Home | Movies By Year | Movies from 2019
Nomad: In the Footsteps of Bruce Chatwin
Buy Nomad: In the Footsteps of Bruce Chatwin now from AmazonFirst, read the Wikipedia article. Then, scroll down to see what other TopShelfReviews readers thought about the movie. And once you've experienced the movie, tell everyone what you thought about it.
Wikipedia article
'Nomad: In the Footsteps of Bruce Chatwin' is a 2019 British documentary film by German director Werner Herzog. It chronicles the life of British travel writer Bruce Chatwin and includes interviews with Chatwin's widow, Elizabeth Chatwin, and biographer Nicholas Shakespeare, as well as detailing Herzog's own friendship and collaboration with the man.
Synopsis
The film is divided into eight chapters, in which Herzog travels to Patagonia, the Black Mountains in Wales, and the Outback of Australia, where he meets Chatwin's friends and others who shed light on his life and art.
1. 'The Skin of the Brontosaurus' - Herzog visits Punta Arenas, the Cueva del Milodn Natural Monument, and Last Hope Sound in Patagonia. He meets Karin Eberhard, the great-granddaughter of 19th-century explorer Hermann Eberhard, who discovered the Giant Sloth that plays a significant role in Chatwin's first book 'In Patagonia', and the Kenyan paleoanthropologist Richard Leakey.
2. 'Landscapes of the Soul' - Visits Avebury and Silbury Hill in Wiltshire near to Chatwin's school of Marlborough College. Talks to Chatwin's widow Elizabeth at Llanthony Priory. Mentions his 1968 film 'Signs of Life'. Meets Australian anthropologist Petronella Vaarzon-Morel and visits Coober Pedy in South Australia. Mentions that both men shared a fascination with the Aboriginal people of Australia, and first met while Herzog was filming 'Where the Green Ants Dream' and Chatwin was researching 'The Songlines'.
3. 'Songs and Songlines' - Travels to Central Australia where he meets a number of Australians, including Aboriginal elders. He discusses the anthropologist Ted Strehlow and his book 'The Songs of Central Australia' with Shaun Angeles Penange of the Strehlow Research Centre, before visiting Hermannsburg in the Northern Territory.
4. 'The Nomadic Alternative' - Discusses Chatwin's unfinished book 'The Nomadic Alternative' with his biographer Nicholas Shakespeare. Discusses the hunter-gatherers of Patagonia, showing vintage photographs of the Selk'nam people and the rock art at the Cueva de las Manos in Rio Pinturas. He discusses his own documentary 'Herdsmen of the Sun'.
5. 'Journey to the End of the World' - Herzog crosses the Beagle Channel and finds an archaeological dig on Navarino Island, then visits Puerto Williams. He talks with Elizabeth Chatwin and Nicholas Chatwin about Bruce Chatwin as a storyteller and mimic. Reads from Chatwin's essay 'Werner Herzog in Ghana'.(Originally published in Interview magazine, and then in Chatwin's final posthumous book, 'What Am I Doing Here'). Chatwin, Bruce (June 17, 2015). [https://www.interviewmagazine.com/film/new-again-werner-herzog 'Gone to Ghana' by Bruce Chatwin]. Interview.
6. 'Chatwin's Rucksack' - Herzog talks about Chatwin's rucksack and how it came to play a role in his life in his film 'Scream of Stone', which he calls a 'homage to Bruce Chatwin'. He mentions how the author liked Herzog's film 'Fitzcarraldo' and his book 'Of' 'Walking in Ice'.
7. 'Cobra Verde' - He talks about Chatwin's visit to the set of 'Cobra Verde' (which was based on his book 'The Viceroy of Ouidah').
8. 'The Book Is Closed' - Herzog talks about Chatwin's sexuality, marriage, conversion, and mortality.
