Fitzcarraldo Budget

What is the budget of Fitzcarraldo?

"Fitzcarraldo," a drama released in 1982, was directed by Werner Herzog and stars Klaus Kinski, Claudia Cardinale. The production budget was $7,362,000, placing it in the low-budget range for drama productions of the 1980s.

Key Budget Allocation Categories

While specific budget breakdowns are not publicly available, typical cost drivers for a drama production like this include:

• Above-the-Line Talent: Drama films live or die on the strength of their performances.
• Location Filming & Period Production Design: Authentic locations , whether contemporary or historical , require scouting, permits, travel, lodging, and often significant dressing to match the story's time period.
• Post-Production, Color Grading & Score: The editorial process for dramas is typically longer than genre films, with careful attention to pacing and tone.
• Production: Fitzcarraldo is considered one of the most difficult productions in the history of cinema.

What were the major cost factors in Fitzcarraldo?

Several factors contributed to the overall production costs of "Fitzcarraldo."

• Above-the-Line Talent: Above-the-Line Talent is one of the primary cost drivers in drama productions of this scale.
• Location Filming: Location Filming & Period Production Design is one of the primary cost drivers in drama productions of this scale.
• Post-Production: Post-Production, Color Grading & Score is one of the primary cost drivers in drama productions of this scale.

How Does Fitzcarraldo's Budget Compare to Similar Films?

At $7,362,000, Fitzcarraldo sits in the low-budget range. Here is how it compares to productions with a similar budget:

• The Bye Bye Man (2017): Budget $7,400,000, Worldwide Gross $26,700,000
• Persepolis (2007): Budget $7,300,000
• Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? (1966): Budget $7,500,000, Worldwide Gross $33,736,689
• Your Name. (2016): Budget $7,500,000, Worldwide Gross $405,320,132
• Breaking the Waves (1996): Budget $7,500,000, Worldwide Gross $23,000,000

The median budget for wide-release drama films in the era ranges from $30 to 80M for mid-budget to $150M+ for tentpoles.

Fitzcarraldo Production History

The soundtrack album (released in 1982) contains music by Popol Vuh, taken from the albums Die Nacht der Seele (1979) and Sei still, wisse ich bin (1981), as well as performances by Enrico Caruso and others. The film uses excerpts from Verdi's Ernani, Leoncavallo's Pagliacci ("Ridi, Pagliaccio"), Puccini's La bohème, Bellini's I puritani, and Strauss' Death and Transfiguration.

Awards and Recognition

Nominated for 1 BAFTA Award4 wins & 4 nominations total

Critical Reception

Film critic Roger Ebert gave the film four (out of four) stars in his original 1982 review, and he added it to his Great Movies collection in 2005. Ebert compared Fitzcarraldo to films like Apocalypse Now (1979) and 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968), noting that "we are always aware both of the film, and of the making of the film", and concluding that "[t]he movie is imperfect, but transcendent".