Werner Herzog made this documentary not as a biography, but as a celebration and showcase of the work of a French couple famed for their pioneering photography of volcanoes, a dangerous craft that ultimately cost them their lives. It's pleasingly unpretentious: we see excerpts from their (still stunning) work alongside a little casual footage of the film-makers themselves, while Herzog gives us a quiet commentary more from the perspective of a fan than that of an expert (though of course he knows something of what he is talking about). If there's a tragic dimension (did they keep taking risks because that was what, at the end of the day, they did) Herzog doesn't dwell on it. It might sound dull and pedestrian, but the stunning images keep you attached, and draw out your admiration for those who dared to film them.
14 Reviews
Herzog does it again
Leofwine_draca25 October 2022
I'm glad Herzog's gone back to making documentaries in the twilight of his career because his films of the 21st century have often been disappointing, while his documentaries continue to wow. His voice is a little more aged here, he's getting considerably older, but he's still got the old magic. THE FIRE WITHIN, which follows the career of a couple of ill-fated vulcanologists via their own filmed footage, is classic Herzog, looking at the darker side of mankind's place in nature. Shades of GRIZZLY MAN and others, then. The footage is astonishingly beautiful, accompanied by wonderfully chosen music and Herzog's thoughtful narration.
Absolutely stunning
martinblackwell18 October 2022
The pictures of exploding volcanoes are quite extraordinary, the accompanying soundtrack is fittingly haunting, this documentary also shows how devastating exploding volcanoes can be for the human beings, animals & the countryside that lie in their paths. You just have to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. Also Werner Herzog's narration is magnificent in its wonder, tenderness & almost reverence for the power of nature - & his admiration of the Krafft couple is quite evident. You are left really regretting that they were killed during an eruption in Japan because their archive feels unfinished while their legacy lives on.
Mesmerizing, haunting, terrifying, and beautiful like only Herzog can...
Luddify14 August 2022
Despite some rough edits and bare bones production value, another Herzog masterpiece in the same league as Fata Morgana.
The images shot by the Krafts and their home movies of each other are breathtaking. These are stitched together masterfully by Herzog as a lasting tribute to their work and a celebration of their sense of wonder.
The images shot by the Krafts and their home movies of each other are breathtaking. These are stitched together masterfully by Herzog as a lasting tribute to their work and a celebration of their sense of wonder.
A tour into the madness of reality
ReadingFilm13 August 2022
It's all the kind of thing Wonka would get out those golden tickets for, to tour the chaotic fringe with a certain operatic whimsy. The sheer danger of it is matched only by the innocence, it is almost childlike to tour the great dangers. From Cave of Forgotten Dreams, to Lo and Behold, Herzog is building toward a total abandonment of the natural world, into the mental universe, leading to total inner and outer distortions. He is not interested in regular people. I take this from his Chatwin documentary as well, the lost art of the explorer of the mental, those catalogue nuggets of culture and history... now everything is available a click away, everything is outsourced by the crowd.
A filmmaker can find the few remaining ones left. In fact, resources are so scarce of these explorers, another director beat Herzog to the punch with the sister documentary Fire of Love. BUT--another documentary beat both of them to the punch too. The Kroffts themselves. Like another great director, Terrence Malick, Herzog is not in a rush always to give you one thing after another. He is that Opera director putting down movements leading to crescendos at just the right moment, he can paint an entire film, then blam, hit you with that one mark that changes you. Other directions will attempt to cram as many peaks as possible into a work.
Herzog will turn the catastrophes of nature into acts of creation. The image of the kids playing with the volcano ash like sand on the beach, is calling to mind Herzog's own biography of being a child and playing in the wreckage of WW2 torn buildings, still in the total safety of childhood adventure. This is how a few scattered images can achieve the profundity, in the cinema that is a cross between the literary and the photograph. He is famous for considering himself an anti-intellectual artist, but most of Herzog's great moments seem both, as his breakdown in the final passage about the cloud that destroyed them. There is an academic professor beneath Herzog's circus exterior.