Release
The film had its world premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival on 28 April 2019.Mitchell, Robert (9 April 2019). [https://variety.com/2019/film/news/werner-herzog-tribeca-documentary-nomad-bbc-two-arena-1203184015/ Werner Herzogs Tribeca-Bound Documentary Nomad to Air on the BBC]. Variety. It screened at the Sheffield Doc/Fest on 8 June 2019,[https://sheffdocfest.com/films/6833 Nomad: In the Footsteps of Bruce Chatwin]. sheffdocfest.com. the Telluride Film Festival on 30 August.[http://telluridecms-production.s3.amazonaws.com/assets/guides/46th-TFF-program-guide-FINAL.pdf 46th Telluride Film Festival - program]. The film is globally distributed by Sideways Film.Katz, David. (13 June 2019) [https://cineuropa.org/en/newsdetail/373818/ SHEFFIELD DOC FEST 2019 Review: Nomad: In the Footsteps of Bruce Chatwin]. cineuropa.org The film was shown on BBC Two in the UK on 21 September 2019.
Production
'Nomad: In the Footsteps of Bruce Chatwin', was commissioned by BBC Arts Mark Bell to mark 30 years since the death of the renowned travel writer and novelist. The production filmed in the Australian Outback, Patagonia and the Black Mountains in Wales.Shawley, Pippa (July/August 2019). [https://rts.org.uk/article/werner-herzog-tv-sentimentality-rampant-i-cant-stand-it Werner Herzog: TV sentimentality is rampant, I can't stand it]. Royal Television Society. Herzog said that he wanted to create a erratic quest rather than a "biographical film which are "not a good soil from which movies grow." The film aimed to mirror Chatwins fascination with wild characters, strange dreamers, big ideas about the nature of human existence.Harvey, Chris (13 Sep 2019). [https://www.telegraph.co.uk/films/2019/09/13/werner-herzog-interviewyou-have-behave-like-criminal-make-film/ Werner Herzog interview: You have to behave like a criminal to make a film]. The Telegraph. The music was composed and performed by Dutch cellist Ernst Reijseger (the fifth film he has scored for Herzog).Schager, Nick (1 May 2019). [https://variety.com/2019/film/reviews/nomad-in-the-footsteps-of-bruce-chatwin-review-1203200562/ Tribeca Film Review: Nomad: In the Footsteps of Bruce Chatwin]. Variety.
Critical reception
Upon its North American theatrical release, 'Nomad: In the Footsteps of Bruce Chatwin' was acclaimed by critics. On Rotten Tomatoes, the film has approval rating based on reviews, with an average rating of . The site's critical consensus reads, "Another rewardingly idiosyncratic documentary from Werner Herzog, 'Nomad: In the Footsteps of Bruce Chatwin' finds the master filmmaker paying warm tribute to a friend." Nick Schager, writing in 'Variety,' called the film "heartfelt" and says that Herzog vividly brings Chatwin to life while capturing his "attraction to the intersection of nature, history, dreams, and myth", as well as both men's artistic friendship and mutual willingness to embellish the truth. Schrager also mentions that the film's shots of nature convey a deep sense of beauty and mystery that is enhanced by Reijsegers score. The film was dubbed "very worthwhile" for fans of either Herzog or Chatwin by John Defore in 'The Hollywood Reporter'.Defore, John (1 May 2019). [https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/review/nomad-footsteps-bruce-chatwin-1206546 'Nomad: In the Footsteps of Bruce Chatwin': Film Review | Tribeca 2019]. The Hollywood Reporter. The 'Evening Standard' of London wondered if both Bruce Chatwin and Werner Herzog might be little known for many audiences.Chatwin, Bruce (20 Sep 2019). [https://www.standard.co.uk/stayingin/tvfilm/nomad-the-footsteps-of-bruce-chatwin-bbc-two-a4242331.html Nomad: In The Footsteps Of Bruce Chatwin: Werner Herzog makes a pilgrimage inspired by the adventurer]. 'The Evening Standard'. David Katz in CineEuropa says that the film's obscure British angle should not put off viewers who will find both that Herzog is re-energised by the subject matter that is close to his heart (after a number of less successful projects), and audiences get to learn about Herzog himself. The 'i newspaper' called the film 'bewitching', and that it made one glad for curious souls like Herzog and Chatwin.Delgado, Kasia (21 September 2019). [https://inews.co.uk/opinion/columnists/nomad-in-the-footsteps-of-bruce-chatwin-review-werner-herzogs-bewitching-ode-to-his-friend-636085 Nomad: In the footsteps of Bruce Chatwin, review: Werner Herzogs bewitching ode to his friend]. i (newspaper)
References
Buy Nomad: In the Footsteps of Bruce Chatwin now from Amazon
<-- Return to movies from 2019