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The Fire Within: A Requiem for Katia and Maurice Krafft

Play trailer Poster for The Fire Within: A Requiem for Katia and Maurice Krafft 2022 1h 21m Biography Documentary Play Trailer Watchlist
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88% Tomatometer 8 Reviews Popcornmeter Fewer than 50 Ratings
Mt. Unzen, Kyushu, Japan. At 3:18pm, on June 3rd 1991, a pyroclastic flow -- a cloud of superheated gases and particles -- descended at over 100mph from the peak of the volcano, consuming everything in its path. It instantly killed Katia and Maurice Krafft, volcanologists and filmmakers from the Alsace region in France. They were too close. They were almost always too close. On the day before they died, Maurice said in an interview: "I am never afraid, because I've seen so many eruptions in 25 years that, even if I die tomorrow, I don't care." The Kraffts left an archive of over 200 hours of footage, unprecedented in its spectacular and hypnotic beauty. Werner Herzog who had access to the entire archive, created a film that cannot be categorized. It is not a biography. It is a rather a requiem celebrating the legacy of Katia and Maurice Krafft.

Critics Reviews

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Anita Singh Daily Telegraph (UK) 10/18/2022
3/5
The Kraffts documented their work in hundreds of hours of film; Herzog’s role here is to edit it down, overlaying the other-worldly images with haunting music and his own narration. And what images they are. Go to Full Review Carlos Esquives Cinencuentro 09/19/2023
The director, besides feeling drawn by the chaotic beauty of nature, has a profound weakness for those he identifies as equals... Those who put mortality aside to focus on the poetry that is conceived between calm and destruction. [Full review in Spanish] Go to Full Review Jana Monji Age of the Geek 12/26/2022
2/5
This documentary did a better job of acknowledging that there were Japanese who died with the Kraffts that 'Love of Fire,' but doesn't consult with Japanese volcanologist or witnesse even though they died in Japan. Go to Full Review Lyric Waiwiri-Smith The Post NZ 12/15/2022
Even in the destruction of all things, there is something beautiful to be found. Go to Full Review Laslo Rojas Contreras Cinencuentro 12/02/2022
The director is attracted to nature's chaotic beauty and has a deep weakness for those he identifies as his equals: The romantic subjects who disregard mortality... [Herzog's film] is a tribute to that kind of adventurer. [Full review in Spanish] Go to Full Review Rory O'Connor The Film Stage 11/25/2022
B+
In tone and sentiment, The Fire Within and Fire of Love are disparate yet nicely complimentary, and there’s fun to be had in such a clash of sensibilities. Go to Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Felix G Apr 12 This is just a beautiful film. It wasn't about volcanology or volcanoes. It was, as he said at the very beginning, that it is a requiem for two artists. And it's beautiful. I have watched it several times and I'm still fascinated by it. See more Dee W Apr 1 Where Fire of love spent its time building a curated Vintage influencer aesthetic, The Fire within took the raw footage and passion of Maurice and Katia Krafft, and captured it for us to sit with and enjoy. The Kraffts were superstars in the volcano world. And their deaths hit hard. Here, Werner shows us why that was. He allows us to sit with the awe inspiring footage they captured, and he gave us a glimpse into how they arrived as they did at their untimely ends at the hands of Mount Unzen just as the world was turning its eyes to Pinatubo. When we lost the Kraffts, we lost something profound. It is through Werners intricate, cerebral vision that we see just what it was we lost. See more Raphael G 01/17/2024 Even better than Fire of Love, more truthful to the volcano images and their beauty. See more Read all reviews
The Fire Within: A Requiem for Katia and Maurice Krafft

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Cast & Crew

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Werner Herzog

Director

Werner Herzog

Narrator

Katia Krafft

Self

Maurice Krafft

Self

Werner Herzog

Screenwriter

Julien Dumont

Producer

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The Fire Within: A Requiem for Katia and Maurice Krafft

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Movie Info

Synopsis Mt. Unzen, Kyushu, Japan. At 3:18pm, on June 3rd 1991, a pyroclastic flow -- a cloud of superheated gases and particles -- descended at over 100mph from the peak of the volcano, consuming everything in its path. It instantly killed Katia and Maurice Krafft, volcanologists and filmmakers from the Alsace region in France. They were too close. They were almost always too close. On the day before they died, Maurice said in an interview: "I am never afraid, because I've seen so many eruptions in 25 years that, even if I die tomorrow, I don't care." The Kraffts left an archive of over 200 hours of footage, unprecedented in its spectacular and hypnotic beauty. Werner Herzog who had access to the entire archive, created a film that cannot be categorized. It is not a biography. It is a rather a requiem celebrating the legacy of Katia and Maurice Krafft.
Director
Werner Herzog
Producer
Julien Dumont, Alexandre Soullier, Peter Lown
Screenwriter
Werner Herzog
Genre
Biography, Documentary
Original Language
English
Runtime
1h 21m