Little Dieter Needs to Fly (Movie, 1997)

Eating Glue and Biting a Snake

Werner Herzog tells a real-life tall tale in ''Little Dieter Needs To Fly,'' a documentary that describes enough breakneck adventures for any action hero. But the swashbuckler who is the film's subject, Dieter Dengler, mostly describes his exploits from memory. His war stories -- which he describes in lavish detail -- aren't merely the backbone of the film, they are the film.

Shot down over Laos in '66. Imprisoned by the Viet Cong. Starved and beaten and shackled in wooden blocks until he weighed just 85 pounds. It's all here, recalled by a man so vigorous, agile and upbeat that you have to wonder, as Herzog does, what unseen resources have enabled him to cope with his emotional scars. As Mr. Herzog puts it: ''He hides behind the casual remark that this was the fun part of his life.''

Postscript: He died in 2001 and was buried in full honor in the National Arlington Cemetery. His grave was flown over by a squadron of F-14's.