Incident at Loch Ness
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''Incident at Loch Ness'' is a 2004
mockumentary A mockumentary (a blend of ''mock'' and ''documentary''), fake documentary or docu-comedy is a type of film or television show depicting fictional events but presented as a documentary. These productions are often used to analyze or comment on c ...
starring, produced by and written by
Werner Herzog Werner Herzog (; born 5 September 1942) is a German film director, screenwriter, author, actor, and opera director, regarded as a pioneer of New German Cinema. His films often feature ambitious protagonists with impossible dreams, people with un ...
and
Zak Penn Zak Penn (born March 23, 1968) is an American screenwriter. Penn wrote and directed ''Incident at Loch Ness'' and ''The Grand (film), The Grand'', wrote the script for The Incredible Hulk (film), ''The Incredible Hulk'', co-wrote the scripts for ...
. The small cast film follows Herzog and his crew (
Gabriel Beristain Luis Gabriel Beristáin, is a Mexican cinematographer, producer, and television director known for his work on numerous well-known films including '' The Distinguished Gentleman'', '' The Spanish Prisoner'', ''Blade II'', and '' Street Kings'', ...
,
Russell Williams II Russell Williams II (born October 14, 1952) is an American production sound mixer. He has won two Academy Awards for Best Sound. He has worked on more than 50 films since 1976. He is Distinguished Artist in Residence Emeritus at the American ...
) while working on the production of a movie project on the
Loch Ness Monster The Loch Ness Monster ( gd, Uilebheist Loch Nis), affectionately known as Nessie, is a creature in Scottish folklore that is said to inhabit Loch Ness in the Scottish Highlands. It is often described as large, long-necked, and with one or mor ...
titled ''Enigma of Loch Ness''. ''Incident at Loch Ness'' won the New American Cinema Award at the 2004
Seattle International Film Festival The Seattle International Film Festival (SIFF), held annually in Seattle, Washington since 1976, is among the top film festivals in North America. Audiences have grown steadily; the 2006 festival had 160,000 attendees. The SIFF runs for more th ...
.


Plot

After a mysterious shot of a body floating in Loch Ness (reprised near the end), ''Incident at Loch Ness'' flashes back to the beginning of a documentary called ''Herzog in Wonderland'' being directed by John Bailey with an overview of Herzog's work as he himself begins work for a separate documentary to be called ''Enigma of Loch Ness'', in which he is exploring the
Loch Ness Monster The Loch Ness Monster ( gd, Uilebheist Loch Nis), affectionately known as Nessie, is a creature in Scottish folklore that is said to inhabit Loch Ness in the Scottish Highlands. It is often described as large, long-necked, and with one or mor ...
myth. Throughout the film, Herzog asserts the Loch Ness Monster is merely a creation of a collective psychological need in society. As the film continues, Herzog hosts a dinner party to kick off film production. In attendance are his wife (
Lena Herzog Elena Herzog (née Pisetski; born in 1970) is a Russian-American visual artist and photographer. Biography Elena Pisetski was born in Sverdlovsk, in what was then the Russian SFSR, Soviet Union, in 1970. She moved to Leningrad in 1987 to attend ...
), several Hollywood celebrities (actors
Jeff Goldblum Jeffrey Lynn Goldblum (; born October 22, 1952) is an American actor and musician. He has starred in some of the highest-grossing films of his era, such as ''Jurassic Park'' (1993) and '' Independence Day'' (1996), as well as their sequels. ...
,
Ricky Jay Richard Jay Potash (June 26, 1946 – November 24, 2018) was an American stage magician, actor and writer. In a profile for ''The New Yorker'', Mark Singer called Jay "perhaps the most gifted sleight of hand artist alive". In addition to sleigh ...
, and
Crispin Glover Crispin Hellion Glover (born April 20, 1964) is an American actor. He is known for portraying eccentric characters on screen, such as George McFly in ''Back to the Future'' (1985), Layne in ''River's Edge'' (1986), Andy Warhol in ''The Doors'' ...
and editor
Pietro Scalia Pietro Scalia (born March 17, 1960) is an Italian–American film editor. He won Best Film Editing at the 64th Academy Awards for his work on the film ''JFK'', sharing the award with Joe Hutshing, and at the 74th Academy Awards for '' Black Ha ...
), and the film's crew. Difficulties begin to arise as the untested producer,
Zak Penn Zak Penn (born March 23, 1968) is an American screenwriter. Penn wrote and directed ''Incident at Loch Ness'' and ''The Grand (film), The Grand'', wrote the script for The Incredible Hulk (film), ''The Incredible Hulk'', co-wrote the scripts for ...
, attempts to transform Herzog's film into a high-grossing
blockbuster Blockbuster or Block Buster may refer to: *Blockbuster (entertainment) a term coined for an extremely successful movie, from which most other uses are derived. Corporations * Blockbuster (retailer), a defunct video and game rental chain ** Bl ...
. In this attempt, Penn commits several Hollywood clichés such as hiring a beautiful woman (Kitana Baker) for a dubious role as a
sonar Sonar (sound navigation and ranging or sonic navigation and ranging) is a technique that uses sound propagation (usually underwater, as in submarine navigation) to navigation, navigate, measure distances (ranging), communicate with or detect o ...
operator and a delusional
cryptozoologist Cryptozoology is a pseudoscience and subculture that searches for and studies unknown, legendary, or extinct animals whose present existence is disputed or unsubstantiated, particularly those popular in folklore, such as Bigfoot, the Loch Ness M ...
(Michael Karnow) for comic relief. As the shooting progresses, the tension between Herzog and Penn escalates with each revelation that Penn is acting in an underhanded manner. First, it becomes quite apparent the producer has commissioned a fake "
Nessie NESSIE (New European Schemes for Signatures, Integrity and Encryption) was a European research project funded from 2000 to 2003 to identify secure cryptographic primitives. The project was comparable to the NIST AES process and the Japanese Gov ...
" to be used. Then both Kitana and Karnow are revealed to be actors hired by Penn. In a twist of events, when Herzog and his crew are working on their film, the crew begins to see what appears to truly be the Loch Ness Monster. Herzog and crew become more and more concerned as first the boat's motor fails and then the "monster" appears to be attacking the vessel in a deepening fog. The crew huddles below decks until the monster returns again to ram the boat hard enough to cause it to begin to sink. Karnow is thrown overboard during another attack, "Nessie" now clearly visible to the crew. Karnow is lost in the fog and presumably eaten by the monster. After Penn and the
assistant director The role of an assistant director on a film includes tracking daily progress against the filming production schedule, arranging logistics, preparing daily call sheets, checking cast and crew, and maintaining order on the set. They also have to tak ...
(Robert O'Meara), sneak away in the liferaft, Herzog decides to put on the ship's sole
wetsuit A wetsuit is a garment worn to provide thermal protection while wet. It is usually made of foamed neoprene, and is worn by surfing, surfers, Underwater diving, divers, windsurfers, canoeists, and others engaged in water sports and other activit ...
and swim to shore for help. Before he can do so, however, "Nessie" returns to finally sink the ship. While holding a camera in a water-resistant housing, Herzog captures underwater images of a large creature passing him in the murky, dark water. The next day, Penn is found by vacationers and leads them back to recover all but O'Meara and Karnow, who are presumed dead. At this point, it appears that both the documentary film we have been watching and the documentary film we were watching Herzog make could be fictitious. However, this never becomes completely obvious, and the film ends without making it clear exactly who is duping whom.