The sheer repertoire of images he finds here feel like a Jodoworsky apocalyptic acid western, Kurosawa-like depiction of groups in motion, or 1950s flying saucer films. Herzog has his formula but he just gets so bold and effortless with his experience that he can do it in his sleep. Opera. He withholds the footage we're here for until the very end, all that lava, as the visual Operatic peak. Directors will nine times out of ten just show you the lava and fire the whole way. Those final scenes, there is the master again leaving you in tears. It is why we go to these, the downright surreal parallels, juxtapositions, beauty and unease. It is at the end of the day not just a parallel to his subjects, but here it is a freshly meta take about Herzog's love of cinema, filmmaking, and the image. This is the beauty of Herzog is he always seems like the audience alongside us.
A filmmaker can find the few remaining ones left. In fact, resources are so scarce of these explorers, another director beat Herzog to the punch with the sister documentary Fire of Love. BUT--another documentary beat both of them to the punch too. The Kroffts themselves. Like another great director, Terrence Malick, Herzog is not in a rush always to give you one thing after another. He is that Opera director putting down movements leading to crescendos at just the right moment, he can paint an entire film, then blam, hit you with that one mark that changes you. Other directions will attempt to cram as many peaks as possible into a work.
Herzog will turn the catastrophes of nature into acts of creation. The image of the kids playing with the volcano ash like sand on the beach, is calling to mind Herzog's own biography of being a child and playing in the wreckage of WW2 torn buildings, still in the total safety of childhood adventure. This is how a few scattered images can achieve the profundity, in the cinema that is a cross between the literary and the photograph. He is famous for considering himself an anti-intellectual artist, but most of Herzog's great moments seem both, as his breakdown in the final passage about the cloud that destroyed them. There is an academic professor beneath Herzog's circus exterior.
The sheer repertoire of images he finds here feel like a Jodoworsky apocalyptic acid western, Kurosawa-like depiction of groups in motion, or 1950s flying saucer films. Herzog has his formula but he just gets so bold and effortless with his experience that he can do it in his sleep. Opera. He withholds the footage we're here for until the very end, all that lava, as the visual Operatic peak. Directors will nine times out of ten just show you the lava and fire the whole way. Those final scenes, there is the master again leaving you in tears. It is why we go to these, the downright surreal parallels, juxtapositions, beauty and unease. It is at the end of the day not just a parallel to his subjects, but here it is a freshly meta take about Herzog's love of cinema, filmmaking, and the image. This is the beauty of Herzog is he always seems like the audience alongside us.
Going toe-to-toe with disaster
Horst_In_Translation21 October 2022
Warning: Spoilers
"The Fire Within: A Requiem for Katia and Maurice Krafft" is a pretty long (double) title for a relatively short film as this one here stays a bit under the 1.5-hour mark. The writer and director is of course renowned Bavarian filmmaker Werner Herzog who turned 80 not too long ago and it is nice to see him still really active and prolific. I was lucky enough to watch this film yesterday in the presence of the man himself, thus a packed theater just like it should be, and he also made an introduction to his most recent work here, said a few words on how this is not the first time the Kraffts got featured in one of his films and elaborated a bit on the background of the documentary. He is right though that this is not really a film that offers a lot of room to discuss certain aspects. It is more of an experience. You will find many video recordings in here from volcano eruptions that are at the center of it all and the film only very rarely moves back from that and one occasion would be at the start when we find out briefly how the two people from the title met and got in touch with each other, which also had to do with their work of course and in the second half we see some other video recordings from them that also included animals, monkeys for example, so they were not only all about recording volcano eruptions, even if this is what they will always be remembered for. Also with the tragic component to it all. Of course, it makes total sense when Herzog says that some of the recordings you see in here were filmed from places that posed a severe risk to the couple's and also their assistants' lives and that they never should have been in these places when the volcanoes erupted because it simply was a massive hazard. And still there is a constant conflict if you in the audience would have wanted to be with them that very moment. We find out how they were lucky a few times when they basically left an island on a boat briefly before the entire island almost exploded from what happened up there in the mountains. But one can have only so much luck and it ended for them in Japan in 1991, which means over 30 years ago now, so the making of this film was also a bit of a 30th anniversary tribute I guess, even if it got released later. Or is still in the process of being released, even if it won an award already.
