10 Movies People Initially Thought Were A Joke

Errol Morris is one of the greatest names when it comes to documentary filmmaking. He is best known for the critically acclaimed 1988 documentary The Thin Blue Line which helped set free an innocent man from prison.

However, Morris wouldn't have had such a career had it not been for Werner Herzog. Morris’ first ever documentary was Gates Of Heaven, which was about the pet cemetery business, and Herzog had absolutely no faith in the film. Famously, Herzog made a bet with Morris: “If you finish this film and show it in cinemas, I’ll eat my shoe”.

The problem was that Morris finished the film, showed it in cinemas, and it ended up becoming critically acclaimed. Herzog, being a man of honor, had to keep up his end of the bargain as well. Thus, what started off as a joke between filmmakers ended up as a documentary directed by Les Blanks called Werner Herzog Eats His Shoe.

The short film showed Herzog's dedication to the industry as doing this really helped Errol Morris’ career in the documentary business. However, this film would go on to have a strange reputation with the public as many thought is was just a myth poking fun at Herzog's eccentric nature, but it was all true.