BEYOND REALISM: WERNER HERZOG'S QUEST FOR THE TRUTH

The theme of Werner Herzog’s quest for the deeper truth is the basis of my paper. Here I have used all forms of his films, books and interviews to track the trajectory of this quest. The quest is inscribed in his own manifesto which he unfurled as the Minnesota Declaration in 1999. Herzog’s philosophy behind his quest for the deeper truth is summed up in this declaration. The declaration is an attack on the philosophy of Cinéma Vérité which he says is devoid of verité. This is a direct attack on an established belief and movement. Herzog’s contention is that this truth is a superficial one. For him the deeper truth lies beyond the facts. For him ‘facts create norms’ and ‘truth illuminates’. One particular book I have put under the lens is his book Of Walking in Ice (1980). Here also Herzog experiments with the diary form to dig his idea of the deeper truth. Here I have also given a brief discussion on the evolving ideas of realism and its relationship with documentary. And from there I move on to how Herzog plays with the idea of realism to critique the idea of realism itself. I have also introduced here Herzog’s philosophy of learning and his unflinching stand against academia. For Herzog academia is the death of cinema.