The Kraffts met in France in the 1960s, so the time between their meeting and their death is less at this point already than between their death and the now. This shows you that well, they are not a thing of the past, luckily because of films like this, but how much time has passed since their deaths already. This documentary is not really stuff that Herzog filmed himself, but video footage from the Kraffts themselves from back in the day and it is edited together and we see many beautiful areas of the planet. Great beauty that comes with the same grand amount of danger. A lot from Asia, but nor exclusively. For example, Hawaii is also featured in here. There are some breathtaking recordings. The muddy avalanches are of course special in their own right, but for me nothing is on par with the bright red and orange lava that is included on many occasions. Everybody will have their own favorite parts I suppose. For me, the very best scene was probably when we see how this boiling hot lava meets the water right underneath it. This was some real clash of elements depicted there. There is also some elaboration on how the Kraffts tried to entertain the audiences. Maybe this was more the guy's approach when we see him channel his inner Cousteau, when we see them act even in the face of trying to depict the danger or fear in a way that was of course staged. The danger was always there boiling in the unknown. No need to fake it. You could see that Mrs. Krafft was perhaps not as much in her element there as her husband, but still she decided to be a part of this. She was also probably the more cautious one from the duo. There are indicators of that coming from her as well through her actions, even if she seems very confident when the camera is on, but the most telling thing is of course Maurice Krafft's famous comment about how he has seen so many eruptions that he does not care one bit anymore if he dies the next day and that was bound too happen then indeed. Had this been in a fictitious live action movie, then everybody would have said the foreshadowing was ridiculous and way too obvious, but sometimes reality tops it all you can say.
The focus in this film is really almost exclusively on the Kraffts, for example we also find out about the gigantic amount of photos she took during their explorations that could make for many fascinating exhibitions. At the end we see their graveside and also that the people buried with them got really old, lived for many years after 1991, perhaps her parents as they said the two got buried with her family. Only very briefly we find out about one of the many people who also died with the Kraffts during the tragedy that day and that one is renowned American geologist Henri Glicken. We also find out how he got lucky on another occasion before that, but by 1991 he probably had no more luck left. He was over a decade younger than Maurice Krafft and that means even 15 years younger than Katia Krafft, who was the older half from the couple. This film is not just about humans. We also see how the sheer power (kinda ironic that the couple had the last name that is the German word for power with one slight spelling change, almost as if nature wanted to tell them that this is where the real power lies) of nature, the sheer power of these eruptions had a devastating impact on animals as well. How cows were stuck and nobody could help them and they were destined to die there, starve to death. Or also how birds were impacted. They may get saved on a few occasions even, at least the one we say. Nature gives and nature takes.
The audio also deserves a bit of elaboration. At the key of it all, you will listen to music that you usually hear at the opera. Very high female voices singing and also strong instruments instruments providing a soundtrack that at least tries to match the eternal power of nature here. This film is called a requiem in the second half of the title for a reason. What you will also hear of course is the voice of Werner Herzog who once again is in charge of the narration himself. He is not constantly featured and often lets the music speak, but when we hear him, it is as nice as always. I just really adore listening to his voice and I am genuinely happy I got to see him in person twice over the last week, once in Munich, once here in Berlin. Hopefully not the last time. It seems as if his energy has not declined, which is really nice. Would be so cool if he keeps making films for another five or even ten years, so yeah if you are not a German or English native speaker, but speak either language, I still suggest you go for the version with him as a narrator and not for a version that features another narrator in your native language. Herzog is a vital part of this film, of this experience just like he always is with his works.
