Lo And Behold, Reveries Of The Connected World (12A.)
Directed by Werner Herzog. 98 mins. Out now on DVD and VOD from Dogwoof.
Featuring Elon Musk, Lawrence Krauss, Lucianne Walkowicz and Sebastian Thrun.
Increasingly it seems that more than nuclear weapons, the world wide web is the invention that is most likely to destroy mankind. Our utter dependence upon it is a big risk; it has opened up whole new arena of warfare; it has imposed on us a sedentary lifestyle that is at odds with millions of years' of evolution; it has ushered us into a post-truth reality and created the pitchforks-joined-around-the-world, communal Big Brother of the twitter storm. Yep, that's all bad, but perhaps the worst thing about it, is that it shows us things about ourselves that we aren't really prepared to face, that we may end up being so disgusted and discouraged by what it reveals that we give up on ourselves. So, having covered the natural world and capital punishment extensively, it makes for a perfect topic for the latest instalment of the ongoing documentary series, Werner Herzog Disapproves Of.
He starts at the very beginning, a very good place to start, with the room in UCLA where the internet was born. “The corridor looks repulsive but it leads to a kind of a shrine,” Herzog says in commentary. From there you might expect the film to go and explore the development of the invention that quickly went on to rule our lives, but the film's approach is scattershot and random. It is divided up into 9 chapters, and in each of these Herzog will chat with a relevant figure and then move on to the next topic, which may have little connection with what preceded. It starts with the Early Days, ends with the Future, but between those two fixed points it wanders around freely.
(The structure grew out of the film's conception. Herzog was approached by the company NetScout to make a series of six short films about issues raises by the expansion of, and our reliance on, the web. NetScout's Jim McNiel, who executive produced the film, described it as being, “An Inconvenient Truth of the internet.” Which I think explains why the film, though lively and thought provoking is also a little aimless and unfocussed. Ultimately it's just a teaser trailer for a bigger debate.)
The dark side is explored but maybe not as much as you'd expect. There is a group of 21st century hermits, forced to live in the wilderness because of their extreme sensitivity to the radiation thrown out by phone masts. The world of trolling is illustrated by a family who suffered at their anonymous hands after their daughter died in a car crash and a paramedic posted a picture of her decapitated body on line. Their story is already incredibly disturbing but made more so by the way the family group are posed around the kitchen table, the daughters seated, the parents standing and with plates of pastries arranged neatly on the table. Is that Herzog's touch or is that how they chose to present themselves?
The film is mostly made up of interviews with scientists and entrepreneurs and everybody else in the film seems very relaxed and casual, as if they are being filmed just as Hezog found them. They have questions and uncertainties, but generally these misgivings are overwhelmed by their anticipation and excitement at the possibilities the web presents. Herzog, who doesn't possess a smart phone and uses the net only for business mails and the occasional look at Google Earth (his social network are the four people joining him and his wife at the dinner table) is open and curious about these strange new marvels, but generally unenthused. So the film is like a tug of war between the wide eyed optimism of the on screen scientists and the off screen presence of Herzog, who seems poised to throw his big wet blanket over their dreams at any moment.
The film was released weeks ago but thanks to the reveries and wonders of the postal service the original disc was lost, hence the lateness of the review.
Extras:
Appropriately perhaps for a film that is mostly talking heads, three interviews.
There is a Q and A hosted by Richard Ayode after its London Film Festival screening.
Herzog's Screen Talk from the same event.
A 20 minute interview with the director.
These are all very interesting and substantial, (there's more than two hours in total) but I thought a film like this would provide heaps of deleted scenes, avenues explored but then dropped from the final piece, so the fact that we are offered more chat is a little disappointing.
Lo And Behold, Reveries Of The Connected World (12A.)
Directed by Werner Herzog. 98 mins. Out now on DVD and VOD from Dogwoof.
Featuring Elon Musk, Lawrence Krauss, Lucianne Walkowicz and Sebastian Thrun.
Increasingly it seems that more than nuclear weapons, the world wide web is the invention that is most likely to destroy mankind. Our utter dependence upon it is a big risk; it has opened up whole new arena of warfare; it has imposed on us a sedentary lifestyle that is at odds with millions of years' of evolution; it has ushered us into a post-truth reality and created the pitchforks-joined-around-the-world, communal Big Brother of the twitter storm. Yep, that's all bad, but perhaps the worst thing about it, is that it shows us things about ourselves that we aren't really prepared to face, that we may end up being so disgusted and discouraged by what it reveals that we give up on ourselves. So, having covered the natural world and capital punishment extensively, it makes for a perfect topic for the latest instalment of the ongoing documentary series, Werner Herzog Disapproves Of.
He starts at the very beginning, a very good place to start, with the room in UCLA where the internet was born. “The corridor looks repulsive but it leads to a kind of a shrine,” Herzog says in commentary. From there you might expect the film to go and explore the development of the invention that quickly went on to rule our lives, but the film's approach is scattershot and random. It is divided up into 9 chapters, and in each of these Herzog will chat with a relevant figure and then move on to the next topic, which may have little connection with what preceded. It starts with the Early Days, ends with the Future, but between those two fixed points it wanders around freely.
(The structure grew out of the film's conception. Herzog was approached by the company NetScout to make a series of six short films about issues raises by the expansion of, and our reliance on, the web. NetScout's Jim McNiel, who executive produced the film, described it as being, “An Inconvenient Truth of the internet.” Which I think explains why the film, though lively and thought provoking is also a little aimless and unfocussed. Ultimately it's just a teaser trailer for a bigger debate.)
The dark side is explored but maybe not as much as you'd expect. There is a group of 21st century hermits, forced to live in the wilderness because of their extreme sensitivity to the radiation thrown out by phone masts. The world of trolling is illustrated by a family who suffered at their anonymous hands after their daughter died in a car crash and a paramedic posted a picture of her decapitated body on line. Their story is already incredibly disturbing but made more so by the way the family group are posed around the kitchen table, the daughters seated, the parents standing and with plates of pastries arranged neatly on the table. Is that Herzog's touch or is that how they chose to present themselves?
The film is mostly made up of interviews with scientists and entrepreneurs and everybody else in the film seems very relaxed and casual, as if they are being filmed just as Hezog found them. They have questions and uncertainties, but generally these misgivings are overwhelmed by their anticipation and excitement at the possibilities the web presents. Herzog, who doesn't possess a smart phone and uses the net only for business mails and the occasional look at Google Earth (his social network are the four people joining him and his wife at the dinner table) is open and curious about these strange new marvels, but generally unenthused. So the film is like a tug of war between the wide eyed optimism of the on screen scientists and the off screen presence of Herzog, who seems poised to throw his big wet blanket over their dreams at any moment.
The film was released weeks ago but thanks to the reveries and wonders of the postal service the original disc was lost, hence the lateness of the review.
Extras:
Appropriately perhaps for a film that is mostly talking heads, three interviews.
There is a Q and A hosted by Richard Ayode after its London Film Festival screening.
Herzog's Screen Talk from the same event.
A 20 minute interview with the director.
These are all very interesting and substantial, (there's more than two hours in total) but I thought a film like this would provide heaps of deleted scenes, avenues explored but then dropped from the final piece, so the fact that we are offered more chat is a little disappointing.
