Where the Green Ants Dream 1984 PG
When
3.00pm, Sat 29 Jul 2017 (100 mins)Where
Gallery of Modern Art & Cinema A
About
For me the story is about protecting the spirit, traditions and mythology of the Aborigines [...] it does represent my thoughts and disquiet about contemporary society.
Where the Green Ants Dream, Werner Herzog's sole film set entirely in Australia, is a drama centred on a dispute between a mining company and local Aborigines whose sacred land will be irreparably disturbed by the miners' uranium excavations. Herzog was inspired by the first Australian native title court case in 1971, which ruled against the Aboriginal applicants, but he invents events and history with his customary loose relationship with factual accuracy – with even the titular mythos of the green ants being a Herzogian invention. Nevertheless, this is a striking film that is deeply heartfelt and passionate without relying on condescension or cliché in its treatment of its characters. Herzog's strong, yet conflicted, relationship with the natural world shines through in his depiction of life in the outback.
Production Credits
- Director: Werner Herzog
- Script: Bob Ellis
- Cinematographer: Jörg Schmidt-Reitwein
- Editor: Beate Mainka-Jellinghaus
- Production Company: Zdf
- Print Source / Rights: Werner Herzog Film Gmbh
- Year: 1984
- Runtime: 100 minutes
- Countries: Australia, West Germany
- Language: English
- Colour: Colour
- Shooting Format: 35mm
- Screening Format: DCP