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Lessons of Darkness
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Lessons of Darkness

1992
Documentary
War
54m
This film shows the disaster of the Kuwaitian oil fields in flames. In contrast to the common documentary film there are no comments and few interviews (imdb)
Directed by:
Werner Herzog Werner Herzog
Written by:
Werner Herzog Werner Herzog
Starring:
Werner Herzog Werner Herzog
More
Genres:
Documentary, War
AKA:
Lektionen in Finsternis
Countries:
France, Germany, UK
Languages:
English, German, Arabic
imdb More information at IMDb
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Lessons of Darkness

1992
Documentary
War
54m
Your probable score
Ratings & Reviews Cast Collections Similar Stats Trailer
Avg Percentile 73.13% from 634 total ratings
Ratings & Reviews Cast Collections Similar Stats Trailer

Ratings & Reviews

(634)
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billyshearsBillyShears
Rated 22 Jan 2014
85
86th
Werzog could read the phone book and leave me shaken to the core.
Rated 22 Jan 2014
overratedoverrated
Rated 27 Nov 2010
83
92nd
The first hyperreal war's Old Testament aftermath.
Rated 27 Nov 2010
kasperlKasperL
Rated 23 Sep 2018
60
50th
Awe-inspiring images. But ... well ... yeah.
Rated 23 Sep 2018
jimmynmujimmynmu
Rated 21 Jan 2007
80
74th
Hardly a documentary, more like Herzog's twist on a real life event. I guess you can say that for many of his documentaries, but it's most true here.
Rated 21 Jan 2007
antaresmhdAntaresMHD
Rated 29 Jan 2011
90
91st
Most beautiful portrayal of the ugliness of war I've seen.
Rated 29 Jan 2011
martintellerMartinTeller
Rated 07 Feb 2007
85
84th
Herzog has done the fictionalized narration over documentary footage thing several times in his career, from The Unprecendented Defence to Wild Blue Yonder. But I think this is the best application of it. It's used very sparingly, and when it is used, it speaks of a higher truth than the simple facts would suggest. And really, it's the astonishing images he captures that speak for themselves. A beautiful vision of Hell on Earth.
Rated 07 Feb 2007
caimancaiman
Rated 12 Jul 2010
86
82nd
Fills in the voids of lack of purpose of Fata Morgana. Lessons of Darkness feels so much more pointed, purposeful, and poignant. The shots are just stunning and the music is perfect. Herzog's way of placing elements of fiction within his documentaries is one of the reasons I love him as a director, and here he pulls it off as well as he ever has.
Rated 12 Jul 2010
shmendrekShmendrek
Rated 27 Jan 2008
5
96th
Wow, the aerial shots of the oil spouts burning are enough for me to recommend this film. I really liked all of the biblical eschatology and Herzog's narration too. My main complaints are that the few genuinely humane moments scattered throughout make the aeriel scenes feel very detached and the film feels cobbled together in some places. Any criticism by other reviewers is perfectly valid. But I give it a high score on the basis of personal preference alone.
Rated 27 Jan 2008
eveeluneveelun
Rated 14 Aug 2007
84
90th
Although its a bit repetitive, it's never tedious; the beautiful footage is hypnotic and the attached narrative is perfect for this vision of the madness of war.
Rated 14 Aug 2007
pilgermannpilgermann
Rated 06 Feb 2007
80
76th
A slowly moving sci-fi semi-documentary with some striking imagery and beautiful music.
Rated 06 Feb 2007
optimusmikeOptimus_mike
Rated 24 Nov 2008
85
80th
Incredible, but I agree with Shmendrek that the film does feel a bit lopsided. Either stick with the human element or just keep it to the aerial shots. The end scenes with the re-lighting of the geysers was very disturbing for me and I recommend this to anyone looking for a different approach to a documentary. Simply haunting.
Rated 24 Nov 2008
maakalmaakal
Rated 01 May 2011
88
94th
Utterly mesmerizing. Herzog proves again why he is our most important filmmaker... it's almost 20 years later, and I was floored by the footage. The sparseness of Herzog's commentary was perfect, as was the music. This is really a film everyone should see ... it's lost none of its power.
