Steiner becomes more than just an athlete; he becomes a transcendent figure, and a “mere” sports film becomes a mystical experience.
I have seen the German version of this film before. It´s a difficult viewing experience because the English audio is accompanied by a German translation which is then supported with English subtitles; talk about cognitive dissonance! The German voice-over is completely absent here which makes for a more smoother sailing, but also robs the film of some of its prufndity. In the German version, Herzog explains that he considers cattle auctioneering to be the "poetry of capitalism." I find that a lovely thought, and it is sorely missed in this English-only version.
You will either be mesmerized by the endless auctioneering scenes or bored. I think it´s pretty darned amazing, and it improves with each viewing. It is also a truly great film to watch when you are stone drunk.
LA SOUFRIÈRE (1977)
"La Soufrière" features Herzog´s more playful, self-effacing side. The first clue to the impending joke is in the opening sequence when the title "La Soufrière" is followed by the subtitle "Waiting for an Inevitable Catastrophe."
The titular volcano, located on the island of Guadeloupe, has billowed toxic fumes for days, and rattling the surrounding villages. Scientists are certain it will erupt any time now, and local authorities order the villagers to evacuate the area. Naturally, Herzog decides the most logical thing to do is fly to the island to film it all.
The beginning is genuinely eerie. Herzog and his two man crew (cameramen Jörg Schmidt-Reitwein and Ed Lachman) arrive in a deserted town. The residents left so quickly, they did not even turn off their television sets. Only a few starving animals walk the streets. Far more ominous than this Twilight Zone town, though, is the rumbling menace only a few miles away. The volcano belches forth massive clouds of smoke that almost obscure the sun. Herzog, of course, wants to take a closer look. The crew begins to climb the mountain, but soon has to retreat when the wind shifts and blows a black cloud of toxic gas right at them. Ed Lachman loses his glasses. Herzog promises him they will go back and find them as long as the mountain still exists tomorrow.
After the crew exercises the better part of valor on La Soufrière, they speak to a few hearty locals who ignored the evacuation orders. One man is simply resigned to his fate: "I am too poor; where would I go?" Another man claims he is unafraid: "We all die some day" but he still asks the crew if they will take him when they leave.
Alas, Herzog has no intention of leaving until the very last minutes before the eruption. He wants to film the final moments of this island before it is buried under ash forever. So they wait, and they wait, and they wait… and nothing happens. The volcano settles down. The villagers return to their homes, and life returns to normal.
Herzog appreciates the irony of the situation: "There was something pathetic in the shooting of this picture for us, and therefore it ended a little bit embarrassing. Now it has become a report on an inevitable catastrophe that did not take place." The catastrophe did not take place, yet the film he made about it is still a compelling one. The lesson here is that a documentarian can still fashion his own story out of the raw fabric of reality even when events don´t play out as anticipated. Herzog captures some sublimely beautiful shots of the volcano in all its glory, and salvages the anti-climax by hitting us with a big, booming dose of Wagner over the final lingering shot of the disaster that never was.
Video
The films are presented in their original 1.33:1 full-screen aspect ratio. Remember these were all shot for German television. Unfortunately, this is not a restored transfer, so the image quality is somewhat washed out, and the flaws and debris from the original source material are still visible. Still, the quality is acceptable, if not inspiring.
Audio
The DVD is presented in Dolby Digital Mono. The Popul Vuh music on "Steiner" is well-mixed, but the Wagner number at the end of "La Soufriere" is dialed down far too low. Optional English subtitles support the German audio in "Steiner." The other two films are in English and do not have subtitles.
Extras
None. Bummer. I would have loved a Herzog commentary track on these films.
Closing Thoughts
Three short documentaries. No extras. Not even a restored transfer. Yet I have no qualms in stating that "Short Films by Werner Herzog" is one of the most exciting and important DVD releases of 2005. All three films deserve a central place in Herzog´s oeuvre, but have previously been available only on a bootleg tape occasionally sold on eBay. It´s no coincidence that awareness of Herzog´s stature as a documentarian has grown immensely in the DVD era. Releases such as this one remind us of how diverse and vital Herzog´s work truly is.
