Lektionen in Finsternis (1992)

This film shows the disaster of the Kuwaitian oil fields in flames, with few interviews and no explanatory narration. Hell itself is presented in such beautiful sights and music that one has to be fascinated by it.

Director:

Werner Herzog

Writer:

Werner Herzog

Star:

Werner Herzog

1 win.

Cast

Credited cast:
Werner Herzog	...	Narrator (voice)

Storyline

This film shows the disaster of the Kuwaitian oil fields in flames, with few interviews and no explanatory narration. Hell itself is presented in such beautiful sights and music that one has to be fascinated by it.

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Plot Keywords:

environmental disaster | oil well fire | burning oil | oil fire | oil field fire | 

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Genres:

Documentary | War

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Did You Know?

Trivia

Director Werner Herzog says he prefers to think of this as a science fiction film, not a documentary.

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Goofs

In an aerial shot, the shadow of the camera's helicopter is visible (about 10 minutes, 8 seconds into the film).

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Quotes

Narrator: This was once a forest before it was covered with oil. Everything that looks like water is in actuality oil. Ponds and lakes are spread out all over the land. The oil is treacherous because it reflects the sky. The oil is trying to disguise itself as water.

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Connections

Spoofed in Orson Welles's the Other Side of the Wind: A Film by Orson Welles (2011)

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Soundtracks

Sonata for Two Violins, op. 56
Written by Sergei Prokofiev

User Reviews

Mission Accomplished

Lessons of Darkness (1992) looks and acts like a companion piece to Fata Morgana (1971). As with the earlier film, Lessons either captures viewers or leaves them confused and bored within the first few minutes. Early in Lessons we see an aerial shot of an unusual city. It is obviously a contemporary urban area because we see highways, traffic, stoplights, and large buildings, but it is also obvious that it is not an American city. The narrator (Herzog) announces that this city is about to be destroyed by war and the thought of this strange but vibrant place being destroyed becomes completely repugnant. Thus, Herzog succeeds here with the approach he initially planned and then abandoned in Fata Morgana. Lessons of Darkness triumphs as a mock Science Fiction story of an apocalypse that threatens all of civilization. Luckily, it doesn't take a college education to realize that the footage is shot in Iraq in the aftermath of the First Gulf War. Luckily as well, Herzog's anti-war statement does not need to be explicit to be effective. Early in the film, interviews with two Iraqi women suggest the human price of this military event. In the rest of the film, humans appear to be on the periphery of the "action" but they keep coming back to the center of our consciousness. Those who persist in their viewing will eventually encounter a chilling repetitiveness in this film (the fires are still burning!) However, that repetitiveness can become cumulative and mesmerizing. This is not a film experience for everyone, but for those who have a taste for it the film will be unforgettable.

Details

Country:

France UK Germany

Language:

German English Arabic

Release Date:

26 October 2002 (Hong Kong)

Also Known As:

Lessons of Darkness

Filming Locations:

Kuwait

Company Credits

Production Co:

Canal+, Première, Werner Herzog Filmproduktion

Technical Specs

Runtime:

54 min

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1