Fata Morgana

Fata Morgana is a film by Werner Herzog, shot in 1969, which captures mirages in the Sahara desert. Herzog describes the film as "a documentary shot by extraterrestrials from the Andromeda Nebula, and left behind." The only narration consists of a recitation of the Mayan creation myth (the Popol Vuh) by Lotte Eisner, and text written by Herzog himself. Film critic David Thomson describes Fata Morgana as "extraordinary": "[The] desert is a model f... more

Fata Morgana is a film by Werner Herzog, shot in 1969, which captures mirages in the Sahara desert. Herzog describes the film as "a documentary shot by extraterrestrials from the Andromeda Nebula, and left behind." The only narration consists of a recitation of the Mayan creation myth (the Popol Vuh) by Lotte Eisner, and text written by Herzog himself. Film critic David Thomson describes Fata Morgana as "extraordinary": "[The] desert is a model for mankind. The film is in three sections: the first showing an unpeopled, beautiful wasteland; the second introducing signs of human wreckage; and the third showing wretched vestiges of life. Totally imaginative, it is a legend of life at extremes that contrasts with 2001: A Space Odyssey. Whereas Stanley Kubrick has an all-powerful, riddle-making consciousness behind the universe, Herzog's creator is as fallible, quirky and uncertain as man himself." The film was initially intended to be presented with a science fiction narrative, casting... less