Long before the lyrical Koyannisqatsi (1982) hit the screens and hit the big time with global audiences, Werner Herzog went out his way - literally to the Sahara desert and Cameroon in Africa - to make his visual statement about humanity's insanity upon this planet.
With tireless persistence and great personal danger to himself and his crew, Herzog amassed a bucket-load of exposed film at numerous locations in the above two areas throughout 1968 and 1969. Then he went back to his office somewhere and concocted a sci-fi 'story' about aliens who visit the planet to make a visual report about the state of our tired, ravaged space ship earth. Then he edited and cut all the film to match his story. All of this information is present in the Extras section of the DVD I obtained. Thematically, FM is definitely kindred to K, but more visceral and unsettling.
With consummate, pervasive irony, Herzog ignites our eyes with the beauty and serenity of the earth, rivers, mountains, deserts etc but counterpoints - even destroys - our appreciation with the detritus, destruction and devastation wrought by contemporary humanity in the 20th century. Pretty, it is not. Implicitly, Herzog is damning humanity for its stupid, repetitive behavior that is progressively destroying the planet with our well-known technological trappings - and traps.
It's a self-evident story, beautifully crafted and presented. And, yes, there is a visual story. Though, to help viewers along, Herzog divides the film into three acts: Creation, Paradise, and The Golden Age; and none of it showing - with exquisite dramatic or comedic satire - humanity as worthy of any of those sublime conditions. Much of the accompanying dialog is actually quoted from the Popul Vuh (which means 'community book' according to my Mayan expert) myth, of the ancient Quiche Maya, about the Mayan story of creation.
Little wonder Herzog upset a lot of people when this delicious docudrama was released. There have been earlier films - Wild River (1960) comes to mind - that explored the social and environmental repercussions of untrammeled progress; more recently, Gasland (2010) has exposed the continuing folly of frenetic fracking in USA and other countries.
Will humanity ever learn? Over forty years ago, Herzog issued a dire warning with this film. Too bad nobody took much notice except to denigrate it. See this story while you can - and let your ears rejoice in the music also. Nine out of ten.
January 4, 2015
With tireless persistence and great personal danger to himself and his crew, Herzog amassed a bucket-load of exposed film at numerous locations in the above two areas throughout 1968 and 1969. Then he went back to his office somewhere and concocted a sci-fi 'story' about aliens who visit the planet to make a visual report about the state of our tired, ravaged space ship earth. Then he edited and cut all the film to match his story. All of this information is present in the Extras section of the DVD I obtained. Thematically, FM is definitely kindred to K, but more visceral and unsettling.
With consummate, pervasive irony, Herzog ignites our eyes with the beauty and serenity of the earth, rivers, mountains, deserts etc but counterpoints - even destroys - our appreciation with the detritus, destruction and devastation wrought by contemporary humanity in the 20th century. Pretty, it is not. Implicitly, Herzog is damning humanity for its stupid, repetitive behavior that is progressively destroying the planet with our well-known technological trappings - and traps.
It's a self-evident story, beautifully crafted and presented. And, yes, there is a visual story. Though, to help viewers along, Herzog divides the film into three acts: Creation, Paradise, and The Golden Age; and none of it showing - with exquisite dramatic or comedic satire - humanity as worthy of any of those sublime conditions. Much of the accompanying dialog is actually quoted from the Popul Vuh (which means 'community book' according to my Mayan expert) myth, of the ancient Quiche Maya, about the Mayan story of creation.
Little wonder Herzog upset a lot of people when this delicious docudrama was released. There have been earlier films - Wild River (1960) comes to mind - that explored the social and environmental repercussions of untrammeled progress; more recently, Gasland (2010) has exposed the continuing folly of frenetic fracking in USA and other countries.
Will humanity ever learn? Over forty years ago, Herzog issued a dire warning with this film. Too bad nobody took much notice except to denigrate it. See this story while you can - and let your ears rejoice in the music also. Nine out of ten.
January 4, 2015