Adaptation of The Lost City Story
Herzog embellished the story of the Lost City considerably, acknowledging his fabrications fully:
- "I wanted to get shots of pilgrims crawling around on the ice trying to catch a glimpse of the lost city, but as there were no pilgrims around I hired two drunks from the next town and put them on the ice. One of them has his face right on the ice and looks like he is in very deep meditation. The accountant’s truth: he was completely drunk and fell asleep, and we had to wake him at the end of the take."
Herzog defends the fabrication as reaching a greater truth:
- "I think the scene explains the fate and soul of Russia more than anything else."
This is in keeping with Herzog's beliefs about truth in film.
The film also contains shots of pilgrims, which are in fact people ice fishing. The chanting Siberians are only performing religious services in one of their two major scenes. In the other they are simply singing a love song.
Read more about this topic: Bells From The Deep
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