Encounters At The End Of
The World (2007/Werner
Herzog Documentary/Image Blu-ray + DVD-Video)
Picture:
B- Sound: B/B-
Extras: B Film:
B
For most
filmmakers, especially aging ones, their best work is usually behind them. Although I am perhaps a bigger fan of Werner
Herzog than some of my fellow critics, the one common trend that I am seeing
with some of his most recent work is that of a mature filmmaker. His earlier work was often inconsistent,
although highly acclaimed works like what we covered in his box set, review here
is important to his overall body of work.
In his earlier years, he was a youthful filmmaker with the world in
front of him and often times he was so involved with a project that it became
an extension of the on-set temperaments, which can be seen in Fitzcarraldo for example, or better yet
the documentary Burden of Dreams.
In recent
years Herzog seems to be doing documentaries about the world we live in, the
interesting and peculiar stories that unfold on their own, like 2005’s The Grizzly Man a story about a man
named Timothy Treadwell who lives 13 summers with the grizzlies of Alaska
before being killed along with his girlfriend by a rogue bear. Herzog handles the material not only as a
filmmaker, but as a compassionate human being staring into a tragedy and
letting that story remain at the center of the film. In 2007’s Encounters at the End of the World, Herzog travels to Antarctica
with cameras rolling to reveal yet another mystery, this time the location
itself, it’s beautiful offerings, and strangely enough it’s inhabitants.
While the
scenery of Antarctica is certainly one of true splendor and majesty, it’s also
fascinating to see Herzog capture some of the individuals who have made
Antarctica their temporary home as they brave the harsh conditions and survive
in perhaps one of the cruelest, yet beautiful places on Earth. Like The
Grizzly Man, and some of Herzog’s other amazing work like Signs of Life (reviewed here),
he treats the material with a fresh perspective and eye. He finds the small details and exposes even
the most peculiar parts and finds something interesting to say about them. This film is no exception and while it might
not appeal to all tastes, it’s worth a look.
Presented
in a 1.78 X 1 anamorphic transfer the film looks raw and the handheld camera
work gives the film it’s natural, unpolished look. Even the 1080p high definition transfer on
the Blu-ray is only able to reach certain limits due to the nature of the
photography. Despite the grain structure
and its rough disposition, it’s still a beautiful film that really captures
both the beauty and the severity of the landscape.
Likewise
the audio is presented in Dolby Digital 5.1 for the DVD and Dolby TrueHD 5.1
for the Blu-ray, but because of the wind and other conditions, audio quality is
inconsistent and rarely a sonic treat.
This has nothing to do with the production on these discs, but the
source material, which was always meant to be raw, not produced.
This is a
2-disc set with quite a decent array of extras starting with a really fine
commentary track by Herzog that adds even more interest to the story as well as
behind the story type of material that enhances the production; he is joined by
the producer and cinematographer for this session. There are also a few featurettes that explore
some of the challenges of filmmaking that were not mentioned inside the film
and expands upon some of the footage even further, plus there is an interview
with Herzog that is conducted by Jonathan Demme, this might be Demme’s best
work in a long time as he has been on a string of poor films! The trailer is also included rounding off a
really exceptional release for a film that should get some serious exposure,
while both the DVD and Blu-ray are perhaps less pristine in picture and sound
than some of the more polished productions (i.e. Planet Earth, also reviewed elsewhere on this site), the Blu-ray is
still a notch above and the better of the two as expected, even if only
marginally.
- Nate Goss
