Herzog Week in Philadelphia

In conjunction with a Slought Foundation exhibition, West Philly is host to a different Herzog event every night this week. Tonight a screening of Encounters at the End of the World at the International House, tomorrow Herzog in conversation with Paul Holdengraber, tackling the question "Was the 20th Century a Mistake?" Finally, on Thursday, "a public conversation between Werner Herzog and Karen Beckman." See the Penn Cinema Studies schedule of events for details.

I first saw Fizcarraldo and Aguirre with my family, when I was in high school. It was a strange double feature viewed from my seat on the plaid couch, alongside my parents and sister. My sister laughed a lot. I knew I was watching something extraordinary. It was the burgeoning home video industry that made that revelation possible for me as a teenager. A new popular audience for Herzog's work seems to have sprung up since Grizzly Man. It is very exciting to have events like this in Philadelphia, and it is a fitting time for such an exhibition.