I myself am a bit skeptical always with documentary films that are about risking your life in the nature, especially in terms of documentaries about climbing mountains, but this one here is something entirely different because, even if there was still a huge risk to everything the Kraffts did, it does not feel pointless really because they got mesmerizing recordings for everybody who wants to watch their work. So I cannot be too harsh on this, even if it is of course also a bit of a hara-kiri approach from their side. More than a bit admittedly. It cannot be denied and you can say they also put other people at risk, but then again it was up to everybody themselves to decide if they want to be a part of these missions. Herzog got in his love for film once again when he makes a quick parallel to the atmosphere in spaghetti westerns. It is so nice to see him shoot films like this and not awful fiction movies starring Veronica Ferres. Not sure what he was thinking there. One of the most haunting moments here was probably the brief segment in which we see a Japanese guy, we do not get a name, only that he still wiped his camera despite the imminent danger, and how he runs away from the approaching super-fast and super-big wall of stone coming down from Mount Unzen, all the smoke and heat. It was also haunting when we see the other people on the camera there for a very brief glimpse, perhaps the ones this documentary is about and their last moment(s). I think this unknown man got luckier than the Kraffts and Glicken that day. That is all then. I give this documentary a positive recommendation, not an overly enthusiastic one because Herzog has done other stuff I enjoyed more, but still the thumbs-up for the outcome was never in doubt here. Go see it if you have the chance, also if you are from the UK. I think there is a BBC connection with this one here or at least they turned it into a version that became one of their own.
The Kraffts met in France in the 1960s, so the time between their meeting and their death is less at this point already than between their death and the now. This shows you that well, they are not a thing of the past, luckily because of films like this, but how much time has passed since their deaths already. This documentary is not really stuff that Herzog filmed himself, but video footage from the Kraffts themselves from back in the day and it is edited together and we see many beautiful areas of the planet. Great beauty that comes with the same grand amount of danger. A lot from Asia, but nor exclusively. For example, Hawaii is also featured in here. There are some breathtaking recordings. The muddy avalanches are of course special in their own right, but for me nothing is on par with the bright red and orange lava that is included on many occasions. Everybody will have their own favorite parts I suppose. For me, the very best scene was probably when we see how this boiling hot lava meets the water right underneath it. This was some real clash of elements depicted there. There is also some elaboration on how the Kraffts tried to entertain the audiences. Maybe this was more the guy's approach when we see him channel his inner Cousteau, when we see them act even in the face of trying to depict the danger or fear in a way that was of course staged. The danger was always there boiling in the unknown. No need to fake it. You could see that Mrs. Krafft was perhaps not as much in her element there as her husband, but still she decided to be a part of this. She was also probably the more cautious one from the duo. There are indicators of that coming from her as well through her actions, even if she seems very confident when the camera is on, but the most telling thing is of course Maurice Krafft's famous comment about how he has seen so many eruptions that he does not care one bit anymore if he dies the next day and that was bound too happen then indeed. Had this been in a fictitious live action movie, then everybody would have said the foreshadowing was ridiculous and way too obvious, but sometimes reality tops it all you can say.
The focus in this film is really almost exclusively on the Kraffts, for example we also find out about the gigantic amount of photos she took during their explorations that could make for many fascinating exhibitions. At the end we see their graveside and also that the people buried with them got really old, lived for many years after 1991, perhaps her parents as they said the two got buried with her family. Only very briefly we find out about one of the many people who also died with the Kraffts during the tragedy that day and that one is renowned American geologist Henri Glicken. We also find out how he got lucky on another occasion before that, but by 1991 he probably had no more luck left. He was over a decade younger than Maurice Krafft and that means even 15 years younger than Katia Krafft, who was the older half from the couple. This film is not just about humans. We also see how the sheer power (kinda ironic that the couple had the last name that is the German word for power with one slight spelling change, almost as if nature wanted to tell them that this is where the real power lies) of nature, the sheer power of these eruptions had a devastating impact on animals as well. How cows were stuck and nobody could help them and they were destined to die there, starve to death. Or also how birds were impacted. They may get saved on a few occasions even, at least the one we say. Nature gives and nature takes.
