“Of Walking in Ice”: Walking from Munich to Paris to Save a Life. Not a Film, but Reality!
Werner Herzog’s extraordinary 22-day winter walking journey.
Renowned filmmaker Werner Herzog was shaken by a phone call from Paris in the last days of November 1974.
He learns that his close friend and German film historian Lotte Eisner is seriously ill and struggling with death. Herzog makes a significant decision and believes that an extraordinary action like walking is necessary to prevent his friend’s death.
With a jacket on his back, a compass, and a backpack with the bare essentials, he sets out on a three-week journey from Munich to Paris, starting on November 23, 1974, and ending on December 14, through winter’s freezing cold and snowstorms.
“Of Walking in Ice” is the name of Herzog’s heartfelt diary, recounting his journey. During his 22-day walk, he records everything he sees and feels.
From poetic descriptions of frozen landscapes to harsh weather conditions and moments spent in abandoned houses. The intense feeling of loneliness he experiences on this solitary journey is palpable in almost every line of the diary.
Herzog’s journey represents much more than pushing physical boundaries. It also shows what a person can achieve when driven by love and…
