Little Dieter Needs to Fly
“In 1966, Dieter Dengler was shot down over Laos, captured, and, down to 85 pounds, escaped.”
Synopsis
Three decades after German-American pilot Dieter Dengler was shot down over Laos, he returns to the places where he was held prisoner during the early years of the Vietnam War. Accompanied by director Werner Herzog, Dengler describes in unusually candid detail his captivity, the friendships he made, and his daring escape. Not willing to stop there, Herzog even persuades his subject to re-enact certain tortures, with the help of some willing local villagers.
Trailers, Teasers & Extra Featurettes
Official promotional previews, behind-the-scenes footage, and exclusive clips.
Werner Herzog film collection: Little Dieter Needs To Fly - TrailerOfficial
Type: Trailer • Published 2014-07-07
Top Cast
Explore Star Directory →
Release History & Theatrical Window
October 2, 1998
Wide Cinema Exhibition
October 22, 2007
Physical Home Media
Key Information & Fast Facts
- Director
- Werner Herzog
- Screenplay & Story
- Werner Herzog
- Original Title
- Little Dieter Needs to Fly
- Country of Origin
- Germany
- Spoken Languages
- English
- Runtime
- 1h 17m
- Production Studios
- Werner Herzog Filmproduktion, ZDF
Creative Leadership & Key Crew
Werner Herzog
Werner Herzog
Peter Zeitlinger
Joe Bini, Glen Scantlebury, Rainer Standke
André Singer, Lucki Stipetić
Department Leadership Roster
Werner Herzog
Director
Lucki Stipetić
Producer
Joe Bini
Editor
Glen Scantlebury
Editor
Rainer Standke
Editor
Werner Herzog
Writer
Peter Zeitlinger
Director of Photography
Production Stills & Gallery
Official cinematic photography and background stills for Little Dieter Needs to Fly.
Featured In Curated Collections
Editorial lists, community rankings, and cinematic collections featuring Little Dieter Needs to Fly.
Letterboxd's Top 250 Documentary Films
Letterboxd's official Top 250 documentary feature films, ranked by average member rating. Letterboxd 官方 Top 250 最佳纪录长片榜单： 根据平台用户的平均评分进行排序的纪录长片精选榜单。 *(Updated via Automated ETL Pipeline: 2026-10-19 07:35:45 UTC+8)*
Documentaries
Auto-generated by festival-lists — do not edit by hand.
War: Vietnam War
Auto-filled from Letterboxd lists
Prime Video - Documentary Movies
Curated list of Documentary on Prime Video (US). Updated frequently. Last updated October 14, 2026.
Biographies
Emmy Award Nominated Titles - IMDb
Similar Titles to Little Dieter Needs to Fly
Movies sharing stylistic DNA, tone, and thematic storytelling
6.8
9.0
10.0
7.7
7.1
8.0
8.3
7.5
7.0
6.0
6.7
More Like Little Dieter Needs to Fly
Recommended titles matching themes, cast, and genres.
Frequently Asked Questions About Little Dieter Needs to Fly
Quick factual answers about cast, synopsis, director, box office, and release information.
What is Little Dieter Needs to Fly about?
Three decades after German-American pilot Dieter Dengler was shot down over Laos, he returns to the places where he was held prisoner during the early years of the Vietnam War. Accompanied by director Werner Herzog, Dengler describes in unusually candid detail his captivity, the friendships he made, and his daring escape. Not willing to stop there, Herzog even persuades his subject to re-enact certain tortures, with the help of some willing local villagers.
Who directed Little Dieter Needs to Fly?
Little Dieter Needs to Fly was directed by Werner Herzog.
Who stars in Little Dieter Needs to Fly?
The principal cast of Little Dieter Needs to Fly includes Werner Herzog, Dieter Dengler, Eugene Deatrick.
When was Little Dieter Needs to Fly released and how long is it?
Little Dieter Needs to Fly was released in 1997 with a total runtime of 1h 17m.