How Much Wood Would a Woodchuck Chuck (film) explained

How Much Wood Would a Woodchuck Chuck
Director:Werner Herzog
Producer:Werner Herzog
Narrator:Werner Herzog
Cinematography:Thomas Mauch[1]
Editing:Beate Mainka-Jellinghaus
Distributor:Werner Herzog Filmproduktion
Runtime:45 minutes
Country:West Germany
Language:English
German

How Much Wood Would a Woodchuck Chuck (German: Beobachtungen zu einer neuen Sprache, literally "Observations of a New Language") is a 1976 documentary film by German director Werner Herzog, produced by Werner Herzog Filmproduktion.[2] It is a 44-minute film documenting the World Livestock Auctioneer Championship held in New Holland, Pennsylvania. The film also contains a section about the Amish and shows Amish speaking Pennsylvania German.

Herzog has said that he believes auctioneering to be "the last poetry possible, the poetry of capitalism".[3] Herzog describes the auctioneering as an "extreme language ... frightening but quite beautiful at the same time".[4]

Herzog used two of the featured auctioneers Ralph Wade and Scott McKain as actors in his later film Stroszek.

Cinematographer Edward Lachman got his start working with Herzog on this film; he would work on La Soufrière (1977) shortly after.[5]

References

  1. Book: Cronin. Paul. Werner Herzog: A Guide for the Perplexed. 2014. Faber and Faber. London. 9780571259779. 524. 14 January 2016.
  2. Book: Aitken. Ian. The Concise Routledge Encyclopedia of the Documentary Film. 2013. Routledge. New York. 9780415596428. 363. 14 January 2016.
  3. DVD audio commentary for Stroszek
  4. Book: Herzog. Werner. Cronin. Paul. Herzog on Herzog. 2002. Faber and Faber. London; New York. 9780571207084. 140. registration.
  5. Book: LoBrutto. Vincent. Principal photography : interviews with feature film cinematographers. 1999. Westport, Conn. : Praeger. 9780275949549. 122. 13 January 2016.