Those who know of Werner Herzog and his film work know he communicates with seriousness and intensity. Every sentence is a deliberate act of poetry. Herzog has no interest in wasting time saying anything that is not important.

In case it isn't obvious from the title, this movie is literally about Herzog eating his shoe after losing a bet. The levity and absurdity of this act is only amplified by the seriousness and intensity with which he approaches it. He must prepare the shoe as one would prepare a last meal, or prepare a body before burial.

If you haven't seen anything by Herzog before, don't bother just yet. If you have, I hope you laugh and cry as much as I did.

Entertaining, funny, and oddly thought provoking 20 minute short, in which, quite literally, director Werner Herzog eats his shoe.

He does it in response to a bet he made with then budding, but procrastinating film-maker Errol Morris. He told Morris that if he ever finally got a feature finished, he'd eat his shoe. And so he does, after cooking it, in front of a live audience before the local premiere of Morris' great first feature 'Gates of Heaven'.

As enjoyably silly as it all is, Herzog also makes some real points about needing to be willing to do foolish things to encourage art and artists, and that only by risking being absurd can we have the hope of transcending.

Before Errol Morris made his first documentary film, famed German director Werner Herzog apparently said that if the film ever got released, he'd eat his shoe. And, this is where Les Blank got the title for this short.

"Werner Herzog Eats His Shoe" is a film that is not for the average viewer. First, you need to know who Herzog is (and most Americans don't). Second, it would be best to know who Errol Morris is. And third, it would help if you have a lot of patience, as the shoe-eating makes up only a tiny portion of the film. Like Les Blank's other documentary about Herzog ("Burden of Dreams"), he allows Herzog to just talk and talk and talk and only a tiny portion of this has anything to do with eating a shoe. The rest just seems like random rants about the evils of TV, other film projects, his philosophy about documentary films, etc.. If you adore Herzog and would love to just listen to him talk, then this film is for you. Otherwise, you have have trouble sticking with this one.