Werner Herzog Eats His Shoe
Encyclopedia
Werner Herzog Eats His Shoe is a short documentary film directed by Les Blank
in 1980 which depicts director Werner Herzog
living up to his promise that he would eat his shoe if Errol Morris
ever completed the film Gates of Heaven
. The film includes clips from both Gates of Heaven
and Herzog's 1970 feature Even Dwarfs Started Small
. Comic song Old Whisky Shoes, played by the Walt Solek Band, is the signature tune over the opening and closing credits.
The film features Herzog cooking his shoes (the ones he claims to have been wearing when he made the bet) at the Berkeley, California
restaurant Chez Panisse
, with the help of chef Alice Waters
. (The shoe was boiled with garlic
, herbs, and stock
for 5 hours.) He is shown eating one of the shoes before an audience at the premiere of Gates of Heaven at the nearby UC Theater
. He did not eat the sole of the shoe, however, explaining that one does not eat the bone
s of the chicken.
Blank went on to direct Burden of Dreams
(1982), a feature-length documentary about Herzog and the making of Fitzcarraldo
. Werner Herzog Eats His Shoe is included as an extra on the Criterion Collection edition of the Burden of Dreams DVD.
Les Blank
Les Blank is an American documentary filmmaker best known for his portraits of American traditional musicians....
in 1980 which depicts director Werner Herzog
Werner Herzog
Werner Herzog Stipetić , known as Werner Herzog, is a German film director, producer, screenwriter, actor, and opera director.He is often considered as one of the greatest figures of the New German Cinema, along with Rainer Werner Fassbinder, Margarethe von Trotta, Volker Schlöndorff, Werner...
living up to his promise that he would eat his shoe if Errol Morris
Errol Morris
Errol Mark Morris is an American director. In 2003, The Guardian put him seventh in its list of the world's 40 best directors. Also in 2003, his film The Fog of War: Eleven Lessons from the Life of Robert S. McNamara won the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature.-Early life and...
ever completed the film Gates of Heaven
Gates of Heaven
Gates of Heaven is a 1978 documentary film by Errol Morris about the pet cemetery business. It was made when Morris was unknown and did much to launch his career.-Description:...
. The film includes clips from both Gates of Heaven
Gates of Heaven
Gates of Heaven is a 1978 documentary film by Errol Morris about the pet cemetery business. It was made when Morris was unknown and did much to launch his career.-Description:...
and Herzog's 1970 feature Even Dwarfs Started Small
Even Dwarfs Started Small
Even Dwarfs Started Small is a 1970 film by German director Werner Herzog.-Plot:A group of dwarfs confined in an institution on a remote island rebel against the guards and director in a display of mayhem...
. Comic song Old Whisky Shoes, played by the Walt Solek Band, is the signature tune over the opening and closing credits.
The film features Herzog cooking his shoes (the ones he claims to have been wearing when he made the bet) at the Berkeley, California
Berkeley, California
Berkeley is a city on the east shore of the San Francisco Bay in Northern California, United States. Its neighbors to the south are the cities of Oakland and Emeryville. To the north is the city of Albany and the unincorporated community of Kensington...
restaurant Chez Panisse
Chez Panisse
Chez Panisse is a Berkeley, California restaurant known for using local, organic foods and credited as the inspiration for the style of cooking known as California cuisine. Well-known restauranteur, author, and food activist Alice Waters co-founded Chez Panisse in 1971 with film producer Paul...
, with the help of chef Alice Waters
Alice Waters
Alice Louise Waters is an American chef, restaurateur, activist, and author. She is the owner of Chez Panisse, a Berkeley, California restaurant famous for its organic, locally-grown ingredients and for pioneering California cuisine.Waters opened the restaurant in 1971. It has consistently ranked...
. (The shoe was boiled with garlic
Garlic
Allium sativum, commonly known as garlic, is a species in the onion genus, Allium. Its close relatives include the onion, shallot, leek, chive, and rakkyo. Dating back over 6,000 years, garlic is native to central Asia, and has long been a staple in the Mediterranean region, as well as a frequent...
, herbs, and stock
Stock (food)
Stock is a flavoured water preparation. It forms the basis of many dishes, particularly soups and sauces.- Preparation :Stock is made by simmering various ingredients in water, including some or all of the following...
for 5 hours.) He is shown eating one of the shoes before an audience at the premiere of Gates of Heaven at the nearby UC Theater
UC Theater
The UC Theatre was a movie theater at 2036 University Avenue near Shattuck Avenue in Berkeley, California.-History:Opened in 1917, the 1,300-seat theater was acquired in 1974 by theater owner Gary Meyer as one of the first theaters—along with the Nuart Theatre in Los Angeles—in his Landmark...
. He did not eat the sole of the shoe, however, explaining that one does not eat the bone
Bone
Bones are rigid organs that constitute part of the endoskeleton of vertebrates. They support, and protect the various organs of the body, produce red and white blood cells and store minerals. Bone tissue is a type of dense connective tissue...
s of the chicken.
Blank went on to direct Burden of Dreams
Burden of Dreams
Burden of Dreams is a feature-length documentary and making-of directed by Les Blank, shot during and about the chaotic production of Werner Herzog's 1982 film Fitzcarraldo, filmed in the jungles of South America....
(1982), a feature-length documentary about Herzog and the making of Fitzcarraldo
Fitzcarraldo
Fitzcarraldo is a 1982 film written and directed by Werner Herzog and starring Klaus Kinski as the title character. It portrays would-be rubber baron Brian Sweeney Fitzgerald, an Irishman known as Fitzcarraldo in Peru, who has to pull a steamship over a steep hill in order to access a rich rubber...
. Werner Herzog Eats His Shoe is included as an extra on the Criterion Collection edition of the Burden of Dreams DVD.