Little Dieter Needs to Fly

"In 1966, Dieter Dengler was shot down over Laos, captured, and, down to 85 pounds, escaped."

Oct 2 1998 Not Rated 1h 20m
Biography, Documentary, Drama

Three decades after German-American pilot Dieter Dengler was shot down over Laos, he returns to the places where he was held prisoner during the early years of the Vietnam War. Accompanied by director Werner Herzog, Dengler describes in unusually candid detail his captivity, the friendships he made, and his daring escape. Not willing to stop there, Herzog even persuades his subject to re-enact certain tortures, with the help of some willing local villagers.

Official Trailer
Plot

In 1966, Dieter Dengler was shot down over Laos, captured, and, down to 85 pounds, escaped. Barefoot, surviving monsoons, leeches, and machete-wielding villagers, he was rescued. Now, near 60, living on Mt. Tamalpais, Dengler tells his story: a German lad surviving Allied bombings in World War II, postwar poverty, apprenticed to a smith, beaten regularly. At 18, he emigrates and peels potatoes in the U.S. Air Force. He leaves for California and college, then enlistment in the Navy to learn to fly. A quiet man of sorrows tells his story: war, capture, harrowing conditions, escape, and miraculous rescue. Where did he find the strength; how does he now live with his memories?

Written by

Werner Herzog

Directed by

Werner Herzog

Cast

Dieter Dengler, Werner Herzog, Eugene Deatrick

Crew

View crew

Production Countries

France, Germany, United Kingdom

Production Companies

Werner Herzog Filmproduktion, ZDF

Languages

English

Awards

Nominated for 1 Primetime Emmy. 5 wins & 3 nominations total

Trailers
Werner Herzog film collection: Little Dieter Needs To Fly - Trailer
Scores
# of Votes
7,067
Average Rating
8 out of 10
Metascore
NA
Popularity
NA