LEKTIONEN IN FINSTERNIS
Germany 1992 – Director: Werner Herzog – Original language: English, German – Subtitles: None – Length: 52 min.
“The end of the universe will be infinitely beautiful - just like its creation.” This introductory quote about the aesthetic of war is Werner Herzog’s take on the original by Blaise Pascal. And, we are almost inclined to add, Werner Herzog will be there with his camera and bring us an incredible film.
In the first Gulf War, as they retreated from the allies, the Iraqi army set fire to the oil fields of Kuwait. Werner Herzog and his amenable cameraman, Paul Berriff, depict the attempts to put out the fires in the style of an Opera Seria: an apocalypse with unsurpassable opulence. Is this a war film, an anti-war film or an environmental film? The insight we gain is magnificently ambivalent – as it always is in Werner Herzog’s films. Daniel Sponsel
English/Original Title: Lessons of Darkness. Camera: Paul Berriff; 2. Kamerateam: Rainer Klausmann; Luftkamera: Jerry Grayson. Sound: John G. Pearson. Editing: Rainer Standke. Music: Edward Grieg, Gustav Mahler, Arvo Pärt, Sergej Prokofjew, Franz Schubert, Giuseppe Verdi, Richard Wagner. Production: Werner Herzog Film GmbH. Producer: Lucki Stipetic.
