Herdsmen of the Sun (1988)

Synopsis: Werner Herzog scouts out yet another remote corner of the world and examines its residents in his documentary HERDSMEN OF THE SUN. The herdsmen in question are the Wodaabe tribe of the African... Werner Herzog scouts out yet another remote corner of the world and examines its residents in his documentary HERDSMEN OF THE SUN. The herdsmen in question are the Wodaabe tribe of the African Sahara desert, a traditionally nomadic people whose entire way of life is under attack by a devastating drought and the encroaching desert that is swallowing up their traditional roaming ground. Herzog's lifelong fascination with land and its interaction with a people and their civilization finds its perfect illustration in the plight of the Wodaabe tribe and its poetic struggle to maintain its centuries-old customs as well as its relationship with its homeland. A particularly interesting trait of the Wodaabe is its gender-reversed courtship ritual, in which the men dress in elaborate makeup and feminine costumes in front of their shy and retiring women. These elegant and awe-inspiring ceremonies are interwoven with testimonials from Wodaabe tribesmen about the worsening conditions of their lives, the entrapment of city life, and their fervent wish to be free to roam the land and prosper from it. All is captured with Herzog's virtuoso cinematic eye, the film's eloquent photography often letting the landscape and the Wodaabe (who consider themselves the most beautiful people on earth) speak for themselves. [More]

Director: Werner Herzog

Director: Werner Herzog