filling in the gaps of films missed at last years nziff
my interest spiked also thanks to david attenborough
his series recently seen on tv about these intriguing islands
add to the mix - the voices of cate blanchett and diana kruger
melodrama, exotic lifstyles, sexual intrigue, suspicious deaths
all promised in this true story of some inhabitants in the 1930s
first up - a geography lesson about the location of the galapagos
and some timeless scenery of floreana - an uninhabited island
then we meet the protaganists - dore strauch and freidrich ritter
seen in grainy black and white film with dore (blanchett) narrating
authentic newspaper headlines shown also of their plans and fate
part 1 - to the promised land - and a modern day talking head
he an expert and author on the human history of the island group
we see a close-up of a large and presumably very old giant tortoise
the expert's voice adding in a little bit of folklore about the creature
they have the ability to assess human intent - if bad they lay on a curse
fearsome stuff and quite believable as it's face and eyes linger on screen
footage of post war berlin with the narration of dore explaining the escape
her and freidrich leave their respective spouses to find a meaningful life
he a doctor and part-time philosopher - nietzsche is his main inspiration
they and their belongings delivered by boat to floreana in late 1929
we see actual footage of them setting up home in the inland bush
curiously there is no explanation of how this filming occurred
no matter - genuine footage making this film so very interesting
fleshed out with shots of flora and fauna then and now - the same
clever use of e.g. native birds in old black and white then in full colour
and the music so appropriate - haunting and contemporary classical
part 2 - intruders - freidrich and dore's story has reached germany
inspiring a couple - margret and heinz wittmer to make the change
they travel to floreana to provide a better life for their sick son
but receive an ambivalent reception from freidrich and dora
nonetheless they set up home in three pirate caves further inland
she is pregnant and alarmed that freidrich refuses to be her doctor
3 months later - more interlopers - a baronness and 2 men friends
they set up home next to the wittmers - things are getting crowded
she is quite eccentric and demanding with big plans to set up a hotel
almost immediately hostility and distrust sets in between the 3 groups
plenty of still photographs and moving pictures to describe the situation
further enhanced with inhabitants or descendents of nearby santa cruz
people from that island speaking of their experiences and memories
it's all very absorbing with many interesting characters now in the mix
part 3 - drought - nature now plays it's part - the islands are baked
testing the endurance of the three bickering households on floreana
sad scenes of much of the wildlife perished in the oppresive heat
the talking heads and the music then also cranking up the tension
something has to give - and so it does - a woman's piercing shreik
the barroness and a lover disappear - picked up by a visiting boat?
the other lover desperate to go home sails off but does not get far
he and his sailor companion seen mummified on a nearby island
a crashed boat and de-hydration meaning a long, painful death
the main man - freidrich - a vegetarian forced to eat chicken
dies a painful death from food poisoning - dora is implicated
a final closeup of the giant tortoise - has it's curse kicked in?
the film then quickly wraps up - the legend fully explained
two hours of fascinating story-telling delivering on the promise
a quite superb documentary - regardless of the exotic setting...
