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Lessons of Darkness

Play trailer Poster for Lessons of Darkness 1992 50m Documentary Sci-Fi War Play Trailer Watchlist
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100% Tomatometer 11 Reviews 92% Popcornmeter 2,500+ Ratings
Retreating from Kuwait after the first Gulf War, the Iraqi army sets fire to the country's oil fields. In this documentary, filmmaker Werner Herzog films the raging flames while narrating from the perspective of a confused alien visitor, musing on the strangeness of the landscape. As the fires burn, helicopter shots display the extent of the damage. On the ground, firefighters do their best to control things, while Kuwaiti women recount atrocities perpetrated by the Iraqis.

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Lessons of Darkness

Critics Reviews

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Nick Schager Lessons of Darkness 02/16/2006
B+
One of Herzog's earliest - and most evocative - cinematic essays on the uneasy relationships between man and Earth, unaffected reality and orchestrated drama. Go to Full Review
Dennis Harvey 48 Hills 11/10/2023
It restores your faith in humanity to think that the genius behind such cosmic objets d’art... Go to Full Review
Wael Khairy The Cinephile Fix 12/30/2022
The visuals here pack the grandiosity of anything we’ve seen in Stanley Kubrick’s “2001: A Space Odyssey”. The only difference is, this is real, and it’s not outer space, it’s the tip of the Persian Gulf. Go to Full Review
Andrew Todd Birth.Movies.Death. 09/01/2019
Living up to its opening quote about the end of the universe, Lessons of Darkness is a glimpse at a world-death caused by humanity - one we haven't entirely avoided yet. Go to Full Review
Fernando F. Croce CinePassion 02/06/2010
A staggering, faux-extraterrestrial fugue Go to Full Review
Cole Smithey ColeSmithey.com 10/01/2007
4/5
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Audience Reviews

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Johannes S Nov 5 Gruelling and disturbing to watch these scenes! See more Logan M 07/19/2023 A superb and disturbing masterpiece of the documentary genre. See more Jaan K 05/29/2023 Amazing masterpiece, must watch See more Andres S 01/15/2021 Wow, gorgeous opening shot with the orange red sky and the towers. I think it's remarkable how Werner is able to film in these almost chaotic situations and dark subject matter and yet still convey a sense of peace, beauty and grace. His sweeping shots are so good. The aftermath of the attack on Kuwait made some of the landscapes look very surreal, almost other worldly. Like from another planet. Barren wastelands. It's really sad to see. Very haunting especially with the classical music. The imagery creating a sense of apocalyptic dread signifying there's no coming back from this. Super captivating and entrancing watching the oil riggers replace the piping system for the oil well. Beautifully filmed and scored, but also haunting at the same time. Powerful movie that highlights the aftermath and destruction of what a war can cause not only to the countries land but also to its people. I kept thinking about that poor little boy. He was so scarred by his experiences with the soldiers that he told his mom he didn't want to learn how to talk. So sad. Just as there is beauty in peace and tranquility, this movie proves that there is also beauty in destruction and chaos; as sad and dreadful as it is. It depends on your outlook on things. See more David F @dfulmer 08/25/2020 A spare, depressing, mostly visual documentary about the invasion of Kuwait and the destruction of oil fields. See more 08/17/2020 Herzog brings a camera to Kuwait. There's been a oil mess and also a short war. Apart from a few interviews there is little monologue here and no dialogue. There are some very pretty images here over some epic, orchestrial music. That's about it. It shows hell, but it looks so very pretty at the same time. The director himself classifies it as science fiction and not a documentary. I can't agree, but I see his point - the images is majestic. Not entertaining, and it's a good thing that it's short. Still, it's a nice backround film that has it's power in pure imagery. Few others could have made the same kind of film look this good. 5.5 out of 10 spaced out vehicles. See more Read all reviews
Lessons of Darkness

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Movie Info

Synopsis Retreating from Kuwait after the first Gulf War, the Iraqi army sets fire to the country's oil fields. In this documentary, filmmaker Werner Herzog films the raging flames while narrating from the perspective of a confused alien visitor, musing on the strangeness of the landscape. As the fires burn, helicopter shots display the extent of the damage. On the ground, firefighters do their best to control things, while Kuwaiti women recount atrocities perpetrated by the Iraqis.
Director
Werner Herzog
Producer
Werner Herzog, Paul Berriff, Lucki Stipetic
Screenwriter
Werner Herzog
Production Co
Canal+, Premiere Medien, ITEL
Genre
Documentary, Sci-Fi, War
Original Language
German
Release Date (Theaters)
Feb 21, 1992, Original
Release Date (Streaming)
Mar 11, 2017
Runtime
50m
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