Herzog's short film about the doctors that fly all over central Africa to bring medical help to the people living in the bush. We fly with the doctors and they tell us about the history of their service and how they treat their patients.
Its a very good, and considering the director almost too straight forward documentary. It has none of the earmarks of what you would think of as a Herzog film and if I had missed the opening credits I would never have guessed who directed it. To be honest the film is very reminiscent of a Mondo movie. Not because its sensational, rather because its African setting in the late 1960's coupled the narration makes it seem (slightly) more exploitive then it is(I wonder if the English narrator did Mondo work). What I found interesting was the stories of the culture clashes that occur for the doctors, as say some of the tribesmen refused to climb stairs or a poster designed to warn the people about a fly that causes blindness are not understood by the people its suppose to help.
Worth a look for the subject matter if nothing else.
Its a very good, and considering the director almost too straight forward documentary. It has none of the earmarks of what you would think of as a Herzog film and if I had missed the opening credits I would never have guessed who directed it. To be honest the film is very reminiscent of a Mondo movie. Not because its sensational, rather because its African setting in the late 1960's coupled the narration makes it seem (slightly) more exploitive then it is(I wonder if the English narrator did Mondo work). What I found interesting was the stories of the culture clashes that occur for the doctors, as say some of the tribesmen refused to climb stairs or a poster designed to warn the people about a fly that causes blindness are not understood by the people its suppose to help.
Worth a look for the subject matter if nothing else.