Review #191: 'Lessons of Darkness' (1992)

Werner Herzog does not make documentaries. He manipulates the truth in order create an artistic truth that channels reality in the way he feels it should be seen. The approach he takes with Lessons Of Darkness is a similar style to the quite brilliant Fata Morgana (1971) and the hypnotic, yet slightly meandering, The Wild Blue Yonder (2005). He does a similar thing yet not quite to the same style in the exquisite Grizzly Man (2005) and the solid Little Dieter Learns To Fly (1998). He has been often criticised for this, yet I feel it is what makes him one of the greatest and most interesting film-makers in history, and one of the best documentary film-makers of recent times.

His focus in Lessons Of Darkness is the desolate and ruined landscape of post-Gulf War Kuwait. His camera sweeps along the country with a fascination and curiosity from the viewpoint of a complete outsider. Herzog has stated that he regularly shoots his documentaries as if he were a visiting alien on his first day on Earth. The film is separated by thirteen different chapters, focusing their attention on burned-out military vehicles, weapons of torture, and most beautifully, the burning oil fields of Kuwait and the men given the task of putting out these massive fireballs.

About two-thirds of the film are dedicated to the oil fields, and they are a wonder to behold. Herzog's camera and almost philosophical narration given with that strange German accent portray it as almost a biblical disaster. The whole sky is literally scarred with black smoke, and the flames burn brightly for miles on end. As usual, Herzog becomes fascinated with the workers who are putting the flames out, always being transfixed by people put through extreme experiences. He shows them as they re-ignite the fires when they were just a jet of oil spurting into the air, and wonders if they have becomes engulfed by madness and a need to stay out of the darkness.

No-one makes documentaries quite as hypnotic and enticing as Herzog, and this is no exception. While not reaching the brilliance of Fata Morgana, Grizzly Man or Encounters At The End Of The World (2007), the film is still a fascinating portrait of a slightly neglected topic. He stays out of political viewpoints and only includes a couple of interviews, instead remaining as a mere observer. A fine example of why Herzog is one of the most prolific and original directors in cinema history, and possibly my all-time favourite director.


Directed by: Werner Herzog
Narrator: Werner Herzog
Country: France/UK/Germany

Rating: ****

Tom Gillespie