How Much Wood Would a Woodchuck Chuck (German: Beobachtungen zu einer neuen Sprache, literally "Observations of a New Language") is a 1976 documentary film by German director Werner Herzog, produced by Werner Herzog Filmproduktion. It is a 44-minute film documenting the World Livestock Auctioneer Championship held in New Holland, Pennsylvania. The film also contains a section about the Amish and shows Amish speaking Pennsylvania German.

Herzog has said that he believes auctioneering to be "the last poetry possible, the poetry of capitalism." Herzog describes the auctioneering as an "extreme language ... frightening but quite beautiful at the same time."

How Much Wood Would a Woodchuck Chuck (film)

Herzog used two of the featured auctioneers Ralph Wade and Scott McKain as actors in his later film Stroszek.

How Much Wood Would a Woodchuck Chuck (film)

Cinematographer Edward Lachman got his start working with Herzog on this film; he would work on La Soufrière (1977) shortly after.

How Much Wood Would a Woodchuck Chuck (film)

References

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1976 films

1976 documentary films

German documentary films

West German films

Documentary films about words and language

Films shot in Pennsylvania

Auction chant

Amish in films

Documentary films about Pennsylvania

Films directed by Werner Herzog

1970s German films