Little Dieter Needs to Fly

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Little Dieter Needs to Fly

1997,

1h 20m,

Documentary

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Watchlist

93%

14 Reviews

Tomatometer

94%

2,500+ Ratings

Popcornmeter

93%

Tomatometer

14 Reviews

94%

Popcornmeter

2,500+ Ratings

Three decades after German-American pilot Dieter Dengler was shot down over Laos, he returns to the places where he was held prisoner during the early years of the Vietnam War. Accompanied by director Werner Herzog, Dengler describes in unusually candid detail his captivity, the friendships he made and his daring escape. Not willing to stop there, Herzog even persuades his subject to re-enact certain tortures, with the help of some willing local villagers.

Emanuel Levy

Variety

Feb 15, 2007

B

Werner Herzog's remarkable docu tells with sharp observation and witty humor the heroic tale of the imprisonment and escape of Dieter Dengler, a native German who became an American pilot in the Vietnam War; Dengler exudes plenty of charisma.

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Nick Schager

Lessons of Darkness

Oct 21, 2005

A

A stunning tale of survival.

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Ed Gonzalez

Slant Magazine

Feb 21, 2002

3.5/4

Death did not want Dieter Dengler, whose life often sounds like that of a fairy tale character thrust into an existential wonderland.

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Josh Larsen

LarsenOnFilm

Oct 20, 2023

3.5/4

Dieter Dengler is the ultimate Herzogian hero.

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Cole Smithey

ColeSmithey.com

Feb 23, 2008

5/5

Walter Chaw

Film Freak Central

Jun 21, 2005

4/4

A summation of the director's work in so many ways that one is tempted to point the neophyte to it ahead of better-known Herzogs.

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Harry W

Nov 4, 2018

A spectacular story of survival against all odds. Werner Herzog again manages to bring a shocking tale to life in exquisite detail. By visiting Dieter's small German town where he was born and where he grew up it beautifully provides the context for the path he chose to take. The smallest details ie him hoarding food, carry so much weight and significance due to his past. It's quite stunning when they travel back to :Laos and visit the jungle where he was held. It's a great story of survival that any fan of biographies or fans of the history of war would appreciate.

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Theodore S

Jun 14, 2013

Werner Herzog has made several of the greatest documentaries ever made and this is possibly his best. The amazing story of Dieter Dengler who was shot down and captured during the Vietnam war. In the Film, Dengler re-enacts the details of his torture and escape.

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Werner Herzog

Director

Dieter Dengler

Self

Eugene Deatrick

Self

Werner Herzog

Narrator

Werner Herzog

Writer

André Singer

Executive Producer

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Synopsis

Three decades after German-American pilot Dieter Dengler was shot down over Laos, he returns to the places where he was held prisoner during the early years of the Vietnam War. Accompanied by director Werner Herzog, Dengler describes in unusually candid detail his captivity, the friendships he made and his daring escape. Not willing to stop there, Herzog even persuades his subject to re-enact certain tortures, with the help of some willing local villagers.

Director: Werner Herzog
Producer: Lucki Stipetic
Screenwriter: Werner Herzog
Production Co: Media Ventures
Genre: Documentary
Original Language: English
Release Date (Streaming): Feb 13, 2017
Runtime: 1h 20m
Sound Mix: Stereo

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