The Galapagos Affair: Satan Came to Eden (2013)

About a series of unsolved disappearances on the Galapagos Island of Floreana in the 1930s.

Directors:

Daniel Geller, Dayna Goldfine

Writers:

Dayna Goldfine, Daniel Geller

Stars:

Cate Blanchett, Sebastian Koch, Thomas Kretschmann

3 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Cate Blanchett	...	Dore Strauch (voice)
Sebastian Koch	...	Heinz Wittmer (voice)
Thomas Kretschmann	...	Friedrich Ritter (voice)
Diane Kruger	...	Margret Wittmer (voice)
Connie Nielsen	...	Baroness Von Wagner (voice)
Josh Radnor	...	John Garth (voice)
Gustaf Skarsgård	...	Rolf Blomberg (voice)
Octavio Latorre	...	Himself - Interviewee
Fritz Hieber	...	Himself - Interviewee
Steve Divine	...	Himself - Interviewee
Teppy Angermeyer	...	Himself - Interviewee
Jacqueline De Roy	...	Herself - Interviewee
Gil De Roy	...	Himself - Interviewee
Carmen Angermeyer	...	Herself - Interviewee
Jacob Lundh	...	Himself - Interviewee

Storyline

Darwin meets Hitchcock in this feature-length documentary. THE GALAPAGOS AFFAIR is a gripping tale of idealistic dreams gone awry, set in the brutal yet alluring landscape of the Galapagos Islands. Featuring voice-over performances by Cate Blanchett, Diane Kruger, Connie Nielsen, Sebastian Koch, Thomas Kretschmann, Gustaf Skarsgard and Josh Radnor, this film skillfully interweaves an unsolved 1930s murder mystery with stories of present day Galapagos pioneers (a handful of Europeans, Americans and Ecuadoreans who settled idiosyncratically on the Islands between the 1930s and 1960s). As such, it is a parable about the search for paradise -- about what happens when a handful of individualists settle on the same small island seeking their own distinct and sometimes clashing notions of Eden.

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Plot Keywords:

cow | chicken meat | clarinetist | eccentricity | soldier | 

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Genres:

Documentary | Biography | Crime | History | Mystery

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook Official site

Country:

USA Ecuador Germany Norway

Language:

English Spanish

Release Date:

25 July 2014 (UK)

Also Known As:

Die Galapagos-Affäre - Satan kam nach Eden

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$5,185, 6 April 2014, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$247,159, 20 July 2014

Company Credits

Production Co:

Geller/Goldfine Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

120 min

Color:

Color Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1

Did You Know?

Connections

Features The Empress of Floreana (1934)

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Soundtracks

Tree of Life, Ashwattha
Written by David Balatishnan
Performed by Turtle Island Quartet, David Balarishnan, violin; Mark Summer, cello; Mads Tolling, violin; Jeremy Kittel, viola

User Reviews

almost forgotten mystery filled out

I rather enjoy delving into the lesser known narratives of history. The film is a tour de force in historical research of an obscure, albeit real mystery that was a sensational item at one time (1930s.) European settlers filter onto a very remote island with different agendas, from idealistic to craven, apparently. Built from painfully researched documents and even film, and with interviews from a very special group of humans - those who have lived or were born on the Galapagos Islands, a sketchy legend comes to life into a fascinating narrative of society gone wrong. Ultimately a dark tale of the inability of humanity to go beyond a violent nature (as one aged interviewee says "it's in our genes and there is no escape") even when a few very small parties restart from scratch, isolated from virtually every other human presence on the planet, and clash.