Intense Birthday Wishes to the delightfully complex Werner Herzog, 83 today. "If I had to climb into Hell and wrestle the Devil himself for one of my films, I would do it." | Vintage Geek

Werner Herzog and Mel Brooks sounds like a punchline, but it’s one of Hollywood’s best true stories. In the 1970s, Herzog was redefining cinema with films like Aguirre, the Wrath of God while Brooks ruled American comedy. What connects them is David Lynch. Herzog obsessed over Eraserhead and urged Brooks to see it, not knowing Brooks was already producing Lynch’s next film, The Elephant Man. Brooks even hid his name from the credits so audiences wouldn’t expect a joke. Herzog later said that mom