German filmmaker Werner Herzog is known first and foremost for his work as a director, helming some of the most acclaimed films of all time as well as some of the most compelling documentaries in recent years. Most recently, he appeared in front of the camera in the Tom Cruise vehicle Jack Reacher, as the sinisterly foreign villain, The Zec. This is at once surprising and also kind of a perfect fit for Herzog, whose voice has attained a kind of legendary status in the cinephile community, as it’s a character whose dialogue is delivered for the most part over the phone.
This status is a result of Herzog narrating many of his own documentaries, with his odd and distinctive voice, as well as his affinity for poetic language to describe the images as they unfold. But then of course his German accent makes everything sound somewhat nefarious to English-speaking audiences, and so there’s a quality of mischief if not evil to everything that he says, even when he’s describing penguins. This also makes for an even greater effect when it’s put to comedic use.
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