Little Dieter Needs to Fly

Dec 1, 1997

1h 17m

★ 7.5

In 1966, Dieter Dengler was shot down over Laos, captured, and, down to 85 pounds, escaped.

Overview

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.

Genres

Documentary

Production Companies

Werner Herzog Filmproduktion

ZDF

Little Dieter Needs to Fly Trailers

Cast

Narrator (voice)

Werner Herzog

Self

Dieter Dengler

Self

Eugene Deatrick

When NFL superstar Barry Sanders vanished at the height of his career, he left the NFL world in shock. He was still in his prime, chasing the all-time NFL rushing record when he boarded a flight to England and never stepped foot on the field again. Now, 24 years later, Barry retraces his steps through the streets of London to finally confront the mystery.

9.0

Solidaridad Cuba y Vietnam

Jan 1, 1965

Short documentary on the solidarity of the Cuban people with Vietnam during the war against the United States.

0.0

El oficio de buscar a Inés

Jul 19, 2022

On the night of July 19, 1977, Inés was traveling by bus when a military patrol detained all the passengers. That morning, almost everyone was released except Inés. Her father began a never-ending search that led him to the very center of Argentina's repressive apparatus. The judicial path and the love of a family that never stops.

0.0

Ruiz

Nov 1, 2023

At the core of these memories is Kcey, a spirited young woman of Puerto Rican and African American heritage. Her infectious spirit and uniquely endearing laugh became her signature, filling every room with infectious energy and joy. As a child, Kcey's spirited antics foreshadowed her future strength; she later emerged as a formidable member of the Air Force. Recollections from her mother, father, sister, childhood friend, and a battle buddy capture the essence of Kcey, from her infectious laughter to her cherished moments under the Afghan sunsets. Each memory serves as a testament to a life lived passionately. However, heartbreak strikes when, amid war, a plane crashes, claiming Kcey's life. As they grapple with this devastating loss, her loved ones oscillate between despair and denial, occasionally seeking refuge in work or the numbing embrace of alcohol. Yet, as they collectively mourn, they discover solace in their shared memories of Kcey's radiant spirit.

No Image

0.0

A Short Film for Laos

Mar 6, 2006

Part History Channel, part visual diary, and part mesmerizing abstraction, Allan Sekula’s video, A Short Film for Laos, 2006, takes the measure of day-to-day life in what the narrator describes as “the most bombed place on earth.”…

7.5

Grizzly Man

Aug 12, 2005

Follows the story of "Grizzly Man" Timothy Treadwell and what the thirteen summers in a National Park in Alaska were like in his attempt to protect the grizzly bears. The film is full of unique images and a look into the spirit of a man who sacrificed himself for nature.

0.0

Hard Hat Riot

Sep 30, 2025

On May 8, 1970, construction workers violently clashed with students demonstrating against the Vietnam War in lower Manhattan. The workmen, who came to be known as “hardhats,” were at the cutting edge of a new kind of class war. With the war in Vietnam raging on, it was the sons of the working class who were doing most of the fighting. Workmen saw the protesting students as privileged “draft dodgers” disparaging the country and those who fought for it. On the other side, many student activists saw the workers as pawns, unwilling to see the changes that America needed. Hard Hat Riot tells the story of a struggling metropolis, a flailing president, a divided people, and a bloody juncture when the nation violently diverged ― culminating in a new political and cultural landscape that radically redefined American politics and foreshadowed the future.

8.0

Frozen Hell

Oct 2, 2011

During the Continuation War, there were dozens of POW camps in Finland. About the third of 70,000 prisoners died during the first year of war. Most of the archives of the camps were destroyed and the majority of the war crimes were never revealed.

7.5

The Lost Children

Nov 13, 2024

After a plane crash, four indigenous children fight to survive in the Colombian Amazon using ancestral wisdom as an unprecedented rescue mission unfolds.

No Image

0.0

W milczeniu

Apr 7, 2011

Until now, they have stood on the sidelines. They have not appeared before the cameras. They have not taken part in public discussion. It is mainly to them that the documentary film by the well-known journalist Ewa Ewart was devoted. It shows the face of the Smolensk catastrophe through the eyes of the victims' families. April 10, 2010 went down in the memory of Poles as a day of national drama. But for the characters in the film, it was the day of their greatest personal drama. Along with the presidential couple, their loved ones passed away in shocking circumstances. For most, the time passing since the Smolensk catastrophe does not bring relief. Ewa Ewart and her film crew accompany the families at various stages of their struggle with difficult emotions. The film is in the process of being made and will include sequences and stills that have not been used anywhere before.

7.1

Les Damnés de la Commune

Mar 16, 2021

Exclusively created with period engravings, this animated feature explores the Franco-Prussian War of 1870 and the ensuing Paris Commune revolution in 1871.

7.0

Vjeran Tomic: The Spider-Man of Paris

Oct 20, 2023

In his own words, the burglar behind the 2010 robbery of the Paris Museum of Modern Art tells how he pulled off the biggest art heist in French history.

0.0

The Remarkable Life of John Weld

Oct 9, 2018

The true life story of John Weld, who went from stuntman during Hollywood's golden era, to journalist, novelist and many other careers.

7.1

March of the Penguins

Jan 26, 2005

Every year, thousands of Antarctica's emperor penguins make an astonishing journey to breed their young. They walk, marching day and night in single file 70 miles into the darkest, driest and coldest continent on Earth. This amazing, true-life tale is touched with humour and alive with thrills. Breathtaking photography captures the transcendent beauty and staggering drama of devoted parent penguins who, in the fierce polar winter, take turns guarding their egg and trekking to the ocean in search of food. Predators hunt them, storms lash them. But the safety of their adorable chicks makes it all worthwhile. So follow the leader... to adventure!!

8.0

1968: A Year of War, Turmoil and Beyond

Jul 20, 2018

The Tet Offensive during the Vietnam War, the Civil Rights Movement, the May events in France, the assassinations of Martin Luther King and Robert F. Kennedy, the Prague Spring, the Chicago riots, the Mexico Summer Olympics, the presidential election of Richard Nixon, the Apollo 8 space mission, the hippies and the Yippies, Bullitt and the living dead. Once upon a time the year 1968.

No Image

9.0

Das Dorf der Freundschaft

Aug 25, 2001

A German Documentary about the “village of friendship” that was created by American Veteran George Mizo to help the Vietnamese kids suffering from the Vietnam War.

7.8

The Farthest

Mar 15, 2018

The captivating tales of the people and events behind one of humanity's greatest achievements in exploration: NASA's Voyager mission.

6.0

Damn Ruskies

Dec 3, 2000

No overview available.

7.6

Terry Pratchett: Back in Black

Feb 11, 2017

A poignant and humorous film telling the life story of the hugely popular author of the discworld series of books, in his own words.

0.0

The Empathizer

Oct 13, 2024

Standup comedian Fred Le hears the stories of a diverse range of young overseas-born Vietnamese who made their way back to the land that their parents left following the end of the Vietnam War. The Empathizer explores identity and the impact of trauma among Việt Kiều who grew up a generation removed from tragic events of the past.

Little Dieter Needs to Fly

Overview

Genres

Production Companies

Little Dieter Needs to Fly Trailers