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75% Critic Match
Little Dieter Needs to Fly
“In 1966, Dieter Dengler was shot down over Laos, captured, and, down to 85 pounds, escaped.”
7.5 / 10• 1997• 1h 17m•NR• English
Documentary
Storyline
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.
Cast & Crew
Werner Herzog
Narrator (voice)
LeadDD
Dieter Dengler
Self
ED
Eugene Deatrick
Self
What People Are Saying
4.0
“A staggering achievement of craft and ambition. Werner Herzog's vision lands with breathtaking precision.”
4.0
“Every frame feels alive. Little Dieter Needs to Fly is the rare release that takes its audience seriously.”
