Lessons of Darkness

Lessons of Darkness is a 1992 film, a documentary-style opus crafted by the highly acclaimed German director and screenwriter, Werner Herzog. Known for his prolific and boundary-pushing work, Herzog, in this film, once again demonstrates his penchant for portraying the world's abysses, this time focusing on the harrowing chaos and desolation caused by war. The movie does not star Werner Herzog as an actor but his unique vision and voice tangibly steer the film from behind the camera.

The film is not your conventional documentary. Lessons of Darkness goes beyond fact-based narration and morphs into a form of visual poetry, blurring the lines between reality and surreality. This approach transforms what might have been a conventional war documentary into an intense philosophical rumination on destruction, humanity, and our precarious relationship with our environment.

Set in the backdrop of the Persian Gulf War, Lessons of Darkness provides viewers with over 50 minutes worth of arresting visuals capturing the oil well fires in Kuwait. Herzog does not attempt to place his imagery within a conventional historical or political context. The scene doesn't feel like earth any longer but appears to be a different devastated planet altogether. However, these fires, provoked by retreating Iraqi troops, are not simply depicted as separate incidents in the course of a war. Herzog uses these devouring flames to paint an almost apocalyptic portrait of the planet's future, heavy with environmental implications.

Herzog's films often pose ethereal questions about humanity's place in the universe. In Lessons of Darkness, he views war from a somewhat detached perspective, almost as if from an alien lens. The film has little dialogue, relying more on stirring imagery and haunting music to unravel its narrative. The viewer is left with a sense of alienation as they're made to witness the ravages of war and the eerie, otherworldly beauty they paradoxically produce.

The film's music, featuring works from Wagner, Grieg, and Verdi, among others, plays a quintessential role. It accompanies and intensifies the surreal visuals Herzog presents, generating an atmosphere that is both somber and sacred. The sounds of roaring fires and machinery fade into the powerful orchestral scores, almost giving the impression that the viewer is observing a ritual or an opera of global destruction.

Herzog also incorporates interviews into the film, though they bear his signature style of eccentricity and depth. While examining the physical and emotional scars left by the warfare, he ventures into the minds of firefighters and residents who bore witness to this cataclysmic devastation. These brief human narratives puncture the alien ambience of the film, allowing Herzog to explore the human aspect of this sweeping tragedy without diverting from his innovative medium of storytelling.

What differentiates Lessons of Darkness from other war documentations is its dexterous juxtaposition of terror and beauty. Herzog uses the might of his camera and his existential probing to elevate scenes of ravaged landscapes into awe-inspiring, albeit dreadful, spectacles. Through the sweeping aerial shots of hellfire ripping through vast expanses of desert to the slow-motion sequences of oil falling like rain, Herzog has transformed the grimness of war into otherworldly imagery.

In terms of cinematographic achievement, Lessons of Darkness represents yet another high point in Herzog's career. His skill to apply artistic tapestry to real-life horrors, blending fact with elements of the sublime and the surreal, marks a defining trait of his directorial style.

Lessons of Darkness is not just a documentary; it is an observation on mankind's dance with self-destruction, questioning the thin line that separates humanity from savagery. It's a piece of film history, a manifesto of a distinctive auteur reminding us of the depth of accomplishment that the medium of cinema can reach. Purely in Herzog’s design, Lessons of Darkness is both stunning and unsettling in its poetic vision of devastation. Every frame of this film is a poignant lesson, a teachable moment in understanding the world’s frailty, amplifying its horrors and its hypnotizing splendor simultaneously. For viewers who appreciate cinema that is bold, thought-provoking, and visually breathtaking, Lessons of Darkness offers an unforgettable experience.