Born in Berlin in 1896, Lotte Eisner became famous for her passionate involvement in the world of both German and French cinema. In 1936, together with Henri Langlois, she founded the Cinémathèque Française with the goal of saving from destruction films, costumes, sets, posters, and other treasures of the 7th Art. A Jew exiled in Paris, she became a pillar of the capital's cultural scene, where she promoted German cinema.
Made around the time of Fitzcarraldo's release, this documentary follows Werner Herzog on a journey across France and Germany and sees the director talk at length about his life and films.
The film tells the cultural story of Berlin during the Weimar Republic through interviews with a number of persons who were involved in literature, film, art, and music during the period. It includes interviews with Christopher Isherwood, Louise Brooks, Lotte Eisner, Elisabeth Bergner, Francis Lederer, Carl Zuckmayer, Gregor Piatigorsky, Claudio Arrau, Rudolf Kolisch, Mischa Spoliansky, Herbert Bayer, Mrs. Walter Gropius, and Arthur Koestler.
Estructurada en tres partes (Creación, Paraíso y La era dorada) y rodada en el desierto del Sahara, esta es sin duda la película menos convencional del director alemán. Sin argumento ni guión determinado, Herzog nos regala una serie de imágenes, palabras y música que funcionan conjuntamente dando un resultado singular. La sensación resultante viene reforzada por una banda sonora con temas de Leonard Cohen, Mozart o la Third Ear Band