Cast

*
Werner Herzog Werner Herzog (; born 5 September 1942) is a German film director, screenwriter, author, actor, and opera director, regarded as a pioneer of New German Cinema. His films often feature ambitious protagonists with impossible dreams, people with un ...
as himself * Kitana Baker as herself *
Gabriel Beristain Luis Gabriel Beristáin, is a Mexican cinematographer, producer, and television director known for his work on numerous well-known films including '' The Distinguished Gentleman'', '' The Spanish Prisoner'', ''Blade II'', and '' Street Kings'', ...
as himself *
Russell Williams II Russell Williams II (born October 14, 1952) is an American production sound mixer. He has won two Academy Awards for Best Sound. He has worked on more than 50 films since 1976. He is Distinguished Artist in Residence Emeritus at the American ...
as himself * David A. Davidson as himself * Michael Karnow as himself * Robert O'Meara as himself *
Zak Penn Zak Penn (born March 23, 1968) is an American screenwriter. Penn wrote and directed ''Incident at Loch Ness'' and ''The Grand (film), The Grand'', wrote the script for The Incredible Hulk (film), ''The Incredible Hulk'', co-wrote the scripts for ...
as himself * Steven Gardner as himself * Adrian Shine as himself * John Bailey as Herzog's Crew In Wonderland * Matthew Nicolay as Herzog's Crew In Wonderland * Tanja Koop as Herzog's Crew In Wonderland * Marty Signore as Herzog's Crew In Wonderland *
Crispin Glover Crispin Hellion Glover (born April 20, 1964) is an American actor. He is known for portraying eccentric characters on screen, such as George McFly in ''Back to the Future'' (1985), Layne in ''River's Edge'' (1986), Andy Warhol in ''The Doors'' ...
as Party Guest *
Jeff Goldblum Jeffrey Lynn Goldblum (; born October 22, 1952) is an American actor and musician. He has starred in some of the highest-grossing films of his era, such as ''Jurassic Park'' (1993) and '' Independence Day'' (1996), as well as their sequels. ...
as Party Guest *
Lena Herzog Elena Herzog (née Pisetski; born in 1970) is a Russian-American visual artist and photographer. Biography Elena Pisetski was born in Sverdlovsk, in what was then the Russian SFSR, Soviet Union, in 1970. She moved to Leningrad in 1987 to attend ...
as Party Guest *
Ricky Jay Richard Jay Potash (June 26, 1946 – November 24, 2018) was an American stage magician, actor and writer. In a profile for ''The New Yorker'', Mark Singer called Jay "perhaps the most gifted sleight of hand artist alive". In addition to sleigh ...
as Party Guest *
Pietro Scalia Pietro Scalia (born March 17, 1960) is an Italian–American film editor. He won Best Film Editing at the 64th Academy Awards for his work on the film ''JFK'', sharing the award with Joe Hutshing, and at the 74th Academy Awards for '' Black Ha ...
as Party Guest *
Jenno Topping Jenno Topping is an American film producer. Films she has produced include ''Dr. Dolittle'' (1998), '' Charlie's Angels'' (2000), '' St. Vincent'' (2014), ''Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children'' (2016) and ''Hidden Figures'' (2016), which ...
as Party Guest * Stephen A. Marinaccio as Propmaster * Michael Scott-Law as Angry Man At Bar


