IMDb RATING
7.0/10
2.6K
YOUR RATING
A geologist employed by an Australian mining company finds himself disputing the rights of some aborigines who believe their land to be sacred.A geologist employed by an Australian mining company finds himself disputing the rights of some aborigines who believe their land to be sacred.A geologist employed by an Australian mining company finds himself disputing the rights of some aborigines who believe their land to be sacred.
- Awards
- 2 wins & 2 nominations
- Director
- Writers
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaThe whole story of the green ants was made up by Werner Herzog, it's not a part of genuine Aboriginal folklore. However the courtroom incident where a secret artifact is revealed, to the bemusement of the judge, is based on a real incident.
- Quotes
Lance Hackett: The situation, your Honor, is this man is the the sacred custodian to the secrets of this tribe. And his tribe has died out. He is the sole and final survivor of his people, his clan. They call him the mute, because there is nobody left on this earth for him to speak with.
- ConnectionsFeatured in To the End of the World... and Then a Little Bit Further (1989)
- SoundtracksRequiem Op. 48
Music by Gabriel Fauré
Featured review
A Neglected and Unknown Classic
I'm invariably surprised when I mention this film to friends that they say they've never seen it. Werner Herzog in Australia? C'mon. How could the great German director of Wozzeck, Nosferatu and other Gothic classics concern himself with a very oblique tale of a development project impeded by Aboriginal Australians who contend that disturbing the green ants dreams by ripping up their habitat will likewise rip the fabric of the universe? The government solution is to give them an airplane which one of the younger members of their tribe eventually manages to take off with a number of the elders on board. Looking over the cast, you likely not recognize names that most of us who don't follow Aussie films know; some of us may know Bruce Spence from the Mad Max films who plays a geologist, but there are many Australian Aborigines. A poignant moment is seen in the court room scene where one Aborigine rises to speak and the judge asks for a translation, only to be told the men is called "the Mute" because there's no one left who understands his tribal language.
The overall effect of the film is wonderfully Herzog with a surrealistic portrayal of the clash of old and new, progress versus conservation and fraught with cultural miscommunication. I really recommend this film for your viewing.
The overall effect of the film is wonderfully Herzog with a surrealistic portrayal of the clash of old and new, progress versus conservation and fraught with cultural miscommunication. I really recommend this film for your viewing.
helpful•294
- artzau
- Jul 2, 2002
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Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Official site
- Language
- Also known as
- Wo die grünen Ameisen träumen
- Filming locations
- Production companies
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
- Runtime1 hour 40 minutes
- Sound mix
- Aspect ratio
- 1.85 : 1
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