The audio also deserves a bit of elaboration. At the key of it all, you will listen to music that you usually hear at the opera. Very high female voices singing and also strong instruments instruments providing a soundtrack that at least tries to match the eternal power of nature here. This film is called a requiem in the second half of the title for a reason. What you will also hear of course is the voice of Werner Herzog who once again is in charge of the narration himself. He is not constantly featured and often lets the music speak, but when we hear him, it is as nice as always. I just really adore listening to his voice and I am genuinely happy I got to see him in person twice over the last week, once in Munich, once here in Berlin. Hopefully not the last time. It seems as if his energy has not declined, which is really nice. Would be so cool if he keeps making films for another five or even ten years, so yeah if you are not a German or English native speaker, but speak either language, I still suggest you go for the version with him as a narrator and not for a version that features another narrator in your native language. Herzog is a vital part of this film, of this experience just like he always is with his works.
I myself am a bit skeptical always with documentary films that are about risking your life in the nature, especially in terms of documentaries about climbing mountains, but this one here is something entirely different because, even if there was still a huge risk to everything the Kraffts did, it does not feel pointless really because they got mesmerizing recordings for everybody who wants to watch their work. So I cannot be too harsh on this, even if it is of course also a bit of a hara-kiri approach from their side. More than a bit admittedly. It cannot be denied and you can say they also put other people at risk, but then again it was up to everybody themselves to decide if they want to be a part of these missions. Herzog got in his love for film once again when he makes a quick parallel to the atmosphere in spaghetti westerns. It is so nice to see him shoot films like this and not awful fiction movies starring Veronica Ferres. Not sure what he was thinking there. One of the most haunting moments here was probably the brief segment in which we see a Japanese guy, we do not get a name, only that he still wiped his camera despite the imminent danger, and how he runs away from the approaching super-fast and super-big wall of stone coming down from Mount Unzen, all the smoke and heat. It was also haunting when we see the other people on the camera there for a very brief glimpse, perhaps the ones this documentary is about and their last moment(s). I think this unknown man got luckier than the Kraffts and Glicken that day. That is all then. I give this documentary a positive recommendation, not an overly enthusiastic one because Herzog has done other stuff I enjoyed more, but still the thumbs-up for the outcome was never in doubt here. Go see it if you have the chance, also if you are from the UK. I think there is a BBC connection with this one here or at least they turned it into a version that became one of their own.
Great Stoytelling, As Always
gavrosaurus10 November 2022
There is something so hypnotic for me when it comes to Werner Herzog and his creations, there is something almost animalistic, yet so sophisticated, poetic in all of his movies and documentaries. Werner's films (or book) make me leave everything I do to listen to him, to watch, learn. No different experience I had with this one tonight: so humane, gentle and poetic yet devastating film where humans and nature go in parallel with each of their steps and history. Beautiful, touching, compassionate but artistic, never pathetic - everything you would expect from this great filmmaker and creator. Highly recommendable.
Werner Herzog doc
SnoopyStyle26 May 2023
Werner Herzog is presenting a documentary about French volcanologist couple Katia and Maurice Krafft. I've never heard of this couple and suddenly they get two documentaries in short succession. Herzog has the name and the pedigree, but the other film has the Oscar nomination. It is fascinating to see them back to back and compare the two.
Herzog is using almost exclusively footage shot by the couple. I do notice the classic Mount St. Helens explosion footage. I'm sure that there are other non-Krafft footage to fill out the story. It is very compelling that Herzog tells us that they are about to die on that Japanese mountain early in the film. It's like presenting the dead body early in a murder mystery movie. Both documentaries use the couple's awe-inspiring footage, but this one does not have their voices. It is all Herzog narration as in most of his films. He's the one pontificating. Throughout the movie, I kept wanting to hear the couple voices or at least their words. This is more like a tribute spoken in a funeral and that may be the intention. I just have a better sense of the couple from the other movie. That is the main difference.
