Even Dwarfs Started Small () is a 1970 West German absurdist comedy-drama film written, produced, and directed by Werner Herzog.
Plot
Dwarfs confined in an institution on a remote island rebel against the guards and director, also dwarfs, in a display of mayhem. They gleefully break windows and dishes, cackle maniacally, abandon a running truck to drive itself in circles, engineer food fights and cock fights, look at pin-up magazines, set fire to pots of flowers, kill a large pig, torment some blind dwarfs, and perform a mock crucifixion of a monkey.
Cast
- Helmut Döring as Hombré
- Paul Glauer as Erzieher
- Gisela Hertwig as Pobrecita
- Hertel Minkner as Chicklets
- Gertrud Piccini as Piccini
- Marianne Saar as Theresa
- Brigitte Saar as Cochina
- Gerd Gickel as Pepe
- Erna Gschwendtner as Azucar
Production
The film was shot on the Canary Islands, at Lanzarote. It was produced during the same time period as Herzog's Fata Morgana and The Flying Doctors of East Africa, and there are visual and thematic connections between the three works. Notably, the goggles worn by the blind dwarfs are the same style as the goggles which several people wear in Fata Morgana. The vehicle-in-circles scene was inspired by an incident that occurred when Herzog worked as a steward at the Munich Oktoberfest as a young man. Part of his duty was ensuring that drunk patrons did not attempt to drive their cars home, so when a drunk man insisted that he was capable of driving, Herzog got into his car with him, placed the steering wheel on full lock, then got out of his car. The man passed out and the car continued to drive in a circle until it ran out of petrol. This situation was repeated at the end Herzog's 1977 film Stroszek.
Reception
Even Dwarfs Started Small has a 100% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes based on 8 reviews.