Holy Ship

Did you hear the one about the crew rowing a huge boat across the ocean? The first mate says to them, "The good news is, we're having steak tonight." Everyone cheers. "The bad news is, the captain wants to water ski." How about this one: A filmmaker wants to tell the story of an opera fanatic who pulls a 300-ton ship over a Peruvian mountain as part of an effort to bring opera to the Amazon jungle. So the director finds a steam ship and gets filming. With no sissy special-effects stuff, either, just old-fashioned help from the locals. You'd probably call the man a crazy s.o.b. and not blame lead actor Klaus Kinski for wanting to kill him — but the final product, Fitzcaraldo, proves Werner Herzog had a method to his madness. The Webster Film Series screens Fitzcaraldo at Webster University's Moore Auditorium (470 East Lockwood Avenue; 314-968-7487) at 7 p.m. Tickets are $5 to $6.
Thu., Feb. 23