Herzog is using almost exclusively footage shot by the couple. I do notice the classic Mount St. Helens explosion footage. I'm sure that there are other non-Krafft footage to fill out the story. It is very compelling that Herzog tells us that they are about to die on that Japanese mountain early in the film. It's like presenting the dead body early in a murder mystery movie. Both documentaries use the couple's awe-inspiring footage, but this one does not have their voices. It is all Herzog narration as in most of his films. He's the one pontificating. Throughout the movie, I kept wanting to hear the couple voices or at least their words. This is more like a tribute spoken in a funeral and that may be the intention. I just have a better sense of the couple from the other movie. That is the main difference.
The Music is most apposite.
morganhayes28 October 2022
Some scenes were so awe-inspiring I had to watch twice. I particularly savoured the pairing of the Kyrie from Bach's Bminor Mass with erupting volcanoes and larvae flow as it gave an unexpectedly graceful impression. Later on we hear extracts from Verdi's Requiem but not the overly famous bit! We don't learn much of what motivates Katia and Maurice Kraft to be so consumed by volcanoes which is part of the charm of the documentary as it gives the viewer an opportunity to ruminate instead. The narration gives plenty of space. The few words which are spoken are very telling. A masterpiece which I feel immensely privileged to have watched.
A return to form for Herzog after a slightly patchy run of documentaries in the 2010s.
Jeremy_Urquhart12 September 2023
It's easy to see why Werner Herzog was attracted to the story of Katia and Maurice Krafft, seeing as they had a job that involved some kind of unusual natural phenomena, they had a determination that put themselves in immense danger, and they were also keen filmmakers, in a way.
Plenty of Herzog movies (his feature films and documentaries alike) have unusual or unconventional figures pursuing something outdoors, and I think The Fire Within feels almost like a spiritual sequel to Grizzly Man, in some ways. We learn the fate of the central figures straight away, and in both films, those figures left behind much film footage that more or less speaks to who they were. The key difference is that in Grizzly Man, grizzly bears were the dangerous threat within nature, and in this documentary, it's volcanoes.
I feel like there might be less mystery or psychological deep-diving here on Herzog's part, which might be the main reason this didn't grip me as much as Grizzly Man, nor some of the very best Herzog documentaries out there. Maybe there was less to ponder about when it came to Katia and Maurice Krafft, or maybe Herzog was more intent on letting the footage speak for itself (unlike Grizzly Man, The Fire Within does notably lack interviews with other people throughout).
But for the amazing footage on offer, and the interesting presentation/editing, The Fire Within's still good. It wasn't done any favors by coming out the same year as the superior Fire of Love, because that one focused on the same people and was, from memory, much more emotionally resonant, but I still feel like there's enough on offer in The Fire Within to make it worth watching alongside that other 2022 documentary about Katia and Maurice Krafft.
Plenty of Herzog movies (his feature films and documentaries alike) have unusual or unconventional figures pursuing something outdoors, and I think The Fire Within feels almost like a spiritual sequel to Grizzly Man, in some ways. We learn the fate of the central figures straight away, and in both films, those figures left behind much film footage that more or less speaks to who they were. The key difference is that in Grizzly Man, grizzly bears were the dangerous threat within nature, and in this documentary, it's volcanoes.
I feel like there might be less mystery or psychological deep-diving here on Herzog's part, which might be the main reason this didn't grip me as much as Grizzly Man, nor some of the very best Herzog documentaries out there. Maybe there was less to ponder about when it came to Katia and Maurice Krafft, or maybe Herzog was more intent on letting the footage speak for itself (unlike Grizzly Man, The Fire Within does notably lack interviews with other people throughout).
But for the amazing footage on offer, and the interesting presentation/editing, The Fire Within's still good. It wasn't done any favors by coming out the same year as the superior Fire of Love, because that one focused on the same people and was, from memory, much more emotionally resonant, but I still feel like there's enough on offer in The Fire Within to make it worth watching alongside that other 2022 documentary about Katia and Maurice Krafft.