Rated 01 May 2011
jpfergusonJPFerguson
Rated 26 Apr 2020
85
93rd
A science-fiction film that is not fiction. A film about oil and war, but more fundamentally the four elements. In particular fire, and more fire; Prometheus out of control. Man seeks to control his longtime elemental friend but on what seems a foreign planet (the hellscape of the Kuwaiti oil fields after the Gulf War). This is aerial and slow motion photography par excellence.
Rated 26 Apr 2020
manhattaManhatta
Rated 05 Jan 2008
83
66th
Unbelievable images. My mind couldn't even wrap around some of the things depicted. Great music as well.
Rated 05 Jan 2008
hotsakehotsake
Rated 16 Feb 2016
38
15th
I just don't get it, I'm not a fan of documentaries in general but this is by far one of the most boring I've sat through. Long takes of war debris with classical music blaring in the background. Nothing interesting is said or should, yes war sucks and it's a shame what happened over in Kuwait but it just didn't work for me. Show me before and after pictures, show me a reason I should care aside from a hey look war is bad and people suffer montage.
Rated 16 Feb 2016
luna6ixLuna6ix
Rated 26 Jan 2009
81
78th
There is no denying the beauty of Herzog's work, he has proved that time and again--and this is no exception--in fact, it may be the best he's done visually and the music he chooses is wonderful. On the other hand there is not enough narration, it seems like there isn't even a story to be told, just visuals. And the few interviews serve to only hinder our viewing pleasure.
Rated 26 Jan 2009
redactedredacted
Rated 28 Jan 2013
87
87th
After a second viewing 2 or so years after the first, I will say these images do stick with you. Perhaps it tells you what kind of person you are as to which ones manage to linger. I couldn't recall the awful story of the mute boy whatsoever, but the blank aerial shots and attached music brought me back to the Darkness.
Rated 28 Jan 2013
djrossdjross
Rated 14 Aug 2007
84
95th
Genuinely remarkable imagery. Calling it "science fiction" is just silly.
Rated 14 Aug 2007
picklemanPickle_Man
Rated 05 Aug 2018
100
94th
Apocalyptic hellscapes set to Wagner's trauermarsch.
Rated 05 Aug 2018
alex_watkinsAlex Watkins
Rated 26 Jan 2011
4
70th
Beautiful and otherworldly. Herzog manages to make these desolate, apocalyptic landscapes seem ethereal and transcendent with his long, gliding camera movements and use of music. The human interludes offer a nice contrast to these scenes, providing gravitas to the film and enhancing its Biblical overtones: beauty and horror, intertwined.
Rated 26 Jan 2011
arkadiaarkadia
Rated 30 Mar 2009
89
84th
A poem on hell. The lyrical joining of awe-inspiring images, soaring music, and skeletal narration. I loved having this film as my tour guide, but the "madness" described at the end is dishonest for Herzog to use. It worked for the mood of the film (or if you look at it as a naive sci-fi documentary), but there was actually a very sane explanation why the men had torches that I had to look up afterwards. Also -1 pt for taking Pascal's name in vain.
Rated 30 Mar 2009
somnivoresomnivore
Rated 04 Apr 2009
84
47th
An interesting montage of a certain kind of "hell on earth". Very nice imagery of burning oil fields. But, I felt defensive about what Herzog seemed to be insinuating with the film. I didn't appreciate the lies he infused in it for the sake of heightening emotional response. The misleading, narrow perspective reminded me of Michael Moore's films. In total he earns points for imagery but loses points on everything else. Perhaps if I was less of a skeptic, the film would have worked better for me.
Rated 04 Apr 2009
neveryanNeveryan
Rated 27 Nov 2016
82
70th
Resident alien Werner Herzog compiles all of his rejected Planet Earth landscape photography to create Planet Hell. It probably got rejected because there was hardly any macro photography, but he created a stunning anecdote of post-war anyways. Planet Earth wishes its videographers could capture oiled-up lads thrusting molotov cocktails at everything.
Rated 27 Nov 2016
moribunnyMoribunny
Rated 24 Sep 2007
50
38th
Most of it is beautiful shots of burning oil wells and desolate battlefields filmed from a helicopter, accompanied by bombastic orchestral music, and scattered about are a few genuinely horrifying accounts given by interviewees. It's a well-meaning and rather effective documentary, although those same methods that worked for La Soufriere kind of bugged me in this context. Taking visually pleasing shots of a war-torn land seems a bit cynical to me, a bit out of place.
