Burden of Dreams 4K Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.5
Video		4.5
Audio		5.0
Extras		3.5
Overall		3.5

Burden of Dreams 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov December 17, 2025

Les Blank's "Burden of Dreams" (1982) arrives on 4K Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion. The supplemental features on the release include archival program with Werner Herzog; archival audio commentary by Les Blank, Maureen Gosling, and Werner Herzog; deleted scenes; original trailers; and more. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-Free.

Admirable devotion to art or a dangerous obsession with a ludicrous experiment? What was the catalyst behind Werner Herzog’s insistence on completing Fitzcarraldo, a film mimicking the madness of Francis Ford Coppola’s Apocalypse Now?

Les Blank’s documentary Burden of Dreams offers a wealth of material that makes it very easy to explain Herzog’s relationship with Fitzcarraldo because a lot of it is composed of statements addressing it in great detail from Herzog himself. All one has to do to explain what Herzog was doing in the Peruvian Amazon in the early 1980s is select different portions of these statements, and then pretend that everything else is either of little importance or irrelevant. This is not difficult to do. Before Les Blank’s camera, Herzog frequently contradicts himself in amusing ways. Often, it is even impossible to tell if Herzog is speaking or some very naughty, strikingly intelligent Indian spirit that has figured out how to infiltrate and manipulate his body. However, while contradicting himself or sounding like a possessed man, Herzog always leaves the impression that he genuinely means what he says, which is why anything one extracts from his statements could be the truth.

Unless, of course, there was no truth to be had, because Herzog had found himself stuck in a wild situation that forced him to improvise exactly like the deranged rubber baron who wanted to build a lavish opera house in the middle of the jungle, and this is what he was doing all the time – improvising, even when Les Bank’s camera was rolling.

In a fascinating segment, a visibly frustrated Klaus Kinski, who was brought to save the project after its star, Jason Robards, fell severely ill and departed, alludes to this very scenario. Kinski declares that he and other actors are trapped in the jungle, like prisoners, not knowing exactly when they might be called to work. Moments later, Herzog reveals that he has agreed to have local prostitutes interact with the people working for him, and it is all good because somehow “the jungle sweats it out.” Les Blank’s camera then supplies various images reinforcing the feeling that virtually all activities in the area are improvisational efforts that Herzog simply oversees as effectively as he can.

The final twenty minutes provide the best material to intentionally and unintentionally misinterpret Herzog’s passion for Fitzcarraldo. Here, there are scattered statements about monumental delays, gambles, perseverance, and love of cinema, complemented by striking visuals of random deforestation, poverty, dangerous acting, and incredibly risky directing work. Herzog addresses the order of things in the jungle and how, despite its misery and dangers, it remains a beautiful, inspirational place. The Great Caruso can be heard singing, too.

Before the end credits appear, Herzog jokingly comments on his plans after he is done shooting Fitzcarraldo. “I shouldn’t make movies anymore. I should go to a lunatic asylum right away.”

*Fitzcarraldo was completed in 1982. It premiered at the Cannes Film Festival, where it was nominated for the Palme d'Or Award and won Best Director Award.

Burden of Dreams 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Criterion's release of Burden of Dreams is a 4K Blu-ray/Blu-ray combo pack. The 4K Blu-ray is Region-Free. However, the two Blu-rays are Region-A "locked". Please note that some of the screencaptures included with this article are taken from the 4K Blu-ray and downscaled to 1080p. Therefore, they do not accurately reflect the quality of the 4K content on the 4K Blu-ray disc.

Screencaptures #1-27 are taken from Blu-ray.
Screencaptures #30-39 are taken from the 4K Blu-ray.

The following text appears inside the leaflet provided with this release:

"Undertaken by filmmaker Harrod Blank (Les Bank Films), this new 4K restoration was created from the original 16mm negative A/B rolls. The new 5.1 surround soundtrack was supervised by editor and sound recordist Maureen Gosling and created at Endpoint Audio Labs using the original Nagra tapes recorded in Peru and the original LP music elements. The original monaural soundtrack was remastered from the magnetic track.

