2022 documentary film directed by Werner Herzog
| The Fire Within: A Requiem for Katia and Maurice Krafft |
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 Poster |
| Directed by | Werner Herzog |
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| Written by | Werner Herzog |
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| Produced by | Peter Lown, Jess Winteringham, Mandy Leith, Julien Dumont, Alexandre Soulliere |
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| Narrated by | Werner Herzog |
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| Edited by | Marco Capalbo |
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| Music by | Ernst Reijseger |
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Production
companies | Brian Leith Productions
Bonne Pioche
Titan Films |
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Release dates | July 29, 2022 (UK)
August 25, 2022 (Australia) |
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Running time | 81 minutes |
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| Language | English |
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The Fire Within: A Requiem for Katia and Maurice Krafft is a 2022 documentary film directed by Werner Herzog. The film is a tribute to the French volcanologists Katia and Maurice Krafft, who were killed on June 3, 1991, by a pyroclastic flow on Mount Unzen, in Japan.
Content
The film is a celebration of the imagery captured by volcanologists Maurice and Katia Krafft. Designed as a 'requiem', the film is a non-traditional biography with long sections of volcano footage supported by music and very sparse narration.[1][2]
Production
The film originated from a concept by Producer/Director Peter Lown and Professor Clive Oppenheimer.[citation needed] It was originally commissioned to Brian Leith Productions as a feature documentary for Arte until Oppenheimer introduced the team to Werner Herzog at Sheffield Documentary Film Festival in 2019.[citation needed] Herzog, who had already featured the Kraffts in Into The Inferno, revealed that he had long wanted to make a film about them too. Herzog agreed to direct the movie but insisted that it must be a 'requiem'. [citation needed]The film was eventually co-funded by A+E Networks and went into production in 2021, with Bonne Pioche and Titan Films joining the production.[3]
Release
The film premiered at Sheffield DocFest in 2022.[citation needed] It won best documentary at Shanghai Film Festival in 2023.[citation needed] It was also screened in October 2022 at the 60th Viennale as part of the celebration of Herzog's 80th birthday and at Telluride Film Festival.[1]
Critical reception
A review on the website Cineuropa comments: "Rather than shoot a straightforward documentary, the director opted to arrange the couple’s footage like a “musical”. Unlike Fire of Love by Sara Dosa, Herzog's film is meant to be a requiem to them, fueled by heavy instrumental and choral music."[1] The Telegraph found the film "mesmerising" and gave it 3 stars out of 5.[4]
