Nomad: In the Footsteps of Bruce Chatwin Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.0
Extras		1.5
Overall		4.0

Nomad: In the Footsteps of Bruce Chatwin Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman November 10, 2020

Werner Herzog is often perceived, rightly or wrongly, as being a kind of curmudgeonly provocateur. It may come as at least something of a surprise for some, then, that Nomad: In the Footsteps of Bruce Chatwin is a positively sweet, at times melancholic, remembrance of the British writer whose path crossed Herzog’s at various times and places. Chatwin died over 30 years ago in 1989, and his work, while well remembered in certain circles, may be more or less completely unknown to others, and so a documentary ostensibly about him might seem like an odd choice. But as with many Herzog outings, notably some of his supposed “documentaries”, this is a personal statement from Herzog which seeks to illuminate certain aspects of Chatwin’s life and travels which Herzog feels refract into his own life and travels.

As can sometimes be the case with both Herzog's fictional narrative films as well as with his documentaries, he kind of gets around to making interesting points via various detours. In this particular instance, the film is almost like a travelogue, as Herzog visits several sites that had some importance to Chatwin, while also taking to time to quote liberally from Chatwin's writing (some of it in Chatwin's own distinctive voice via archival recordings) as well as, perhaps just a bit self servingly, to offer snippets from Herzog's own films which Herzog feels play into things.

The portrait of Chatwin that emerges is therefore perhaps a bit on the Impressionistic side, though Herzog does at least allude to some of the issues that haunted Chatwin, including a somewhat closeted bisexuality that may have contributed to his diagnosis of AIDS, even though Chatwin was evidently loathe to discuss the disease. There are some touching moments with Chatwin's widow, and Herzog also spends time with Chatwin's biographer, who happens to have the redolent surname of Shakespeare. Chatwin's field work documenting Aboriginal songs provides some interesting content.

Nomad: In the Footsteps of Bruce Chatwin Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Nomad: In the Footsteps of Bruce Chatwin is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Music Box Films with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.78:1. Unlike many biographical documentaries, there really aren't a huge variety of archival sources on display here, and as such, there's a rather nicely homogeneous appearance, with some exceptionally sharp and well defined imagery, even in some recurrent fly overs courtesy of what I'm assuming were drone shots. All of the interview sections are typically well detailed, though some, like the office interview between Herzog and Shakespeare, can look slightly soft. The palette is natural looking and some of the outdoor material in particular is rather beautiful. I noticed no compression issues of any kind.

Nomad: In the Footsteps of Bruce Chatwin Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Nomad: In the Footsteps of Bruce Chatwin features a DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 track. This piece might have benefited from a surround track, courtesy of not just a lot of outdoor material, but also with regard to Ernst Reijseger's effective score, but that said, the soundtrack here offers nice fidelity and excellent clarity throughout. Both talking head sequences and narration resonate clearly and cleanly, without any problems whatsoever. Optional English subtitles are available.

Nomad: In the Footsteps of Bruce Chatwin Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• In the Footsteps of Bruce Chatwin: A Conversation with Werner Herzog (1080p; 35:36) is a really interesting Q & A conducted by Patrick Holland.


• Theatrical Trailer (1080p; 2:03)

Nomad: In the Footsteps of Bruce Chatwin Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

While fans of Werner Herzog and/or Bruce Chatwin will probably be the most apt to enjoy Nomad: In the Footsteps of Bruce Chatwin, the sheer beauty of some of the locations Herzog travels to may well make this piece at least intermittently appealing for those who have never heard of either Herzog or Chatwin. The biographical data here is offered in dribs and drabs, by design, and so the film is probably better enjoyed as a travelogue of sorts that allows Herzog to explore all sorts of interesting nooks and crannies, including everything from the Aboriginal experience to quasi woolly mammoths (you'll have to watch the documentary to find out what that's about). Herzog's loose structuring here may make this feel a bit on the chaotic side at times, but Chatwin's personality nonetheless comes through surprisingly well. Technical merits are solid and the supplementary interview with Herzog very interesting. Recommended.