You will either be mesmerized by the endless auctioneering scenes or bored. I think it´s pretty darned amazing, and it improves with each viewing. It is also a truly great film to watch when you are stone drunk.
LA SOUFRIÈRE (1977)
"La Soufrière" features Herzog´s more playful, self-effacing side. The first clue to the impending joke is in the opening sequence when the title "La Soufrière" is followed by the subtitle "Waiting for an Inevitable Catastrophe."
The titular volcano, located on the island of Guadeloupe, has billowed toxic fumes for days, and rattling the surrounding villages. Scientists are certain it will erupt any time now, and local authorities order the villagers to evacuate the area. Naturally, Herzog decides the most logical thing to do is fly to the island to film it all.
The beginning is genuinely eerie. Herzog and his two man crew (cameramen Jörg Schmidt-Reitwein and Ed Lachman) arrive in a deserted town. The residents left so quickly, they did not even turn off their television sets. Only a few starving animals walk the streets. Far more ominous than this Twilight Zone town, though, is the rumbling menace only a few miles away. The volcano belches forth massive clouds of smoke that almost obscure the sun. Herzog, of course, wants to take a closer look. The crew begins to climb the mountain, but soon has to retreat when the wind shifts and blows a black cloud of toxic gas right at them. Ed Lachman loses his glasses. Herzog promises him they will go back and find them as long as the mountain still exists tomorrow.
After the crew exercises the better part of valor on La Soufrière, they speak to a few hearty locals who ignored the evacuation orders. One man is simply resigned to his fate: "I am too poor; where would I go?" Another man claims he is unafraid: "We all die some day" but he still asks the crew if they will take him when they leave.
Alas, Herzog has no intention of leaving until the very last minutes before the eruption. He wants to film the final moments of this island before it is buried under ash forever. So they wait, and they wait, and they wait… and nothing happens. The volcano settles down. The villagers return to their homes, and life returns to normal.
Herzog appreciates the irony of the situation: "There was something pathetic in the shooting of this picture for us, and therefore it ended a little bit embarrassing. Now it has become a report on an inevitable catastrophe that did not take place." The catastrophe did not take place, yet the film he made about it is still a compelling one. The lesson here is that a documentarian can still fashion his own story out of the raw fabric of reality even when events don´t play out as anticipated. Herzog captures some sublimely beautiful shots of the volcano in all its glory, and salvages the anti-climax by hitting us with a big, booming dose of Wagner over the final lingering shot of the disaster that never was.
Video
The films are presented in their original 1.33:1 full-screen aspect ratio. Remember these were all shot for German television. Unfortunately, this is not a restored transfer, so the image quality is somewhat washed out, and the flaws and debris from the original source material are still visible. Still, the quality is acceptable, if not inspiring.
Audio
The DVD is presented in Dolby Digital Mono. The Popul Vuh music on "Steiner" is well-mixed, but the Wagner number at the end of "La Soufriere" is dialed down far too low. Optional English subtitles support the German audio in "Steiner." The other two films are in English and do not have subtitles.
Extras
None. Bummer. I would have loved a Herzog commentary track on these films.
Closing Thoughts
Three short documentaries. No extras. Not even a restored transfer. Yet I have no qualms in stating that "Short Films by Werner Herzog" is one of the most exciting and important DVD releases of 2005. All three films deserve a central place in Herzog´s oeuvre, but have previously been available only on a bootleg tape occasionally sold on eBay. It´s no coincidence that awareness of Herzog´s stature as a documentarian has grown immensely in the DVD era. Releases such as this one remind us of how diverse and vital Herzog´s work truly is.
Average user rating (1-5):
Not yet rated.
Not yet rated.
[release]17274[/release]