Werner Herzog in conversation with Mark Kermode

The undisputed master of world cinema reveals the story of his extraordinary life to Mark Kermode.

Werner Herzog has always been drawn to the extremes of human experience, and over a lifetime at the forefront of world cinema, has repeatedly pushed himself and others to the limits – from building an opera house in the middle of the jungle to descending into an active volcano and living among grizzly bears.

From his early movies to his later documentaries, he has made a career out of exploring the boundaries of human endurance: what we are capable of in exceptional circumstances and what these situations reveal about who we really are. But these are not just great cinematic themes.

As a child in rural Bavaria, a single loaf of bread had to last his family all week. The hunger and deprivation he experienced during his early years perhaps explain his fascination with the limits of physical endurance. All his life, Herzog would embrace risk and danger, constantly looking for challenges and adventures.

He joined Mark Kermode to reveal the influences and ideas that drive his creativity and have shaped his unique view of the world.