Rated 24 Sep 2007
willofgaiawillofgaia
Rated 03 Jun 2007
85
58th
Better visuals than any sci-fi move, but I wish Herzog had spent more time on some of the sequences. Some felt rushed and with just a tad bit more time spent on eacn sequence (The film is only around fifty minutes, it's not like he couldn't afford to be a little indulgent) I think the film could have even more of an impact.
Rated 03 Jun 2007
whoreificWhoreific
Rated 07 Jan 2008
85
87th
"the oil is treacherous"
Rated 07 Jan 2008
eatbeanseatbeans
Rated 12 Aug 2023
6
53rd
It's an hour of great footage and music, but there's no great truth here besides "war is destructive".
Rated 12 Aug 2023
johannesgjjohannesgj
Rated 28 Feb 2013
99
98th
99
Rated 28 Feb 2013
cinematicespCinematicESP
Rated 22 Sep 2007
80
52nd
I love the concept. Herzog looks at reality from a unique, poetic perspective. I'd like to see more filmmakers explore possibilities like this.
Rated 22 Sep 2007
yesistastyyesistasty
Rated 14 Nov 2013
92
76th
One of the most stunning looking films I've seen. A marvel of documentary cinematography. The content may be slight, but it is an undeniable masterpiece of form.
Rated 14 Nov 2013
chengmingchengming
Rated 21 Dec 2018
70
62nd
There are plenty of beautiful ("beautiful") pictures, but there are also parts that don't belong, and the music feels clumsily chosen at times.
Rated 21 Dec 2018
kito1kito1
Rated 11 Jan 2018
60
47th
Lingering and somewhat appealing style, but it never managed to get fully exciting.
Rated 11 Jan 2018
johnsandwichJohnSandwich
Rated 21 Jun 2011
80
84th
The closing voice-over and shots are perfect.
Rated 21 Jun 2011
peaceanarchyPeaceAnarchy
Rated 23 Mar 2009
87
87th
Stunning visuals, very good musical accompaniment and sparse but meaningful Herzog interjections.
Rated 23 Mar 2009
wetwillieswetwillies
Rated 30 Jun 2021
85
59th
Viewed June 29, 2021. "The oil is trying to disguise itself as water." Extremely depressing.
Rated 30 Jun 2021
theyshoot07theyshoot07
Rated 02 Mar 2008
57
31st
# 864
Rated 02 Mar 2008
cosmicmonkeyCosmicMonkey
Rated 14 Nov 2018
80
68th
For a while I thought the film was going to be a juxtaposition of the literal physical trauma war has on the geographic landscape with the psychological trauma of violence, but the movie quickly abandoned that idea for just some more beautiful imagery of burning oil fields. I don't think the film is quite as intelligent as it thinks itself to be, but it's hands down worth a watch for the awe-inspiring photography alone.
Rated 14 Nov 2018
nepetaNepeta
Rated 24 Feb 2013
85
80th
A breathtaking anti-war statement. It lies to the audience about what is actually happening, but I don't mind that because the end product is all the more fascinating and beautiful as a result. Its view of the world is from an alien perspective (part of the reason it gets away with its deceptions) as it looks at seas of oil alight comprising some truly stunning images.
Rated 24 Feb 2013
derekstarDerekstar
Rated 19 Jun 2011
80
68th
I kind of expected to be bored. I knew that this film had minimal commentary and plot. But yet again Herzog works his magic, and makes the film transcend its own subject matter. He makes it into a visual poem. There's a bit of the apocalypse, a bit of industrialization, and a bit of modern warfare, all thrown together into the image of burning oilfields. The film's simplicity somehow carries more depth with it than it would have if Herzog had been more explicit with his intentions.
Rated 19 Jun 2011
farzanFarzan
Rated 13 Aug 2007
86
84th
Some of the chapters were really short and rushed, but the photography was absolutely beautiful.
Rated 13 Aug 2007
omgfridgeomgfridge
Rated 23 Sep 2010
8
80th
Visually staggering. Narration is used only fittingly. Striking apparition of film.
