Director – Werner Herzog
Cinematographer – Peter Zeitlinger
Although Antarctica has been conquered and colonised by humans many times and is as integrated into today’s society as much as any place on Earth, because of its remote location, tightly controlled visitors and extreme weather conditions it still retains an aura of mystery, one of those few places where one can go to escape, one of the few blind spots in our all-encompassing global knowledge. It is this unique possibility that Werner Herzog’s voyage of polar discovery explores, determined not to make another film about “fluffy penguins” he instead explores the people of Antarctica, a strange collection of scientists, dreamers and misanthropes who call this barren land home.
After arriving in McMurdo, a dump of a town that immediately challenges viewers’ perceptions of a winter wonderland, but that is also the largest settlement on Antarctica, Herzog’s travels take him out onto the ice, visiting penguin colonies (where he discusses the possibility of gay penguins with an expert), volcanoes (where he meets a volcanologist dressed in tweed) and underwater diving bases (where he witnesses a rock concert on the roof). These are all entertaining diversions, and it’s fascinating to see Herzog’s clipped documentarian come into contact with this collection of eccentrics, but they pale in comparison to the footage of scuba dives under the ice, Herzog’s inspiration for coming and some of the most awe-inspiring images on Earth.
Verdict – A portrait of Antarctica that is beautiful, amusing, confusing and fascinating (often all at the same time), what documentary filmmaking is meant to be.
Four Stars
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