Francois Truffaut once called Werner Herzog “the most important film director alive.” Well, today marks the 70th birthday of Herzog and we hope he’s alive for at least another 70. Not only are Herzog’s 55 films from “Aguirre, the Wrath of God” to “Grizzly Man” intense, strange and often brilliant studies of the human psyche, but the Herzog himself is a true character. He’s a visionary who has traveled the world searching out great stories that exhibit what he calls “ecstatic truth” while packing hundreds of lifetimes into his own seven decades.

But any film critic can tell you why Werner Herzog is a legend. For his birthday, we wanted to recommend some of the best stuff  from Werner Herzog on Dailymotion. Besides making great flicks, these clips show why Herzog continues to gain fans online by coming off as soulfully weird and always engaging.

Werner Herzog on Chickens

One thing you should know about the auteur is that he does not think highly of chickens. Here, Herzog thoughtfully explains his reasoning.

Herzog Studies Death Penalty

In ‘Into the Abyss,’ Herzog investigates a triple murder in Texas in 2001, the victims, and the two men convicted of the crime who sit on death row.

Career Retrospective for Berlin Film Festival

In 2010, Herzog was made jury president at the festival. This retrospective offers a glimpse of his work from 1968 when he was awarded the Silver Bear for his debut ‘Signs of Life’ to ‘Bad Lieutenant: New Orleans Port of Call.’

***

Anthony is the Senior Editor of Dailymotion US.

Werner Herzog supercut courtesy of Matt Robertson. For more of his videos, follow him on Dailymotion and at Relative Way.