Rated 23 Sep 2010
theyshoot08theyshoot08
Rated 19 Dec 2008
54
8th
923
Rated 19 Dec 2008
hawkinsHawkins
Rated 16 Apr 2022
88
87th
Herzog dials up the big helicopter shots, the classical needle drops and goes full alien anthropologist. "All this destruction is so ugly, I mean spiritually" - me, in awe of how incredible the plumes of smoke look
Rated 16 Apr 2022
moraesfelipemoraesfelipe
Rated 06 Oct 2017
85
92nd
Tons of mid-aerial helicopter shots of old fields in flames, a couple of interviews with two moms who tell their traumas, operistic score to give images a proper biblical, post-war horror, apocalyptical tone. Herzog's voiceover has never been so precise and poetic in one of the most powerful sci-fi documentaries of all time. Deceiving images of an alien-like world.
Rated 06 Oct 2017
mentaculusMentaculus
Rated 31 May 2016
89
88th
You know the old saying, What would aliens think if they saw how humanity treats itself and its habitat? Herzog takes the perspective of such an intergalactic sage, and the results are humbling. With nothing left to do, we start our own fires.
Rated 31 May 2016
nathan_sNathan S
Rated 18 Sep 2009
4
74th
Herzog paints an otherworldly portrait, an apocalyptic tone poem.
Rated 18 Sep 2009
dardandardan
Rated 06 Sep 2015
60
58th
If you cringe with empathy while looking at commercials of charities showing footage of starving children, then brace yourself. Didn't come across as naturalistic or authentic in the way Herzog usually manufactures those things.
Rated 06 Sep 2015
danilolopesDanilolopes
Rated 18 May 2008
89
76th
Visually stunning! But I have serious restrictions about the way that Herzog conducts his documentaries.
Rated 18 May 2008
joseywalesjoseywales
Rated 19 Dec 2008
83
91st
A very dark descent into oily hell, hacked into the earth by man. Eerie.
Rated 19 Dec 2008
oskarhuoskarhu
Rated 19 Oct 2017
78
63rd
Poetic and even captivating in places.
Rated 19 Oct 2017
decanusellisDecanusEllis
Rated 05 Mar 2021
84
86th
Herzog yet again impresses me and shows his immense talent at creating compelling documentaries
Rated 05 Mar 2021
doyler29doyler29
Rated 22 Dec 2020
80
68th
He's so detached and objective that the political context and meaning of the events are almost completely drained. He even includes two bits of personal testimony about children victimized by soldiers without revealing which side the soldiers were fighting for. In doing this, he reveals the deeper truth that this destruction, the decimated landscapes and damaged people, aren't products of a merely political dispute.
Rated 22 Dec 2020
woozybWoozyB
Rated 02 Sep 2009
90
86th
Herzog with unreal footage of the sheer alien landscape of war-torn and oil-spewing Kuwait. A science-fiction styled landscape and narrative against something from our own planet.
Rated 02 Sep 2009
hehejajahehejaja
Rated 27 Apr 2008
80
76th
Unique and spellbinding.
Rated 27 Apr 2008
shockularSHOCKULAR
Rated 26 Nov 2022
78
66th
A film of opportunity, with images that could only be created either by reality or tens of millions of dollars of special effects. The oil fields of Kuwait burning are horrifying, yet sometimes oddly beautiful, and the meditative way Herzog films, narrates, and scores it are very effective. Many of the images look completely alien, like they must have been filmed on another world.
Rated 26 Nov 2022
p_u_l_pP u l p
Rated 16 Sep 2016
81
90th
"...The oil is treacherous because it reflects the sky. The oil is trying to disguise itself as water."
Rated 16 Sep 2016
immolationsimmolations
Rated 01 Jun 2010
70
64th
Minimal documentation. Instead Herzog shoots his subject flawlessly. Yet again he combines beautiful images with music to produce a visual treasure.
Rated 01 Jun 2010
theyshoot11theyshoot11
Rated 02 Dec 2011
55
10th
#910
Rated 02 Dec 2011
graveyardtangraveyardtan
Rated 25 Aug 2010
85
71st
I actually wouldn't have minded if there was no narration at all. It's not that I disapprove of Herzog's techniques, as long as he's up front about the fiction aspect, it's fine, but the images are striking (and melodramatic) enough without the put-upon morality tale.
Rated 25 Aug 2010
castrophCastroph
Rated 05 Dec 2009
8
85th
A must-watch for fans of documentaries.
Rated 05 Dec 2009

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