Little Dieter Needs to Fly
1997
"Little Dieter Needs to Fly" is a documentary about Dieter Dengler, a German who grew up with a passion for flight and emigrated to the U.S. to join the navy and become a pilot during the Vietnam War. Dieter was shot down, captured and tortured before becoming one of the few American prisoners to escape. Working with Herzog he .. Read more
| Starring | Dieter Dengler |
|---|---|
| Director | Werner Herzog |
| Genres | Documentary, Drama |
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Little Dieter Needs to Fly
"Little Dieter Needs to Fly" is a documentary about Dieter Dengler, a German who grew up with a passion for flight and emigrated to the U.S. to join the navy and become a pilot during the Vietnam War. Dieter was shot down, captured and tortured before becoming one of the few American prisoners to escape. Working with Herzog he recreates his incredible story.
| Starring | Dieter Dengler |
|---|---|
| Director | Werner Herzog |
| Studio | SODA PICTURES |
| Run time | DVD: 1 hr 11 mins |
| Certificate | |
| Genres | Documentary, Drama |
| Language | DVD: English |
| Released | DVD: 22 Oct 2007 Production year: 1997 |
| Format | DVD |
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Most helpful member's review
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5 out of 5 people found this review helpful
[Highly rated reviewer]
Werner finds a soulmate
Towards the end of this outstanding documentary, Werner Herzog has the cheek to suggest that his subject, Dieter Dengler, who escaped the Viet-Cong in unimaginably horrendous circumstances, must be hiding something, because he seems so cheerful. As if Herzog himself hasn't subjected everyone around him to catastrophic hardships (people alledgedly died filming 'Fitzcarraldo'), without even having a war going on as an excuse. To be fair, Dengler's sang froid, as he recalls and describes his nightmare is something to behold, and Herzog clearly knows it's a great story, because he allows it to be told without artifice, and with the maximum of tension and, yes, gallantry. Dengler proves awesome company for 70 minutes, and the film is outstanding.
Plus, another Herzog doc, 'Wings of hope', is included as an extra, about a woman who walked out of the South American jungle following a plane crash. It's good, too. -
Most recent members' review
View all -
5 out of 5 people found this review helpful
[Highly rated reviewer]
Werner finds a soulmate
Towards the end of this outstanding documentary, Werner Herzog has the cheek to suggest that his subject, Dieter Dengler, who escaped the Viet-Cong in unimaginably horrendous circumstances, must be hiding something, because he seems so cheerful. As if Herzog himself hasn't subjected everyone around him to catastrophic hardships (people alledgedly died filming 'Fitzcarraldo'), without even having a war going on as an excuse. To be fair, Dengler's sang froid, as he recalls and describes his nightmare is something to behold, and Herzog clearly knows it's a great story, because he allows it to be told without artifice, and with the maximum of tension and, yes, gallantry. Dengler proves awesome company for 70 minutes, and the film is outstanding.
Plus, another Herzog doc, 'Wings of hope', is included as an extra, about a woman who walked out of the South American jungle following a plane crash. It's good, too. -
News and features
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Rescue Dawn
- 21 Nov 2007
Ten years ago Werner Herzog made a brilliant documentary, Little Dieter Needs to Fly. It was the story of Dieter Dengler, a German boy who grew up with vivid images of the Allied planes that destroyed his village - he made eye contact with the pilot of a plane that flew so close to his bedroom window he could almost touch the wing, he said. Later, he emigrated to the US and joined the navy, where he realized his dream to become a pilot. Shipped off to Vietnam, he was promptly shot down over... Read more
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