
            Famed filmmaker Werner Herzog probably felt a deep kinship towards aviation pilot and documentary subject, Dieter Dengler. They both share common themes of man versus nature, and an overwhelming obsession that encapsulates their lives. Herzog relates Denglers story with stock footage, re-creations (not by other actors portraying Dengler, but Dengler himself revisiting locations), sketches, interviews, and his signature narration to share the life and experiences of an extraordinary man.On a cloudy day, Dieter Dengler walks into a tattoo parlor. He admires a portrait of horses streaming out of flames, led by death on a chariot. The retired air force pilot relates that this is the vision he saw in the jungles of Laos. However, "Death didn't want me" he says, as he relates his incredible story of survival.Dieter drives a winding path to his mountain home - his convertible top always up - even on the sunniest of days. He relates that he is often haunted by his friend Dwayne Martin. Dengler was shot over Laos in 1966, the crux of his travels from Germany, to the United States, to Vietnam, and back to the States.In Herzog's first chapter, the director discusses Dengler, the man in detail. Dengler currently lives in San Francisco, and as Dengler welcomes Herzog into his home, one can see the impact that captivity has had on his life. Dengler has a door ritual, in which he opens and closes each door twice to symbolizes the freedom of opening it without obstruction. His house is decorated with paintings of open doors, and the architecture is very open and wide. Dengler built his home on the top of a mountain, where he can look out over the entire city, emulating the height of flight. Aviation paraphernalia adorn his rooms.The quality of life in the jungle has had another obvious impact on Dengler's life. The kitchen, refrigerator, and cabinet are packed with excess food. He has even stored emergency provisions (such as 1000 pounds of rice) in his basement admitting, "I'll probably never need any of this food, but I can sleep so much better knowing that its down there." Newsreel footage from a press conference following Denglers rescue relate his early dreams to own and operate a restaurant, so as to never be hungry.The next segment follows Denglers dream to become a pilot. Dengler returns to his rural birth village of Wildberg, Germany, and he relates his first experience with a fighter plane. During World War II, as American and British fighters strafed his village, he caught a glimpse of a dive bomber with his cockpit open - he could see the pilot's black goggles and his eyes: "I knew from that moment on, I want to be a pilot. I want to be a flier. From that moment on, little Dieter needed to fly."Dengler takes Herzog through the many awards that decorate his expansive house. He has a Purple Heart, a Navy Cross, a Distinguished Service Medal, and a Sword of Loyola, next to the last photograph of his plane before it was shot down. Despite the awards, he denies being a hero, "Only people who are dead are heroes."Herzog shows us newsreel footage of post-war Germany, people licking trash can lids and boiling wallpaper for the nutrients in the glue. Dengler relates that some people would spend hours watching a sausage when it first appeared in the store window, because no one could afford it. Dieter worked as an apprentice for a clock maker, preparing him for the discipline of the armed forces, and the brutality of his capture. He built church bells as a blacksmith, and at age eighteen, he took the first ship he could to America. In Manhattan, he joined the air force to become a pilot, was shipped to San Antonio, and found himself peeling potatoes. He realized he needed an education to realize his dream, so he moved to California - going to school at night, and working in the day. He succeeded, joined the Navy, and was shipped to Vietnam as a pilot and a soldier.Dieter never felt like he was a soldier, however. He was just a boy who had realized his dreams - the people below seemed unreal. Dieter described how he felt being shot down in his plane- struck by lightning. Sitting behind an aquarium, Dieter describes how he had no time to be afraid. Death seemed much like the jellyfish floating behind him.In a third segment labeled, "Punishment", older Dieter is in a Laotian village recounting his capture. Standing around him are Laotians who flank him as he tells of his experience. After an initial escape, Dieter is put through tortures by his captors, such as being suspended upside down in a well, and being dragged by a water buffalo while the village children laugh and kick him. After he refused to sign a document condemning U.S. involvment in Vietnam, he was cut repeatedly, and had bamboo shards slit under his fingernails and into his body. Dieter extracts courage by the memory of his grandfather, the only dissenter in a town that otherwise voted 100% for Adolf Hitler. Just as his grandfather was mocked and beaten, Dieter was able to survive. Dieter agrees to re-enact some of the moments to try to chase away his demons. As he is being tied up by the young Laotian captors, he gets a funny feeling: "Uh-oh. This feels a little too close to home."Herzog pokes fun at the survival school of the 1960's by showing stock footage of how "movie survival" seemed like a breeze compared to reality. Much more than the instructional videos, Dieter learned from his captors various useful scenarios, such as how to quickly build a fire. One of his most vivid memories was his encounter with the Vietcong. They arrived to take him prisoner, and during a stop in a village, a villager stole Dieter's wedding ring. As Dieter left the village with the Vietcong, he became increasingly irritable. The Vietcong found out what he meant, and returned to the village. On arrival, they beat the thief to a pulp and cut off his finger with a machete. As Dengler relates this story in a Laotian hut, it is he who comforts a Laotian stand in. He hugs the man, and whispers to him, "just a movie. Dont worry about it."The Vietcong drops him at a prison camp, where there are four Thais, and two Americans. Dieter realizes he must escape immediately, but is persuaded to wait for the monsoons, or there will be no rain (or drinking water). The prisoners starve eating rats, and old rice. They were shot at while using the restroom. Throughout the ordeal, Dieter dreams of the ocean, and the Navy returning to rescue him. The decision to escape is made when the Thais overheard a plot to kill them in the jungle to make the murders look like an escape attempt.Dieter stands near a bamboo compound, using diagrams to explain his escape attempt: while the guards gather to eat, the prisoners would escape, commandeer the weapons, and trap their captors in the prison. They had reasoned to the best of their ability the location of each man and each gun. However, a serious miscalculation leads to chaos. Dieter is forced to use a submachine gun to kill six of his captors. The other two escape to alert the Vietcong. The other prisoners escape with all of the shoes - Dieter never saw them again. His only fellow escapee was American Dwayne Martin. When they reach the river, they built a raft in hopes that it would lead them to the Mekong. The Mekong leads to Thailand, which leads to freedom.In present day, Dieter talks about his friend Dwayne sitting next to the Mekong. After their raft had crashed in a waterfall, Dieter and Dwayne had found the sole of a tennis shoe which they alternated. As they crawled through a trail, they stumbled upon a young boy and a village. As they bowed to the inhabitants, a man swung a machete at Dieter, missing the former POW, and cutting Dwayne Martin in the meat of his upper leg. The villager then beheads Dwayne. In a fit of fury, Dieter grabs the shoe sole, and flees into the jungle. Distraught, Dieter realizes that his only company is a black bear. Dieter notes the irony that his only friend was a scavenger waiting to eat him. When Dieter arrived home, he filed for early retirement, and served as a civilian test pilot, getting into four more crashes - death still did not want Dieter Dengler.The final segment, titled "Redemption", begins with Dengler admiring a thirty pound turkey, he has invited his original rescuer Eugene Deatrick to his home for Thanksgiving. The old pilot Deatrick relates how he saw Dieter waving a parachute wildly next to two "s" shapes to create an SOS. Deatrick radioed a helicopter to pick up the POW, where he did not get a warm reception - a soldier in the helicopter initially thought Dieter could be a Vietcong suicide bomber, and tackled him to the floor.While Dieter was recovering in Da Nang, he desperately wanted to return to his ship. His friends snuck him out of the hospital and back on board, where he had an emotional reunion in the hanger with the 4,000 man crew of his carrier. He recollects that in the early days of his recovery, the only place he could sleep soundly was in the cockpit of a plane. A final two minute crane and panning shot shows Dieter Dengler walking through rows and rows of airplanes: a pilot's heaven.The postscript reveals that Dieter Dengler passed away February Seventh of 2001. He was buried with full military honors in Arlington National Cemetery. In his honor, F-14's flew over his funeral.
    

