San Francisco Public Library

Encounters at the end of the world, Discovery Films ; Image Entertainment ; ThinkFilm ; a film by Werner Herzog ; directed, written and narrated by Werner Herzog ; produced by Henry Kaiser ; executive producer, Erik Nelson ; produced by Creative Differences Productions, Inc. for the Discovery Channel

eng

videorecording

MPAA Rating: Rated G

Encounters at the end of the world

videorecording

248719120

Discovery Films ; Image Entertainment ; ThinkFilm ; a film by Werner Herzog ; directed, written and narrated by Werner Herzog ; produced by Henry Kaiser ; executive producer, Erik Nelson ; produced by Creative Differences Productions, Inc. for the Discovery Channel

101

This film, like many from director Werner Herzog, is a poem of oddness and beauty. Investigating the lives of the "professional dreamers" who conduct research at the bottom of the world in Antarctica, he finds a happily cynical lot, who regard climate change and the potential extinction of Homo sapiens in rather a different light than most people. They study penguins, seals, volcanoes, miniscule underwater creatures, and the shifting ice patterns. In this harsh yet beautiful place, where compasses are useless, and the climate is negative 70 degrees Fahrenheit, Herzog finds the scenery splendid, and McMurdo Station research center repellent. For viewers who have wondered why anyone would go to Antarctica, Herzog's film provides some interesting answers, and many scenes capturing the natural beauty of the ice continent

general

live action