Production

The entire movie is actually a mockumentary film-within-a-film-within-a-film invented by Penn. The ruse is revealed in
Easter eggs Easter eggs, also called Paschal eggs, are eggs that are decorated for the Christian feast of Easter, which celebrates the resurrection of Jesus. As such, Easter eggs are common during the season of Eastertide (Easter season). The oldest tra ...
hidden on the
DVD The DVD (common abbreviation for Digital Video Disc or Digital Versatile Disc) is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 1995 and first released on November 1, 1996, in Japan. The medium can store any kin ...
. Penn wrote what he calls a "
scriptment A scriptment is a written work by a movie or television screenwriter that combines elements of a script and treatment, especially the dialogue elements, which are formatted the same as in a screenplay. It is a more elaborate document than a standa ...
" (part
script Script may refer to: Writing systems * Script, a distinctive writing system, based on a repertoire of specific elements or symbols, or that repertoire * Script (styles of handwriting) ** Script typeface, a typeface with characteristics of handw ...
, part treatment) that outlined the specific structure of the film and including key dialogue that was needed in order to advance the plot, but left most of the dialogue and interaction up to the participants to work out as
improvisation Improvisation is the activity of making or doing something not planned beforehand, using whatever can be found. Improvisation in the performing arts is a very spontaneous performance without specific or scripted preparation. The skills of impr ...
. As shown on the DVD, the "hoax" was on even before photography started as several media outlets announced the upcoming production as an actual film. Adding to the
verisimilitude In philosophy, verisimilitude (or truthlikeness) is the notion that some propositions are closer to being true than other propositions. The problem of verisimilitude is the problem of articulating what it takes for one false theory to be closer ...
is the fact that everyone who appears on screen is a real person and most are in fact who they say they are. For example, DP
Gabriel Beristain Luis Gabriel Beristáin, is a Mexican cinematographer, producer, and television director known for his work on numerous well-known films including '' The Distinguished Gentleman'', '' The Spanish Prisoner'', ''Blade II'', and '' Street Kings'', ...
and soundman
Russell Williams II Russell Williams II (born October 14, 1952) is an American production sound mixer. He has won two Academy Awards for Best Sound. He has worked on more than 50 films since 1976. He is Distinguished Artist in Residence Emeritus at the American ...
are well-known, distinguished professionals who did work on the productions they respectively name on screen.


Critical reaction

''Incident at Loch Ness'' scored a rating of 62% on
Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wang ...
based on 47 reviews. It also received a score of 62 on
Metacritic Metacritic is a website that review aggregator, aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted arithmetic mean, weighted average). M ...
based on 20 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews". Critic
Roger Ebert Roger Joseph Ebert (; June 18, 1942 – April 4, 2013) was an American film critic, film historian, journalist, screenwriter, and author. He was a film critic for the ''Chicago Sun-Times'' from 1967 until his death in 2013. In 1975, Ebert beca ...
enjoyed the film, giving it 3 stars out of 4, saying: "Watching the movie is an entertaining exercise in forensic viewing, and the insidious thing is, even if it is a con, who is the conner and who is the connee?" Kenneth Turan of the ''Los Angeles Times'' called it: "an amusing mock documentary that spends considerable energy artfully trying to make you believe it's real as real can be."


References


External links

* *
Roger Ebert's review
{{DEFAULTSORT:Incident At Loch Ness 2004 films British mockumentary films 2004 directorial debut films Loch Ness Monster in film Films about cryptids Films about filmmaking Films with screenplays by Zak Penn Werner Herzog 2000s English-language films Films directed by Zak Penn 2000s British films