Werner Herzog’s 2007 documentary finds him in Antarctica where he meets the people who call the frozen
continent their home. Herzog announces at the start that this will not be
another film about fluffy penguins but will explore the dreams of the people
working in this landscape. The entire film crew consisted of Herzog and
Cinematographer Peter Zeitlinger who
spent seven weeks on the continent, interviewing the people who live and work
there.
"Through our eyes the universe is perceiving itself, and through our ears the universe is listening to its harmonies. We are the witness to which the universe becomes conscious of its glory, of its magnificence."
Shortly after
arriving, Herzog is in full on grumpy mode as he is stuck in the largest
settlement on the continent, McMurdo
Island . He is shocked to
discover that it looks like a dirty construction site, is criss-crossed by JCB
diggers and has a bowling alley and an aerobic studio. Herzog makes it clear that he wants
to escape the confines of the settlement as soon as possible.
Herzog meets many
different people in his seven weeks on the continent. Some people, like a
geologist Herzog meets sound like poets when describing Ice Burgs the size of
countries while others are particularly annoying. A survival instructor being
the most irritable person Herzog encounters. We meet an array of weird and
wonderful characters from an ex banker turned bus driver to a woman with a
beard and another woman who travelled through South America in a sewer pipe on
the back of a lorry. Their stories and experiences are rife with philosophy and
wonder.
Herzog’s ability
to put into words what he sees is unrivalled and he sounds like a poet when he
speaks. His accent along with the way he conveys himself are a joy to listen
to. Herzog takes us into the mind of the people he meets and tries to
understand why they are here, what bought them here and how they have adapted
to their environment. Herzog also tires to get inside the mind of a suicidal
penguin in a very funny but odd moving encounter.
Towards the end
of the film, Herzog focuses on the future of Antarctica
and the future of us as a species; hypothesising that when we are gone a race
of alien archaeologists will study our ruined cities and try to understand why
we were in the Antarctic. While there they will uncover the only completely
intact human settlement, preserved in the ice. It is a unique and vivid
Herzogian vision.
As with all
Herzog documentaries, I felt that watching it on Blu-Ray on a large TV was
sufficient. Herzog captures great beauty in Antarctica
but is also unafraid of filming the uglier sides. To me, his documentary makes
Antarctica feel a bit like Prague .
It is incredibly beautiful but kind of spoiled by Americans. The film features some wonderfully unique and interesting people and I'd have been more than happy to watch at least another half an hour. This is a charming
documentary which goes further than the traditional wildlife documentaries you
will have seen before and is a joy to watch.
9/10
For more Werner Herzog films check out my reviews of Grizzly Man, Cave of Forgotten Dreams, Into the Abyss and Aguirre Wrath of God
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