Wo die grünen Ameisen träumen (1984)

The geologist Lance Hackett is employed by an Australian mining company to map the subsoil of a desert area covered with ant hills prior to a possible uranium extraction. His work is ... See full summary »

Director:

Werner Herzog

Writers:

Werner Herzog, Bob Ellis

Stars:

Bruce Spence, Wandjuk Marika, Roy Marika

2 wins & 1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Bruce Spence	...	Lance Hackett
Wandjuk Marika	...	Miliritbi
Roy Marika	...	Dayipu
Ray Barrett	...	Cole
Norman Kaye	...	Baldwin Ferguson
Ralph Cotterill	...	Fletcher
Nick Lathouris	...	Arnold
Basil Clarke	...	Judge Blackburn
Ray Marshall	...	Solicitor General Coulthard
Dhungala I. Makika
Gary Williams	...	Watson
Tony Llewellyn-Jones	...	Fitzsimmons
Robert Brissenden
Michael Edols	...	Young attorney
Bob Ellis	...	Supermarket manager

Storyline

The geologist Lance Hackett is employed by an Australian mining company to map the subsoil of a desert area covered with ant hills prior to a possible uranium extraction. His work is impeded by some aborigines who explain that this is the place where the green ants dream. Disturbing their dreaming will destroy humanity they claim. Hackett informs the company which offers various "solutions" such as a large amount of money or a percentage of a possible revenue. Invited on a trip to a city some of the aborigines sees a military aeroplane and express the wish to own it. The company buys it and gives it to the aborigines as a sign of good will. A runway is made in the desert and the plane is flown to the location. All negotiations concerning the area fail and the dispute goes to a court of the Commonwealth. Parties and experts are heard, obstacles are met such as an aborigine who is the sole survivor of his tribe (and language) and therefore no-one understands what he is saying. Two of ...

---

Plot Keywords:

ant | desert | mining | plane | geologist | 

---

Genres:

Drama

---

Certificate:

R

Details

Country:

West Germany Australia

Language:

English

Release Date:

8 February 1985 (USA)

Also Known As:

Ahol a zöld hangyák álmodnak

Filming Locations:

Breakaways Reserve, South Australia, Australia

Company Credits

Production Co:

Pro-ject Filmproduktion, Werner Herzog Filmproduktion, Zweites Deutsches Fernsehen (ZDF)

Technical Specs

Runtime:

100 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Werner Herzog:  the lawyer that shakes Hackett's hand outside of the court room when the trial is over.

---

Quotes

Miliritbi: You white men are lost. You don't understand the land. Too many silly questions. Your presence on this earth will come to an end. You have no sense. No purpose. No direction.

---

Connections

Featured in Zomergasten: Episode #8.4 (1995)

---

Soundtracks

"Requiem Op. 48"
Written by Gabriel Fauré

User Reviews

Hallucinatory

I also remember this film as life-changing. I saw it at the TIFF many years ago and was baffled by it.

There is a small scene in an elevator that I remember as a transcendent cinematic moment.

Like so many of Herzog's films, it is deeply moving for reasons that aren't easy to put your finger on - often with Herzog it's an odd juxtaposition, an awkward silence, a strange edit, an inappropriate flash of humour or horror that produce a flash of insight.

This film, at the time, seemed conventional by Herzog's standards, but I still left the theatre feeling slightly drugged, always a good sign.