one of the most admired, adventurous film-makers ever, but there is a feeling that Herzog the personality is beginning to overshadow Herzog the film-maker. Partly this is a result of high-profile acting gigs in Star Wars spin-off The Mandalorian and Tom Cruise’s Jack Reacher. Also, Herzog possesses one of the most distinctive and imitable voices on the planet. His tender yet disdainful, German-accented intonation – part Attenborough, part Nico – has become a celebrity in itself, parodied by satirists and internet memesters, and regularly rented out by its owner, who has done voice cameos in everything from The Simpsons to Rick and Morty to Penguins of Madagascar.

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from Culture | The Guardian https://ift.tt/38ctAuJ
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