FATA MORGANA
“Fata Morgana” is a film about creation myths set to the music of Leonard Cohen. The lack of narrative evokes the later work of Fricke and similar directors. However, the story about the creation of the film is far more fascinating than most. Herzog and his crew shot the movie in the Southern Cameroon desert a few weeks after a major coup. Unfortunately, the rebels viewed Herzog and his men as propagandists for the government. They were jailed, beaten and tortured. Herzog got a blood parasite that nearly killed him, but he made sure that the film was completed.
The film comes with a commentary featuring Werner Herzog and Crispin Glover as the only special feature. Herzog talks about some of the trouble they encountered during the production, but he remains far more engrossed into the movie. There are way too many silent parts on the track for my taste, but I guess that comes with the film. I have a feeling that this film will grow on me with time, as this set is my first time encountering it.