Digital remastering executive producer: Harrod Blank.
Colorist: Paul Cope.
Postproduction supervisor, conform editor, and restoration: Anthony Matt.
Audio restoration: Nick Bergh/Endpont Audio Labs, Burbank, CA."

In native 4K, the 4K presentation of the film is not graded with Dolby Vision or HDR. I viewed different portions of the film in native 4K and 1080p on the Blu-ray.

The entire film looks remarkably healthy now. Considering how it was shot and where, a lot of the visuals look most impressive, with the outdoor panoramic shots typically being the most memorable ones. Obviously, there are plenty of native fluctuations affecting delineation, clarity, and depth, but even in the areas with the most significant drops in quality, the strength of the visuals is undeniable. If I had to choose between the native 4K and 1080p presentations, I would go with the latter. In 1080p, the grain spikes are not as pronounced and at times even overwhelming as they are in native 4K. Color reproduction and balance are very good. I felt that in a few places primary blue becomes a tad too warm, but the overall temperature of the visuals remains convincing. I did not see any distracting anomalies. Image stability is excellent.

Burden of Dreams 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There are two standard audio tracks on this release: English LPCM 1.0 and English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 (with very small portions of Spanish and German). Optional English SDH subtitles are provided for the main feature.

I stared viewing Burden of Dreams with the LPCM 1.0 track and then switched to the DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track in several areas. The narration and exchanges are very clear. Dynamic intensity is limited, but this is to be expected given the documentary nature of the material. The river footage and some of the boat action -- on the river and on the shore -- is where the DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 does a little more. However, I do not think that the DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 makes it possible to experience the film in an entirely new way. The original material has plenty of native limitations.

Burden of Dreams 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

4K BLU-RAY DISC

• Commentary - this archival audio commentary features Les Blank, Maureen Gosling, and Werner Herzog. Les Blank and Gosling recorded together in San Francisco in 2004, while Herzog recorded in Los Angeles in 2005.

BLU-RAY DISC

• Commentary - this archival audio commentary features Les Blank, Maureen Gosling, and Werner Herzog. Les Blank and Gosling recorded together in San Francisco in 2004, while Herzog recorded in Los Angeles in 2005.

• Werner Herzog Eats His Shoe - presented here is footage from a memorable event -- Werner Herzog ate his shoe after promising to do so if Errol Morris completed a feature film. Morris shot Gates of Heaven. In English, not subtitled. (21 min).

• Dreams and Burdens - presented here is an archival interview with Werner Herzog in which he reflects on his involvement with Fitzcarraldo and how the experience impacted his career and life. In English, not subtitled. (38 min).

• Deleted Scenes - presented here are two deleted scenes, which Werner Herzog used in My Best Friend, a film about his complicated relationship with Klaus Kinski. In English and German, with English subtitles. (4 min).

• Behind the Scenes Photos - presented here are various photos taken by Maureen Gosling. With music. (8 min).

• Trailers - in English, not subtitled.
  
  1. Original trailer.
  2. New trailer for the recent 4K restoration of Burden of Dreams.

• Book - a book of excerpts from Les Blank's and Maureen Gosling's production journals.

• Leaflet - an illustrated leaflet featuring critic Paul Arthur's essay "In Dreams Begin Responsibilities" and technical credits.

Burden of Dreams 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Plenty of what Werner Herzog did during the production of Fitzcarraldo would be indefensible now, so he is undoubtedly fortunate to have been able to pursue his dream at the right time. A lot of it is impossible not to admire. However, there is also an element of arrogance in Herzog's work that reminds of Francis Ford Coppola's descent into the abyss of madness during the filming of Apocalypse Now. For this reason, Burden of Dreams has a lot in common with Hearts of Darkness. Criterion's combo pack introduces an excellent new 4K restoration of Burden of Dreams, supervised by Les Blank, which is also made available on Blu-ray. RECOMMENDED.