Full disclosure: I once had the honour of spending two days as Werner Herzog’s personal chauffeur at an international film festival. During those two days, I must have spent more than 12 hours speaking with him in the van, listening to his never-ending stream of fascinating stories, discussing politics, and becoming increasingly aware of what a chore it is to actually be Werner Herzog. What I learned in that short period of time is that the myth of Werner Herzog is so distant from the reality of who he actually is that it’s much easier for Herzog to be “Herzog,” the larger-than-life tyrant, because that’s what people prefer and want to believe.

With narrative now evolving through technology into a compressed and heightened medium, the short or mid-length film is enjoying increasing acceptance as a means of mass communication. Well, Herzog has been making short and mid-length documentaries for over 40 years and the Internet has made his formidable body of work within this genre more accessible than ever. Here are three films which I believe provide a good overview for the Herzog novice. The one thing to remember always is that Werner Herzog has never made a bad or uninteresting film. It’s not written into his DNA.

La Soufrière (1977) is a half-hour documentary about an impending volcanic eruption on the Caribbean island of Guadalupe. Herzog discovered that most of the islanders had fled, so naturally Herzog and his band of technicians rushed to the island to document life before the end of time. Needless to say, the volcano didn’t erupt. What emerges within the film is a fascinating colonial history of the island, great interviews with residents who refused to leave, and formidable footage of the volcano itself on the brink of infinity. Mother Nature and the cosmos always figure prominently in Herzog’s work and though this film is not as profound or moving as other pieces, it neatly encapsulates many of his thematic concerns in a concise and thoroughly entertaining fashion.

God’s Angry Man (1980) is an hour-long documentary about the mesmerizing, messianic preacher Gene Scott as he bullies and belittles viewers to donate to his television evangelical mission. A fascinating portrait of a misunderstood individual, Herzog’s film is empathetic to Scott’s outsider status, and a sincere examination of the many layers of meaning that faith has for individuals and to society. It’s also a great example of Herzog’s ability to dig deep and deliver a portrait that will upset viewers on the right and the left of an issue.

Finally, Ballad of a Little Soldier (1984) is an hour-long documentary about the Miskito Indian tribe of Central America and the child soldiers fighting their ongoing battle against the Sandinistas. Quietly subversive in its examination of the brutality of war and the loss of innocence that comes with destruction, it’s chillingly matter-of-fact approach makes it impossible to shake off. A masterpiece to seek out at all costs.