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Most helpful customer reviews
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars
The Only Way Most of Us Will See It,
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This review is from: Encounters At The End Of The World (DVD)
Since I suspect I'll never get to Antarctica, this was a good way to experience it. Werner Herzog's film is both breathtaking and surprising, showing us the many different sides of the continent. The underwater footage is hauntingly beautiful, while the scenes of human habitation are almost sickening, with massive earthmovers digging up Antarcitica's soil as though carving into its body. Herzog didn't want to "make another penguin movie" and he has achieved his goal. His footage of penquins runs in sharp contrast to what we generally see, and I defy anyone to remain emotionless as they view it. His interviews with some of the South Pole residents -- and there are about 1100 of them -- illustrate Herzog's unique take on what makes people interesting. From the descendant of Aztec royalty to the linguist who has established himself on the only continent without an indigent language, the people Herzog encounters are remarkable. The only weakness I would comment on is Herzog's narration. His delivery is quite deadpan and the accent is difficult in a few instances. However, it reminds us that this was, indeed, Herzog's own experience, and his words reflect his emotions and interpretations as he filmed.
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars
A MUST SEE!,
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This review is from: Encounters At The End Of The World (DVD)
Encounters at the End of the World is truly a movie about all of the Encounters at the End of the World. Not only about animal life but also about the people who live at the end of the world. Visually spectacular. Make sure to check out the special features.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars
A few things you should know about 'Encounters at the End of the World',
This review is from: Encounters At The End Of The World (DVD)
Full of odd questions ("Is there such a thing as insanity in penguins?"), Werner Herzog lands on the ice runway at McMurdo base in Antarctica for five months devoid of night. McMurdo looks like an ugly mining settlement (reminds me a bit of Norwegian Arctic towns like Alta and Hammerfest) but "as banal as it appears, it is filled with professional dreamers"...dreamers whose favourite food, funnily enough, is Frosty Boy Ice Cream.The scientists see the ice as a dynamic entity, not the static monolithic environment many think when they hear the name 'Antarctica'. There are cracks in the ice that sound like ghostly footsteps, and seal calls which sound like Tangerine Dream. Life forms in the sea are "like science fiction creatures" as one scientist puts it. It is "a horribly, violent world" full of strange, Lovecraftian organisms, some of which seem to possess "borderline intelligence...almost art." Some of the scientists Herzog interviews have a religious sense of awe in the face of their discoveries, while others seem almost braindead. "Yes, it's a truly wonderful moment when you increase the known biodiversity," one tells him, sounding about as excited as if he had just filed a report on the origins of sawdust. But another talks with spiritual and poetic insight of the sub-atomic particles called neutrinos. The whole film, in fact, is full of surprising insights - for instance, that the British empire started to fail only after Shackleton had reached the South Pole. In other words, when no further expansion was possible. Strangely, in a film about uninhabited Antarctica, Herzog delivers a moving defence of the languages that are dying out around the world: "Tree huggers and whale huggers are acceptable, but no one embraces the last speakers of a language." Herzog gets all apocalytic towards the end of the film, talking about the imminent demise of humanity, but whether or not one shares his pessimism, there is little reason not to watch this stunning documentary.
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