30. Film Festival della Lessinia
Bosco Chiesanuova (Italia)
23 August - 1 September 2024

Italian premiere

The Amazon Rainforest at the dawn of the twentieth Century. Brian Sweeny Ftzgerald, an Irish baron who the natives call Fitzcarraldo, has a great dream: to build the bisggest opera house thas has ever existed. To inaugurate it, ha wants the great tenor, Caruso. To finance this venture, ha plans to use the rubber trade. But the area where the most trees are found, around the Ucayali River, is divided amongst the largest producers. However, this is an area near the upper course of the river that is rich with treen and has no owner. Fitzgerald  plans to reach it by passing through the river that flows nearby and dragging a ship over the hillock that separates it from the Ucayali. Soon, discontent erupts  among the sailors. The river is inhabited by frocious Indios, theHivaros. The crew abandons the ship. The Indios arrive and, mistaking him for a god, help Fitzgerald to transport the ship over the mountain. The daring venture fails. On his return to Iquitos, Fitzcarraldo resells the ship, and with the proceeds hires the orchestra that he had heared in Manaus for a concert and even, even though he hasn't built theatre, succeed in bring opera music to the inhabitants of his city.

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  Werner Herzog

  A director, screenwriter, producer, and documentary maker, he is considered one of the most important exponents of New German Cinema. He has also written books and directed operas. Signs of Life (1968) won the Silver Bear at the Berlin Film Festival. Aguirre, the Wrath of God (1972) is among his best-known films. The Enigma of Kaspar Hauser (1974) was awarded at the Cannes Film Festival. This was followed by Nosferatu the Vampyre (1978) and Woyzeck (1979). Fitzcarraldo (1982) won the award for best director at the Cannes Film Festival. In 2010 he was president of the jury at the Berlin Film Festival.