Werner Herzog could not understand Errol Morris . The German - wear filmmaker had already madeAguirre , the Wrath of Godand was infamous for his unrelenting approach to come movies produced . To Herzog , deficiency of equipment was no alibi : borrow cameras if you could , slip them if you must .
In Morris , a graduate educatee at the University of California , Berkeley , he saw a highly sound and challenging young man who was too easily distracted . Morris was an accomplished cellist who gave up the instrument ; he had conducted several interview for a book on nonparallel grampus that he had also forsake . He wanted to make a documentary film film , but kvetch that raising funding would be baffling .
Herzogtold himit was just an excuse . To antagonize Morris , heoffereda wager . “ I ’ll eat the place I ’m [ now ] get into the twenty-four hours I see your film for the first time . ” They were Clarks , made of leather and tailor richly over the ankle .
In spring 1979 , at the Berkeley premiere of Morris ’s first photographic film , Gates of Heaven , Herzog sat down and began to chew on his own leftover shoe .
Herzog and Morris had met at the Pacific Film Archive , a screening room and motion picture library , in the mid-1970s . Morris was trance with Herzog , who made films on his terms ; Herzog admired Morris ’s abilities to pull out information from interview subjects . The two bring down serial killer Edmund Kemper in prison house andonce discussed programme todig up sea wolf Ed Gein ’s mother in Wisconsin to see if Gein had desecrate her stiff . ( Herzog demonstrate up , shovel in hand ; Morris did not . )
In the tardy 1970s , Morris nail work on his docudrama feature , Gates of Heaven , about a preferred memorial park and the heartache - stricken possessor of the recently departed . Herzog was officious with pre - production on a feature of speech , Fitzcarraldo , when he received word from Pacific Film ’s Tom Luddy that Morris ’s movie was due to be screened at UC Berkeley ’s theater in April 1979 .
Luddy remembered the bet ; Morris did not . Instead of being disport , Morris recalledfeeling irritatedthat Herzog was go to go through with the stunt , conceive it was draw in promotion away from the film . Herzog , for his part , argue that he would be proficient exposure forGates of Heavenand might lead in Morris land a electrical distributor .
On April 11 , Herzog relate down in San Francisco and met with a colleague , Les Blank , who contrive to document the result of his fall behind stake for a short film . ( TitledWerner Herzog Eats His Shoe , it wasreleasedthe following year . ) Herzog showed off the same Clarks he claimed he was wear out when he challenge Morris : the two headed for Berkeley ’s Chez Panisse eating place , where acclaimed chef Alice Waters waspreparedto serve the conductor make his footgear toothsome .
The restaurant had been serve duck’s egg that day , and Herzog latched onto the thought of boil the shoe in duck fat in an attempt to buffer it . Before put it in the pot , he stuffed it with ail and add up rosemary , onions , and Tabasco sauce . He tied the lace together in an attempt to capture the flavor and left it to marinade for five hour .
When Herzog carried the pot on degree before the premiere of the moving-picture show , he denote that the duck fat root had been a failure : instead of soften the leather , it had toughen it . The rubber sole was declared inedible , having melted off “ like cheese on a pizza pie . ”
As he interacted with the interview , Herzog start to nip off off lilliputian objet d’art of the horseshoe with poultry shear , chewing what he could before washing it down with beer .
Herzog made a joke about the meal being no dissimilar from fast - food Gallus gallus and announce that his “ clown ” show was worthwhile if it inspired filmmakers to take the opening . The activity eventually moved back to the restaurant , where an more and more inebriated Herzog continued to nibble on small portions . He vowed to spare the correct skid in the case a major studio apartment like Fox picked up Morris ’s film .
Gates of Heavendid eventually receive a wide release , launch Morris ’s calling and eventually beingnamedone of Roger Ebert ’s favorite American film of all prison term . But an annoyed Morris was n’t present for Herzog ’s stunt . ( The two eventually submit . )
In the years since , Herzog claim not to think the appreciation of his shoe , the six beer havingwiped his memoryof the eve . But he ’s never give tongue to any regret over the spectacle . “ Anyway , ” he told an interviewer , “ there should be more shoe - eating . ”
