First, watch the documentary, Burden of Dreams, and take notes on obstacles that the legendary director, Werner Herzog, faced in the making of it. At what points does he consider giving up? Why does he refuse to do so? What does he say compels him to keep going and finish his artistic vision regardless? Write down specific quotes from his interviews. Put these aside for later.
Next, watch the film itself, Fitzcarraldo. Briefly summarize the plot and the main characters in it. Who wants to bring “civilization” to the remote part of the world in which this story is set. In what form? At what cost? How is this vision misguided, both figuratively (think colonialism and the imposition of one way of life on another) and literally? Focus on the scene in which the boat is being hauled up the mountain and take notes on the cinematic techniques deployed in it for a close, shot-by-shot reading. This “close analysis” should be 75-125 words long, more or less.
Finally, combine your analysis of these two viewings in which you discuss the unique problems sometimes faced by directors wanting to film on site in remote locations in “underdeveloped” countries, foreign to their own. Why does it take a “touch of madness” to fulfill their artistic vision?
What light does this combined viewing shed on the relatively late arrival of much Third World cinema onto the international scene?