Land of Silence and Darkness

Name: Land des Schweigens und der Dunkelheit
Genre: Documentary
Released: 2002-10-22
Duration: 1 h 25 min
Rating: 7.9
Cast: Fini Straubinger, M. Baaske, Elsa Fehrer

Original title: Land des Schweigens und der Dunkelheit

IMDb RATING

7.9/10

YOUR RATING

Documentary

Through examining Fini Straubinger, an old woman who has been deaf and blind since adolescence, and her work on behalf of other deaf and blind people, this film shows how the deaf and blind ... Read allThrough examining Fini Straubinger, an old woman who has been deaf and blind since adolescence, and her work on behalf of other deaf and blind people, this film shows how the deaf and blind struggle to understand and accept a world from which they are almost wholly isolated.Through examining Fini Straubinger, an old woman who has been deaf and blind since adolescence, and her work on behalf of other deaf and blind people, this film shows how the deaf and blind struggle to understand and accept a world from which they are almost wholly isolated.

See production, box office & company info

IMDb RATING

7.9/10

YOUR RATING

See production, box office & company info

See more at IMDbPro

Awards
- 1 win & 1 nomination

Photos47

Fini Straubinger in Land of Silence and Darkness (1971)

Heinrich Fleischmann in Land of Silence and Darkness (1971)

Heinrich Fleischmann and Fini Straubinger in Land of Silence and Darkness (1971)

Fini Straubinger and Resi Mittermeier in Land of Silence and Darkness (1971)

Featured review

8/10

Utterfly affecting

LAND OF SILENCE AND DARKNESS is an early documentary in the career of German film-maker Werner Herzog, a story laced with sadness and alienation that bears some stylistic similarity to Herzog's dramatic film THE ENIGMA OF KASPAR HAUSER. This one's all real though, a documentary that proves to be depressing and uplifting in equal measure.

It's a documentary that explores the world of deafblind people living in Germany, controlled by a campaigning woman, Fini Straubinger, who makes it her business to travel the country and help those in need. What transpires is a travelogue fraught with unforgettable moments; moments that I don't mind admitting had me in tears on more than one occasion. The sequence with a 22 year old man who's never had any education or even contact with the outside world - he can't even walk - is the film's moving highlight.

Herzog lets his story speak for himself, although he makes some strong choices as director. Visits to a cactus house and a zoo are utterly engrossing and the addition of some classic music to the soundtrack really helps to tug at the heartstrings. Not an easy film to watch then, but one which is nevertheless thoroughly compelling.

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