Ballad of the Little Soldier

Ballad of the Little Soldier (German: Ballade vom kleinen Soldaten) is a 1984 documentary film directed by Werner Herzog about children soldiers in Nicaragua. The film focuses on a group of Miskito Indians who used children soldiers in their resistance against the Sandinistas.

Ballad of the Little Soldier
Opening shot of the film.
Directed by	Werner Herzog Denis Reichle
Produced by	Werner Herzog
Written by	Werner Herzog Denis Reichle
Starring	Werner Herzog Denis Reichle
Narrated by	Werner Herzog
Music by	Isidoro Reyes Paladino Taylor
Cinematography	Jorge Vignati Michael Edols
Edited by	Maximiliane Mainka
Production company	Süddeutscher Rundfunk Werner Herzog Filmproduktion
Distributed by	New Yorker Films
Release date	5 November 1984 (1984-11-05) (West Germany) 3 April 1985 (1985-04-03) (United States)
Running time	44 minutes
Country	West Germany
Language	English German Spanish Miskito

Herzog made and co-directed the film at the request of his friend Denis Reichle, who himself served as a child-soldier in the Volkssturm at age fourteen in the aftermath of World War II.[1] The film is often cited as Herzog's most explicitly political, though Herzog denies that he had any specific statement on the politics of the Sandinistas. Herzog has said that the film is about child soldiers, and could have been made in any of several countries where child soldiers exist.[1]

References

1. Herzog, Werner (2001). Herzog on Herzog. Faber and Faber. ISBN 978-0-571-20708-4.

External links

• Ballad of the Little Soldier on IMDb