BALLAD OF THE LITTLE SOLDIER
“Ballad of the Little Soldier” is about the battle between the Miskito Indians and the Sandinistas. The Sandinistas have conquered the country and their agenda is to force the Miskito into adopting modern culture. This means that they rampage through their villages and burn their property to the ground. Nothing is fun anymore, as the Sandinistas have forced children to take up arms and mow down the natives. The majority of the Youth are captured Indians who have been indoctrinated into the arts of Guerilla warfare. Herzog follows them as they stop questioning and begin a full-frontal assault on all aspects of decency.
The film comes with a trailer as the special feature. This has been one of the harder films to come by until Anchor Bay put out the old DVD collection. I’d be lying if I said that this was one of the first Herzog films I put on. But, it’s important. In time, I might be able to pin down where it belongs among the man’s documentary work. That time just isn’t here yet.