The Fire Within review by Kaja Popko
Kaja_Popko23 April 2023
"The Fire Within" is a documentary by Werner Herzog about French volcanologists Katia and Maurice Krafft, who were consumed by their love for volcanoes. The film showcases their footage and photography of volcanic eruptions, showcasing their achievements and passion. Herzog's film is a requiem to the couple, fuelled by heavy instrumental and choral music, highlighting their life and achievements while barely dwelling on the accusations that they provoked dangerous situations. The documentary shows the Kraffts' surreal footage from around the world, featuring volcanic eruptions and nature's creatures, with one last powerful glimpse at two people joyfully following their passion into the belly of the beast.
Amazing footage but omg the music is awful
nancy-793-2288796 November 2022
I could honestly not listen to some parts of the awe inspiring footage for the shouting and wailing music. This type of music is so divisive I don't know why they didn't just use emotive classical music. It spoiled the whole documentary for me. What I did see with the sound turned down was amazing. The couple seem to have a death wish at times and are more thrill seekers than volcanologist. The footage they filmed is incredible though. To see the devastation volcanos wreck on human and animal life is heartbreaking. This is how our amazing planet began and to honour the death from our past we should do more to save our future.
A Stunningly Beautiful Tribute to Two Volcanologists who were also Filmmakers
Brantford_Mark7 August 2023
Warning: Spoilers
Last night I watched the most recent Werner Herzog film, "The Fire Within: A Requiem for Katia and Maurice Krafft." It was on TVO, Ontario's version of PBS. A beautiful, unique tribute to a husband and wife pair of volcanologists who perished in 1991 pursuing their passion. As he explains in the opening scenes, it's not a traditional documentary. Remarkably, it's his tribute to them as filmmakers.
Herzog was given unrestricted access to over 200 hours of their raw footage all over the world and Katia's 400,000+ photos. From that he has crafted both a quasi-biography and a story of their evolution as filmmakers. He pairs it with mostly classical choral works in an almost seamless way. I was able to pick out Bach's Kyrie from his Mass in B Minor as well as several movements from Verdi's Requiem. His narration is sparse but insightful. For the most part, the images do the talking. And what images they are! Not many are able to see both the beauty and horror of the Earth renewing itself, but the Kraffts clearly did.
Something to watch for. I'm not sure where you can see this in the States presently, but I suspect Amazon's Prime Video will pick it up. It has already won a 2022 Best Picture award in LA and at least 5 other nominations across the country. A link to the trailer can be found at the DOC LA website.
Herzog was given unrestricted access to over 200 hours of their raw footage all over the world and Katia's 400,000+ photos. From that he has crafted both a quasi-biography and a story of their evolution as filmmakers. He pairs it with mostly classical choral works in an almost seamless way. I was able to pick out Bach's Kyrie from his Mass in B Minor as well as several movements from Verdi's Requiem. His narration is sparse but insightful. For the most part, the images do the talking. And what images they are! Not many are able to see both the beauty and horror of the Earth renewing itself, but the Kraffts clearly did.
Something to watch for. I'm not sure where you can see this in the States presently, but I suspect Amazon's Prime Video will pick it up. It has already won a 2022 Best Picture award in LA and at least 5 other nominations across the country. A link to the trailer can be found at the DOC LA website.
Really Werner, 1 hour and 20 minutes of opera
dan_fango20 October 2022
Fast forward to 1 hour 15 minutes and basically you have seen the whole documentary, it's an hour and 5 minutes of volcanoes erupting and once you've seen one you've seen them all. I really enjoyed Grizzly Man but this is on a level of boredom I have not seen in a while. It runs for 1 hour 20 minutes and really the whole story (the title of the documentary) could have been told in 20 minutes. Sorry Werner but your incessant use of opera, stock footage of volcanoes got me fast forwarding after about 35 minutes and that was with the documentary in the background. 2 people got too near a volcano and died after not heeding the previous warnings they had. Well let's pad it out to 1 hour 20 minutes with useless video. I am not sure who related volcanoes erupting to opera songs, new one on me. Herzog seems to have an attraction to "found or archived" footage and while it worked in Grizzly Man it certainly did not work here. A boring mess of regurgitated video. I think a 2 rating is being kind.
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