Herdsmen of the Sun

The same people were the subject of the 1981 documentary "Deep Hearts" by American anthropologist and filmmaker Robert Gardner. His film focused almost exclusively on their mating ritual and consisted of long segments of men doing their makeup and dancing with extremely sparse commentary. It had no subtitles and no soundtrack except for the natural chanting and dancing of the tribe.

In comparison, this documentary by Werner Herzog is more about the overall lifestyle of the people. It subtitles their language and individuals are questioned on screen by the translator. The soundtrack uses opera music in some places.

In my opinion, neither film is great. "Herdsmen of the Sun" is probably more interesting and better filmed and edited than "Deep Hearts", while the latter is probably more authentic.

Herdsmen of the Sun is one of Werner Herzog's more under-seen documentary featurettes, which like Lessons of Darkness is shorter than an hour, probably with enough time for a few commercials if need be (both were shot for, or at least meant for, television broadcast on German networks). But it casts a light on a society of outcasts, and through Herzog's unblinking observations on them gets out what is something of a consistency in his catalog of work: the theme of outcasts who've created an insulated world for themselves, thanks (or rather no thanks) to factors of their infrastructure and how they communicate. It probably has some company to share alongside the likes of Even Dwarfs Started Small, or even Stroszek. If this one is any different it's because there's more of an issue with nature itself- because of a long-standing drought, many were put in a position of having to fend for the lowest common denominator (there's the insinuation many died in the interim, or those who couldn't sell their herds in time).

If Herdsmen of the Sun stands out in as a Herzog film it's because it showcases the director as anthropologist. His narration details the mating habits as if these were any other species of animal: the ritualistic nature of preparations with make-up of the men and the contortions of the facial expressions (even more fascinating is to hear how they stand seven feet tall, no tippy-toes). Although one might expect the main difference between Herdsmen of the Sun and any given National Geographic TV doc is that the people on camera look right at it, Herzog uses this to an effect that's rather challenging, and even stirring to the mind. Like in Fata Morgana- the opening shot here also a mirage- it's about the faces themselves, expression, and how one looks and has a personality even more-so through having to put on a sort of act for a strange thing like a camera. Equally good are the candid moments when one sees Woodabe talking just like any other guy or woman at a bar, about their latest sexual conquests or crushes.

It's actually sort of charming, in Herzog's skewed, sad viewpoint, as is a lot of the film under moments of recognition of the estrangement of the other under somber opera music.

Wodaabe: Herdsmen of the Sun (1989)

*** (out of 4)

Very interesting documentary that follows the Wodaabe tribe of the Sahara region as they discuss various parts of their lives including a four year drought they had just gone through. The majority of the film focuses on a seven day beauty pageant where the women get to pick men to spend the night with and perhaps marry. I'm not sure how Herzog picks his material when it comes time to do a documentary but he's got a magic touch at finding interesting subjects. This is a very interesting documentary that shows us some people that many probably never even heard of and I have to wonder how many of the people in the film had ever seen a video camera before the German director showed up to film them. The film moves at a very fast pace and there's not a single slow moment even though a lot of the film is pictures only and doesn't feature too much narration. The narration is done by Herzog himself and that incredible voice works well with the film. There are several very cute moments including the morning after a couple has stayed the night together and Herzog is trying to question them but they are blushing so much and can't think of anything to say. It's moments like that that make this documentary worth seeing.

This film leaves so many important details out. There are many questions I had after seeing the film that could have been answered easily.

In addition, the somber tone of the film, combined with the classical European songs dubbed over footage of the Wodaabe, gave the film a unique feeling of looking in from a colonialist perspective. Not the type of mood one wants to set when making an essentially anthropological film.

As a peek into the lifestyle and culture of a foreign people, the film did not fail completely. But, with so many other statements being made, the focus was really taken away from what would appear to be a really interesting group of people.

Herzog with his usual interesting subject that just needs to be filmed and with the uneasy feeling that he is directing everyone's actions--- This is a good one to find if you are a Herzog fan--- stands tall to any of his best documentaries--- I felt that i was seeing something that could vanish in the near future--- one of Herzog's ideas about being 'outside' civilization to where nature is more powerful than man--- in this case i remember watching the film at a friend's place in Queens and felt that the whole movie was an good analogy to the dating scene in N.Y.C--- or in western culture--- where the 'image' of a person was a very important thing and somehow this film was about revealing how that isn't necessarily a superficial thing---