Wojciech Kolodziej

Romeo del Rosario

Lu Bevins

Zakariya Ganim

Liz Matory

Alexandra Rago

Aayush Nair

Corny O'Connell

Jason Green

Kamil Borowiecki

Taavo Remmel

Marko Lampinen

Bonnie & The Treasures

Hiroko Ide

Shiela Martin

Sebi John

Cheryl Clark

James Craigmyle

Eli Bevins

Andre Hill

Sambit Mishra

I. Sobolev

Mariusz Paszkowski

Harry Traksmann

Max Thursam

Petra Jarosova

Angela Ng

Chris Bailey

Chinmay Mishra

Sexy Angel

Art Jones

Bozena Zegert

Nestor Rudnytskyy

Essias Loberg

Marcin Balcerak

Piotr Kumor

Kalev Vapper

Valeria Malinen

Kerli Raag

Christopher-Lawson Palmer

John Root

David Jewell

Ibrahim-Aloduley

Sanjai Kuriakose

Michal Jackowski

David Gluzman

Harikrishnan Rajan

Simone Hulsemann

Earldine Smith

Lula Langston

Stefania Zadra

Apsara Rani

Dani Jacob

Michelle Ramsay

Dimitris Athanaselos

Devin Kirby

Adam French

Marek Jastrzebski

David King

Marrit Gerretz-Traksmann

Little Dieter Needs to Fly

Where to watch Little Dieter Needs to Fly (1997) movie online

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Where to watch Little Dieter Needs to Fly (1997) movie online

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Little Dieter Needs to Fly is currently streaming on the following OTT platforms in USA

Your region:
USA