Herzog On Board for ‘Piano Tuner’
Werner Herzog has a thing for strange men in out of the way places so it’s probably a natural fit that his next project will be bringing Daniel Mason’s 2002 novel The Piano Tuner to the big screen. Set in 1886, it tells the story of a man who is assigned to the jungles of Burma by the British War Office in order to tune an eccentric major’s 1840 Erard grand piano.
According to The Hollywood Reporter, the Focus Features film will be “[Herzog's] biggest English language costume drama in more than four decades as a filmmaker.”
The director will be rewriting the screenplay himself.
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Wow, this sounds really interesting. The Portland Art Museum is doing a Herzog retrospective next month in anticipation of the release of his newest documentary, Encounters at the End of the World. I’m looking forward to seeing some of his films on the big screen (although I will be out of town for the lone screening of Fitzcarraldo).
I have a special little nook in my heart for Herzog in all of his mad filmmaking brilliance. This looks to be the kind of story that is quintessentially him.
That’s cool Joel, I’ve been building up to a little Herzog retro here myself. I haven’t seen many of his films since college.
Evan, I hesitate to recommend this because it’s getting killed at Rotten Tomatoes, but if The Grand plays in your neck of the woods, you might want to check it out. Personally, I thought it was pretty funny in a sloppy way, but more importantly Werner Herzog plays…wait for it…a crazy German card player with a bunny fixation.
Sounds like Fitzcarraldo 2. Could be great. I wonder if Herzog’s health insurance covers malaria.
An expansive and expensive Herzog film being greenlit?
This just made my month of April.
Sounds like an interesting premise that’s perfect for Herzog. A man who is sent into the depths of the Burmese jungle whose sole job is to tune a guy’s piano? Awesome.
I must admit, I haven’t seen a lot of Herzog’s work, especially some of his more important stuff, but what I have seen is fantastic. One of my recent favorites is Wild Blue Yonder, if only for the last part where the underwater footage is used. Brilliant and beautiful. And, of course, the bizarre Brad Dourif, who I like to believe played himself.
“Personally, I thought it was pretty funny in a sloppy way, but more importantly Werner Herzog plays…wait for it…a crazy German card player with a bunny fixation.”
Oh….my….that is freaking awesome. I now have to see that film. Thanks, Craig. It wasn’t like my filmwatching schedule was, you know, free or anything.