The Fire Within: Requiem for Katia and Maurice Krafft

Despite some rough edits and bare bones production value, another Herzog masterpiece in the same league as Fata Morgana.

The images shot by the Krafts and their home movies of each other are breathtaking. These are stitched together masterfully by Herzog as a lasting tribute to their work and a celebration of their sense of wonder.

The pictures of exploding volcanoes are quite extraordinary, the accompanying soundtrack is fittingly haunting, this documentary also shows how devastating exploding volcanoes can be for the human beings, animals & the countryside that lie in their paths. You just have to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. Also Werner Herzog's narration is magnificent in its wonder, tenderness & almost reverence for the power of nature - & his admiration of the Krafft couple is quite evident. You are left really regretting that they were killed during an eruption in Japan because their archive feels unfinished while their legacy lives on.

I'm glad Herzog's gone back to making documentaries in the twilight of his career because his films of the 21st century have often been disappointing, while his documentaries continue to wow. His voice is a little more aged here, he's getting considerably older, but he's still got the old magic. THE FIRE WITHIN, which follows the career of a couple of ill-fated vulcanologists via their own filmed footage, is classic Herzog, looking at the darker side of mankind's place in nature. Shades of GRIZZLY MAN and others, then. The footage is astonishingly beautiful, accompanied by wonderfully chosen music and Herzog's thoughtful narration.

Some scenes were so awe-inspiring I had to watch twice. I particularly savoured the pairing of the Kyrie from Bach's Bminor Mass with erupting volcanoes and larvae flow as it gave an unexpectedly graceful impression. Later on we hear extracts from Verdi's Requiem but not the overly famous bit! We don't learn much of what motivates Katia and Maurice Kraft to be so consumed by volcanoes which is part of the charm of the documentary as it gives the viewer an opportunity to ruminate instead. The narration gives plenty of space. The few words which are spoken are very telling. A masterpiece which I feel immensely privileged to have watched.

Werner Herzog is presenting a documentary about French volcanologist couple Katia and Maurice Krafft. I've never heard of this couple and suddenly they get two documentaries in short succession. Herzog has the name and the pedigree, but the other film has the Oscar nomination. It is fascinating to see them back to back and compare the two.

Herzog is using almost exclusively footage shot by the couple. I do notice the classic Mount St. Helens explosion footage. I'm sure that there are other non-Krafft footage to fill out the story. It is very compelling that Herzog tells us that they are about to die on that Japanese mountain early in the film. It's like presenting the dead body early in a murder mystery movie. Both documentaries use the couple's awe-inspiring footage, but this one does not have their voices. It is all Herzog narration as in most of his films. He's the one pontificating. Throughout the movie, I kept wanting to hear the couple voices or at least their words. This is more like a tribute spoken in a funeral and that may be the intention. I just have a better sense of the couple from the other movie. That is the main difference.