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16 Werner Herzog Films You Can Now Stream For Free
Need something to binge-watch? You can now stream 16 Werner Herzog films for free. By now, we're sure you've finished season three of House of Cards, so if you're looking for something else, we suggest these Werner Herzog films available on Shout! Factory TV. After all, Roger Ebert said that Herzog never really made a film that was necessarily bad. "Even his failures are spectacular," the critic said.
Fitzcarraldo
This 1982 film stars Klaus Kinski as an Irishman in Peru who wants to become a rubber baron. It's considered a "great movie" by Roger Ebert.
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Cobra Verde
This 1987 film is based on Bruce Chatwin's The Viceroy of Ouidah. In Kinski's last film with Herzog before Kinski's death, he plays a Brazilian rancher who murders his boss and becomes the Cobra Verde, an infamous outlaw and slave trader.
My Best Fiend
This 1999 documentary explores the relationship between Herzog and Kinski. Together, the pair collaborated on five films despite Kinski's reputation for flipping out on set. Some of these tantrums appear in the documentary.
Aguirre, the Wrath of God
This film takes place after Incan empire has been destroyed, and follows a group of Spaniards who follows Don Aguirres (Kinski, again) on a dubious quest for riches.
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Fata Morgana
The 1969 film is about mirages that appear in the Sahara desert. It's a lot of Herzog driving around the desert with the narration of myths and a hearty soundtrack of Leonard Cohen. Here's an interesting fact: the crew was arrested by local authorities who mistook the cameraman for a similarly named German mercenary they were tracking.
Land of Silence and Darkness
This film is a 1971 documentary about Fini Straubinger, a woman who can neither hear nor see. Herzog follows Straubinger as she visits other deaf-blind individuals and learns about a language they use that consists of touching each other's hands.
Lessons of Darkness
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This 1992 documentary explores the burning oil fields in Kuwait left behind after the Gulf War as though it is an alien world. This film has similarities to Fata Morgana, but with an entirely different feel. Herzog said of his work, "The film has not a single frame that can be recognized as our planet, and yet we know it must have been shot here."
Stroszek
Bruno Stroszek (played by German actor Bruno S.) stars as a street performer in Berlin who befriends a troubled prostitute. The pair eventually decide to leave Germany for America (Wisconsin, to be specific), and the film portrays the events that follow.
The Enigma of Kaspar Hauser
This film explores the mysterious case of Kaspar Hauser, who showed up in Nuremberg in 1928, claiming that he had lived his entire life as a captive in a dungeon.
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Nosferatu The Vampyre
This one's a horror classic. Based on Bram Stoker's Dracula, Nosferatu is Herzog's adaptation of the gothic vampire tale.
Other available Herzog films include Woyzeck, Heart of Glass, Ballad of the Little Soldier, Even Dwarfs Started Small, Where the Green Ants Dream and Little Dieter Needs to Fly.
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But the game has changed: Congress voted to eliminate funding for public media across the country. Here at LAist that means a loss of $1.7 million in our budget every year. We want to assure you that despite growing threats to free press and free speech, LAist will remain a voice you know and trust. Speaking frankly, the amount of reader support we receive will help determine how strong of a newsroom we are going forward to cover the important news in our community.
We’re asking you to stand up for independent reporting that will not be silenced. With more individuals like you supporting this public service, we can continue to provide essential coverage for Southern Californians that you can’t find anywhere else. Become a monthly member today to help sustain this mission.
Thank you for your generous support and belief in the value of independent news.
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