Freedom of Movememt

WERNER HERZOG’S NEW DOCUMENTARY ILLUMINATES THE WORK OF AN ARTIST AND THE LIFE OF A FRIEND

BY JOE NOLAN, FILM CRITIC

German filmmaker Werner Herzog and English novelist, journalist and travel writer Bruce Chatwin had a lot in common.

Both men were badly bitten by the travel bug: they shared a love of storytelling and a fascination with primitive – even ancient – cultures; they both imbued the practice of traveling by foot with a mystical, visionary and healing power; and they bonded as brothersin-art as their paths crossed through the 1970s and 80s before Chatwin’s untimely death in 1989. Nomad: In the Footsteps of Bruce Chatwin is Herzog’s new documentary film which retraces Chatwin’s travels – and the filmmaker’s own – in an effort to bring Chatwin back to life for contemporary audiences. These visionary vagabonds each criss-crossed the globe hunting down their various tales, often trodding the same beaches, mountains, jungles and city streets on their quests. Nomad is a film about movement, discovery, spontaneous joy, unexpected loss, and the exhilarating bond between two remarkable artists.

Nomad has direct connections to at least three of Herzog’s previous films: Herzog’s last film with actor Klaus Kinski was 1987’s Cobra Verde. That film was based on Chatwin’s novel, The Viceroy of Ouidah (1980). My Best Fiend (1999), like Nomad, is also part travelogue, part memorial, with friends, family and colleagues speaking with Herzog, recalling Kinski’s life and work. My Best Fiend reads like a bittersweet love letter from Herzog to his menacing muse – Kinski was a volcanic talent and an insufferable troublemaker. Nomad is a more mysterious affair with Herzog piecing his portrait of Chatwin together one piece at a time in a book-like film that’s divided into individual chapters which each reveal novel aspects of Chatwin’s complex personality. Scream of Stone (1991) is a narrative feature about a team of mountain climbers ascending a summit. One of the climbers carries a chocolate brown leather rucksack through the alpine adventure. The prop is the actual rucksack that Chatwin gave to Herzog before he died from AIDS in the midst of the disease’s epidemic emergence in the 1980s. Chatwin hoped he and Herzog could take another journey together, but given the wasted condition of Chatwin’s spindle-thin legs, the pair agreed that Herzog would have to carry the bag.

Nomad doesn’t feel particularly unique in Herzog’s filmography, but it’s certainly a welcome entry. Herzog captures natural vistas, historic ruins, and contemporary interiors in collaboration with DPs Louis Caulfield and Mike Paterson. The pair lenses wind through trees and dancing across a glassy still surf to mesmerizing effect. Addin Herzog’s always compelling narration and Ernst Reijseger’s ethereal scoring, and Nomad finds Herzog at his still-masterful best as arguably the most poetic director in contemporary cinema.

Nomad is also a particularly arresting story for 2020. During a year when the globe has been shutdown in ways

many of us never imagined, Herzog’s film gives us a story that reminds viewers that movement across the land, across the water, across borders is an intrinsic part of human life. For Herzog and Chatwin freedom of movement is as central to creative expression as their cameras and notebooks. Nomad also reminds us that the adventures we find on our journeys are made more vivid when they’re reflected in the eyes of those we share those adventures with. Herzog notes that in his last days Chatwin was reduced to a skeleton with two eyeballs. He cuts to silent footage of the author’s last interview, his cheekbones straining against taut skin, his eyes wide open and still searching.

Nomad: In the Footsteps of Bruce Chatwin is currently available on VOD and streaming platforms

Joe Nolan is a critic, columnist and performing singer/songwriter based in East Nashville. Find out more about his projects at www.joenolan.com.