Little Dieter Needs to Fly (1998)

Educational Media Network-Winner Golden Apple 1999 Biarritz International Festival of Audiovisual Programming-Winner Silver FIPA 1999 San Francisco International Film Festival-Winner Golden Spire 1998 International Documentary Association- Winner IDA Award 1997 Amsterdam International Documentary Film Festival-Winner Special Jury Award As a young boy Dieter Dengler watched as Allied planes destroyed his village. From that instant he knew that he wanted to fly. So at 18 he moved to America enlisted in the Navy and was promptly shipped off to Vietnam. During one of his first missions however Dengler was shot down over Laos and taken prisoner. Despite torture and starvation-at one point he weighed 85 pounds-he escaped and after a harrowing journey through the jungle on foot returned home. Today even comfort and success cannot dispel the demons of his past. In this remarkable award- winning documentary director Werner Herzog returns to the jungle with Dengler to tell an incredible tale of courage and survival against impossible odds.System Requirements:Run Time: 74 minutesFormat: DVD MOVIE Genre: DRAMA Rating: NR UPC: 013131520699 Manufacturer No: DV15206 Product Description

The grim visage of war

From a childhood in post-war Germany, Dieter Dengler saw a plane buzz his window. He immediately knew his goal in life was to be a pilot.

At the age of 18, Dieter left Germany for America. With nearly nothing, his pockets and stomach empty, he joined the US military with promises of becoming a pilot. He soon learned that his dreams of flying would be postponed while he was assigned to odd jobs. Without being deterred, Dieter got the education necessary to become a pilot, thereby fulfilling his dream. Little did he know the freedom of flight that had brought about great joy would also serve as the catalyst for the harrowing nightmare of being shotdown during a mission in Vietnam, and eventually becoming a POW.

The heart of the story is the very detailed account of how he was downed, with the explosions and blinding lights, and his subsequent capture. It's amazing the difficulties a POW has to endure, and until articulated firsthand, it's nearly impossible to truly empathize. Dealing with psychological torment and various forms of torture like a bags of ants over his head, the vivid explanations and details of how Dieter survived - along with a few fellow prisoners - is not only nearly impossible to fathom, but spell-bindingly mermerizing. The dysentery tale is particularly cringe-worthy.

During one brief stretch, some U.S. survival guide footage is displayed for almost comical purposes. It's sad how out-dated and nearly worthless the tips were, and reinforced the old thought that military leaders learn how to fight the previous enemy just in time for a new, different enemy. It's no surprise that Dieter and many others were captured.

With little emotion or transition, Dieter easily sways from demoralized captive to lethal wisp, managing to kill several guards during an escape attempt shootout. How he survived is anyone's guess. With a loss of contact from all but one other prisoner, mangled feet carrying his emaciated body through the jungle during torrential downpour of the monsoon season, and head to toe coverage in mud, blood, and leeches, it would be understandable, maybe even forgivable, if he had simply given up and allowed death to take him. As Dieter mentions, however, it is ironic that in his most dire moments, his only friend and companion was a bear that wanted to eat him, and since that moment never came, death just didn't seem to want him.

In the end, one has to wonder if the various reenactments and the heartfelt story has done anything to assuage the demons eating at Dieter Dengler. Countless years after he was shot down and tortured, he doesn't appear any worse for the wear. There is, however, his vivid memory of the events, as well as his candid story-telling ability. There is no doubt of post-Vietnam stress and nightmares that must haunt him and other former POWs on a daily basis. It's fortunate that Dieter's story was made before his recent passing, and it's a superb lasting legacy for such a courageous hero. July 17, 2008

Companion Piece

watching this after rescue dawn (the dramatisation of the story) makes it a perfect companion piece. A fantastic story, although I really felt sorry for him reliving some of the prison moments, as it got to him emotionally... as you would expect... June 26, 2008

Little Dieter Did Not Fly The Plane On The Cover!

This is a GREAT documentary. The story is an amazing story of survival. My family lived across the street from NAS Alameda at the time Dieter left Alameda on his voyage to Vietnam. I remember this time fondly. Living across the street from a Navy base the sky was filled with airplanes all the time, which is why I know for a fact that the airplane shown on the cover of the DVD is NOT the plane Dieter flew in Vietnam. Dieter flew a A-1 Skyraider. Why they chose to put another plane on the cover is a mystery to me. On the DVD you will see him sitting in a Skyraider. Again, a great story that anyone would enjoy watching. June 13, 2008

Dieter Dengler, a Greater American Than Me

I saw Rescue Dawn right before I saw Little Dieter Needs to Fly, and I think it might've made the documentary better for me, having done that. I think whether or not you've seen Rescue Dawn, the documentary will leave anyone humbled, and show them what it truly means to be a hero. April 17, 2008

Dieter and his story are powerful

That's really all there is to say. Herzog lets the man tell his story, his way, from the various locations where the events happened. Dieter Dengler's a powerful presence, and Herzog allows us to enjoy that to its maximum effect. You can't help but be moved by this guy.
April 15, 2008

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