Land of Silence and Darkness

Land of Silence and Darkness (Land des Schweigens und der Dunkelheit) is a 1971 documentary film by German director Werner Herzog. Produced by Werner Herzog Filmproduktion. In telling the story of Fini Straubinger a deaf-blind German woman, Herzog investigates the nature of human thought and communication. Herzog follows Fini Straubinger to numerous events as she visits with other people in the deaf-blind community, discussing their struggle to l... more

Land of Silence and Darkness (Land des Schweigens und der Dunkelheit) is a 1971 documentary film by German director Werner Herzog. Produced by Werner Herzog Filmproduktion. In telling the story of Fini Straubinger a deaf-blind German woman, Herzog investigates the nature of human thought and communication. Herzog follows Fini Straubinger to numerous events as she visits with other people in the deaf-blind community, discussing their struggle to live in the modern world with their disabilities. He reveals their communication with each other through a sort of sign language of strokes and taps on the other person's palm. Three important scenes in the film, for example, involve: a home for people who, unlike Ms. Straubinger and her friends, were born deaf-blind; an airplane ride; and a man hugging a tree. At the home, a charitable group helps boys who were born deaf blind, and have therefore experienced the world only through taste, smell, and touch. Herzog provokes the viewer to ponder... less