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Encounters At The End Of The World
R1 - America - Image Entertainment Review written by and copyright: James Teitelbaum (8th December 2008). |
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The Film
 Armed with a collection of somewhat bizarre questions, and a promise not to make "another movie about penguins", director Werner Herzog travels to Antarctica, intent on documenting what he finds under the ice. He ends up on a military airplane which takes him to McMurdo Station, the American Antarctic research center. The station is located on the southern tip of Ross Island, on the shore of McMurdo Sound, and can support about 1200 people. Herzog interviews philosophers, bankers, and even other film-makers, all of who have fled their lives to live and work at McMurdo. He also talks to some professional scientists and survival instructors. Even with all of these interesting people living and working at McMurdo, Herzog is frustrated at how urban it is (he loathes the presence of yoga classes and ATM's), and is disappointed at how nice the weather is. Thirty minutes into the film, he is thrilled at a bout of poor weather, and an opportunity to get out into the Antarctic wilderness. It is here that the film really picks up; Herzog's enthusiasm for everything that he discovered from here on out is infectious. From the amazing sounds of seals communicating ("it sounds like Pink Floyd" says one scientist) to active volcanoes to amazing undersea creatures, we discover one wonder after another, without a penguin in sight (mostly). In "Encounters at the End of the World", Herzog is just as interested in the stories of the people who live in this barren if beautiful place as he is in the place itself. A woman who traveled from Ecuador to Peru in a sewer pipe, a native American with the hands of an Incan prince, and a man who keeps a rucksack full of survival gear packed and ready to travel at all times. The filmmaker seems to like these people, or at least to respect them, and to find them fascinating. He is a bit less respectful towards a man who has world records on several continents - for things like somersaulting and walking with a bottle on his head - and who wants to break a record in Antarctica next. Any frivolous record will do. These interviews are mixed with Herzog's philosophical musings, plus spectacular footage of everything from ice plains the size of Texas, ice bergs larger than certain small nations, and - yes - one very confused and sad penguin. There is no narrative arc here, no beginning nor end, just a personal stream-of-consciousness travelogue about the many incredible things that Herzog encountered at the end of the world.
Video
The aspect ratio is 1.78:1 anamorphic widescreen. In spite of the fact that the first disc (with bonus features) runs about three hours, the main feature looks great. The memorable imagery by producer/cameraman Henry Kaiser and cinematographer Peter Zeitlinger is pristinely captured and locked in to its digital form. The feature runs 1:40:37 in length, divided into 17 chapters.
Audio
"Encounters at the End of the World" is presented in English Dolby Digital 5.1 and English Dolby Digital 2.0 surround, with English and Spanish subtitles. The interviews sound fine, but the price of admission is earned here by the amazing recordings of seals communicating underwater.
Extras
Image Entertainment has released this film with an audio commentary, a vast selection of additional footage, a short film, the film's theatrical trailer and two in-depth interviews all across the 2-discs of this set. below is a closer look at these supplements. DISC ONE: An audio commentary with director Werner Herzog, producer Henry Kaiserr and cinematographer Peter Zeitlinger is probably not completely necessary; this film speaks for itself. Herzog says most of what he needs to say during his voice over within the film. Still, the three men speak avidly, and there is some additional information here that is worth hearing. If nothing else, it is an excuse to look at Zeitlinger's images again, but with new contextual information being presented. "Under the Ice" additional footage runs for 35 minutes 39 seconds; This is a reel of often mesmerizing extra shots of subaquatic Antarctica, shot by cameraman/producer Kaiser. "Over the Ice" additional footage runs for 10 minutes 29 seconds; as it is below, so it is above: Herzog and Zeitlinger present their wonderful collection of extra helicopter shots of the valleys and mountains of Antarctica. "Dive Locker" interview runs for 18 minutes 7 seconds; extended and loosely edited interviews with the divers at McMurdo. "South Pole Exorcism" runs for 11 minutes 49 seconds; a short film made by Kaiser in 2001 that in many ways served as inspiration for the eventual feature. This film is a little more uninhibited than the feature, there is some weird stuff here. "Seals and Men" additional footage runs for 3 minutes 31 seconds; extra shots of the seal researchers at work. Rounding out the supplements on this disc is the film's original theatrical trailer which runs for 1 minute 51 seconds. DISC TWO: The entire second DVD is an interesting interview with director Werner Herzog conducted by Jonathan Demme. This interview was conducted before an audience at the Museum of the Moving Image on June 5, 2008. Running time is 1 hour 6 minutes 58 seconds; subtitle options are English and Spanish. While this interview is a good addition to the set, this DVD package feels unbalanced. The first disc contains about 82 minutes of bonus features in addition to the feature film; it is certain that the quality of the feature would have been improved if some of the features were moved to the very brief second disc.
Overall
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