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Fitzcarraldo poster

Movies that feel likeFitzcarraldo (1982)

Fitzcarraldo is a dreamer who plans to build an opera house in Iquitos, in the Peruvian Amazon, so, in order to finance his project, he embarks on an epic adventure to collect rubber, a very profitable product, in a remote and unexplored region of the rainforest.

If you loved Fitzcarraldo, the closest films we have are Aguirre, the Wrath of God (1972), Lagaan: Once Upon a Time in India (2001) and Easy Rider (1969). All three share Fitzcarraldo's contemplative and epic feel, which is what we rank on before quality.

Seen the big three already? The under-the-radar pick below is Los Angeles Plays Itself (2004).

πŸ… 78% Rotten Tomatoesβ˜… 7.9 IMDb β†—TMDB β†—dir. Werner Herzogcontemplativeepic
9 of 12 streaming nowHBO Max Β· Criterion Channel Β· Night Flight Plus

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If Fitzcarraldo hit the spot, these will too

Aguirre, the Wrath of God poster
Aguirre, the Wrath of God
1972 Β· dir. Werner Herzog
πŸ… 96%β˜… 7.8history Β· adventure Β· drama

The same hand behind both of them: Werner Herzog

The difference: Leans harder into history than Fitzcarraldo does

A few decades after the destruction of the Inca Empire, a Spanish expedition led by the infamous Aguirre leaves the mountains of Peru and goes down the Amazon River in search of the lost city of El Dorado. When great difficulties arise, Aguirre’s men start to wonder whether their quest will lead them to prosperity or certain death.

Lagaan: Once Upon a Time in India poster
Lagaan: Once Upon a Time in India
2001 Β· dir. Ashutosh Gowariker
πŸ… 95%β˜… 8.1adventure Β· drama Β· history

Contemplative where it counts, epic underneath

The year is 1893 and India is under British occupation. In a small village, the tyrannical Captain Russell has imposed an unprecedented land tax on its citizens. Outraged, Bhuvan, a rebellious farmer, rallies the villagers to publicly oppose the tax. Russell offers a novel way to settle the dispute: he challenges Bhuvan and his men to a game of cricket, a sport completely foreign to India. If Bhuvan and his men can defeat Russell's team, the tax will be repealed.

Easy Rider poster
Easy Rider
1969 Β· dir. Dennis Hopper
πŸ… 84%β˜… 7.2adventure Β· drama

Both lean on stillness more than on drama

Wyatt and Billy, two Harley-riding hippies, complete a drug deal in Southern California and decide to travel cross-country in search of spiritual truth.

Paris Is Burning poster
Paris Is Burning
1991 Β· dir. Jennie Livingston
πŸ… 99%β˜… 8.2documentary Β· historyMax

Adventure with a pulse of scale, in both cases

Where does voguing come from, and what, exactly, is throwing shade? This landmark documentary provides a vibrant snapshot of the 1980s through the eyes of New York City's African American and Latinx Harlem drag-ball scene. Made over seven years, PARIS IS BURNING offers an intimate portrait of rival fashion "houses," from fierce contests for trophies to house mothers offering sustenance in a world rampant with homophobia, transphobia, racism, AIDS, and poverty. Featuring legendary voguers, drag queens, and trans women β€” including Willi Ninja, Pepper LaBeija, Dorian Corey, and Venus Xtravaganza.

Throne of Blood poster
Throne of Blood
1957 Β· dir. Akira Kurosawa
πŸ… 96%β˜… 8drama Β· historyMax

Both keep coming back to the same thing: ambition

The difference: Made in the 1950s, in a different era of the craft

Returning to their lord's castle, samurai warriors Washizu and Miki are waylaid by a spirit who predicts their futures. When the first part of the spirit's prophecy comes true, Washizu's scheming wife, Asaji, presses him to speed up the rest of the spirit's prophecy by murdering his lord and usurping his place. Director Akira Kurosawa's resetting of William Shakespeare's "Macbeth" in feudal Japan is one of his most acclaimed films.

Gandhi poster
Gandhi
1982 Β· dir. Richard Attenborough
πŸ… 89%β˜… 8drama Β· history

Drama built on stillness, twice over

In the early years of the 20th century, Mohandas K. Gandhi, a British-trained lawyer, forsakes all worldly possessions to take up the cause of Indian independence. Faced with armed resistance from the British government, Gandhi adopts a policy of 'passive resistance', endeavouring to win freedom for his people without resorting to bloodshed.

Wolf Totem poster
Wolf Totem
2015 Β· dir. Jean-Jacques Annaud
πŸ… 67%β˜… 6.6adventure Β· drama

Epic adventure in both cases

In 1969, a young Beijing student, Chen Zhen, is sent to live among the nomadic herdsmen of Inner Mongolia. Caught between the advance of civilization from the south and the nomads' traditional enemies - the marauding wolves - to the north; humans and animals, residents and invaders alike, struggle to find their true place in the world.

Captain Blood poster
Captain Blood
1935 Β· dir. Michael Curtiz
πŸ… 100%β˜… 7.7adventure

Cut from the same adventure cloth

The difference: Easier on the stillness than Fitzcarraldo

Dr. Peter Blood, unjustly convicted of treason and exiled from England, becomes a notorious pirate.

Judgment at Nuremberg poster
Judgment at Nuremberg
1961 Β· dir. Stanley Kramer
πŸ… 93%β˜… 8.3drama Β· history

The drama is handled with the same confidence

In 1947, four German judges who served on the bench during the Nazi regime face a military tribunal to answer charges of crimes against humanity. Chief Justice Haywood hears evidence and testimony not only from lead defendant Ernst Janning and his defense attorney Hans Rolfe, but also from the widow of a Nazi general, an idealistic U.S. Army captain and reluctant witness Irene Wallner.

Watership Down poster
Watership Down
1978 Β· dir. Martin Rosen
πŸ… 83%β˜… 7.5adventure Β· animation Β· dramaMax

Drama in the same key

When the warren belonging to a community of rabbits is threatened, a brave group led by Fiver, Bigwig, Blackberry and Hazel leave their homeland in a search of a safe new haven.

Pather Panchali poster
Pather Panchali
1955 Β· dir. Satyajit Ray
πŸ… 98%β˜… 8.2drama Β· historyMax

Both play drama straight

Impoverished priest Harihar Ray, dreaming of a better life for himself and his family, leaves his rural Bengal village in search of work. Alone, his wife, Sarbojaya, looks after her rebellious daughter, Durga, and her young son, Apu, as well as Harihar's elderly aunt Indir. The children enjoy the small pleasures of their difficult life, while their parents suffer the daily indignities heaped upon them.

Los Angeles Plays Itself poster
Los Angeles Plays Itself
2004 Β· dir. Thom Andersen
πŸ… 96%β˜… 7.8documentary Β· history

Reaching back to the 2000s for it

From its distinctive neighborhoods to its architectural homes, Los Angeles has been the backdrop to countless movies. In this dazzling work, Andersen takes viewers on a whirlwind tour through the metropolis' real and cinematic history, investigating the myriad stories and legends that have come to define it, and meticulously, judiciously revealing the real city that lives beneath.

In the mood for more contemplative?

all contemplative movies β†’

The best-reviewed films that share Fitzcarraldo’s defining feeling.