Dengler fell in love with aviation as a child. How?- well, it was from watching the bombers that assaulted his small town in the Black Forest during WW2. What would normally be a nightmarish event for a child, somehow in Dieter, became his passion. As he suffered through the post-war years in Germany, his family ate the glue from wallpaper to survive, he worked at a menial, back breaking blacksmith job where he was beaten, and he always dreamed of flying. So, as soon as he could, he left for America with thirty cents in his pocket, spent two years peeling potatoes in the Army, put himself through collage, and eventually joined the Navy, learned how to fly, before he was shot down over Laos while on his first mission.

Filmmaker Werner Herzog has always been a great documentarian in addition to being one of cinemas (former) leading surrealist film makers. In Little Dieter Needs to Fly he chooses a fascinating subject, one odd enough, that even Herzog's eccentric personality is dwarfed. Your first instinct when watching Dengler's amazing comfort with talking about the horror he endured, is to assume it is the passage of time that has done this, given him the distance to deal with the harrowing events. Yet, when the film plays stock footage of a young, newly tan and healthy Dengler at a press conference recounting what happened to him, he is just as jovial. Here is a man, that when they return to the jungles in which he was captured, allows himself to be bound and escorted by gun toting rebels, who could easily be the descendants of the men who tortured him, and walked through the steps, reenacting what he went through. It boggles the mind, really. He lays on a table, with two gun wielding Vietnamese, and shows how he tried one escape one night, never for an instant overcome with emotion in the way most people would expect. He is emotional, but it is still seemingly noncholant, as if perhaps through the telling, it is easier.

This was a great documentary, one that left me wanting to watch it a second time. Herzog imposes his usual touch, finding some surreal moments like Dieter and a man undressing a flight suit mannequin, Dieter recalling death in from of a tank of jelly fish, the rolling stock footage of planes dropping bombs while throat singing music plays on the soundtrack.

My only real complaint is that the subject is so interesting it left me wanting more. Since it is mainly a tale of what-he-went-through-and-how-he-survived, the other details, particularly the years since his escape, are glossed over. While it does show Dieter reuniting with the pilot who saved him, Dieter letting us tour through his home (which he designed to have no doors and open area with little paintings of doors everywhere and emergency supplies in the floor- 1000 pounds of rice, 1200 pounds of wheat and flour, 300 pounds of sugar and honey), and, of course, Dieter back in the jungles recounting his tale of survival- I wanted to know how he made a living, what his post escape years were like, and his compulsive disorders. More is covered about his past, letting us glimpse into how he was raised and how it prepared him to endure. So, I guess my wanting more is only a testament to how interesting Dieter's story was.

The DVD: Anchor Bay Entertainment continues its history of releasing, so far, nearly every work in the Werner Herzog bio. Picture- Widescreen, 16X9 enhanced. The picture is pretty good for a documentary, while it does show some evidence of grain, Herzog is a grainy film maker, and the wear and tear is acceptable. Overall it shows good color and sharpens with no evident transfer defects. Documentary/Herzog fans should be pleased. Sound- Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono. Once again very average sound for a low key documentary, no flash or pizzaz. I found the dialogue to be a tad low, and I had my volume was turned up a little more than usual. Perhaps it could have been punched up a bit, but its not a deterrent by any means. Extras- Sadly not much, and at a hefty price tag. This is where we could see extra footage, fix some of the problems I had with wanting more. Clocking in at a mere 75 min with a man who can talk like Dengler, I'm assuming there were various things left on the cutting room floor. Basically all we get is a Herzog Bio and Production Notes- a treatise on how Little Dieter fits into the Herzog filmography.--- Something significant has occured after the film was made. Following the closing credits we are treated to some extra footage that will leave those affected by Dieters tale a little more melancholy and grateful for his profound ability to articulate and share his story.