The White Diamond (2005)

Directed by: Werner Herzog | 90 minutes | documentary

Artistic filmmaker Werner Herzog has been accused of being burned out since 1987, after his long collaboration with actor Klaus Kinski, something he absolutely did not want to underline. After doing some smaller docu projects, he made an absolute (critical) comeback in 1999 with his Kinski homage Mein liebster Feind. His 2003 Dalai Lama documentary was subsequently also well received. Then there is ‘The White Diamond’.

It is a film that is qualitatively far above the average reportage or nature film. It has become an interesting, emotional, diverse and poetically portrayed story about the realization of a dream. The story itself is very simple, but Herzog has managed to make it rich by inserting other storylines, building a certain emotional tension and using beautiful camera work and beautiful and mysterious music.

The central story is not exciting in terms of the success of the mission, which we as viewers do not really doubt. Ultimately, what’s most interesting is the way Dorrington and his team achieve their goal; how they deal with setbacks. Dorrington’s motivation and emotional involvement are also valuable aspects for the viewer. So, as the expression goes, it is not the destination but the journey that matters. A major emotional component of the project is the failure of Dorrington’s previous airship experiment 11 years ago, which resulted in the death of famed wildlife filmmaker Dieter Plage. Dorrington saw this happen right before his eyes and he visibly never quite got over it. He still struggles with feelings of guilt and sadness and his current mission therefore also has extra meaning for him. Herzog knows how to deal with these emotions well. He portrays Dorrington’s grief, but without exploiting it for his film.

Herzog creates an emotional tension or expectation in the audience by not revealing the detailed explanation (by Dorrington) of Dieter’s accident until late in the film. In the beginning, the setup for this is given by broadly telling what happened and showing that this had a very emotional effect on Dorrington. This keeps it playing in the mind of the viewer. Until everything is revealed and the bond with the main character is complete and we can completely surrender to his own emotions during his final flight into the White Diamond.

This characterization of the airship is introduced by local employee Mark Anthony. This calm, engaging man, watches in amazement as the little zeppelin is first inflated and begins to take shape, then compares it to a white diamond (which can be found (a lot) there). When Herzog asks later in the film whether the man would not want to fly with this ship to his family in Spain, fortunately there is no question of false hope in the man. He sees the question as a hypothesis and describes, with a smile and glistening eyes, how wonderful it would be, a prodigal son, to land there on the roof and suddenly stand at the door. A touching moment. This Mark Anthony, alongside Dorrington himself, is an important emotional anchor for the film, as well as an opportunity for variety.

Another fascinating side track is the story of the swallows behind the Kaieteur waterfall. Large groups of swallows nest in the rocks behind this truly breathtaking waterfall, which we see in the film diving down the waterfall with large waves and disappearing behind it. Myths have arisen among the population about what is happening in those rocks now and these stories have become part of the local culture. When Herzog approaches a Guyanese and tells that a mountaineer has just been able to look into the rock openings, the man does not want to know what it looks like in reality. He wants to keep the power of the mystery and let everyone fantasize about it for themselves. Herzog has therefore wisely decided to film only the mountaineer in action and not the caverns themselves.

Herzog knows how to forge the different storylines into a meaningful whole and adds beautiful recordings and music to this. A sequence halfway through the film focuses purely on filming insects and reptiles, usually in close-up. An iguana is even filmed in extreme close-ups, with parts of its body filling the screen and appearing as if you are viewing a gigantic monster or some strange matter. A hairy caterpillar is also filmed up close, in a way that is reminiscent of the insect documentary ‘Microcosmos’ (1996). A nice visual game is played with a frog-like lizard as the camera follows the animal as it tries to hide behind (and on) a tree trunk. This is accompanied by earthy and inscrutable sounding violin music.

It is also wonderful to finally see the airship fly freely and silently over the trees and rivers. They are truly magical images, of a heavenly event for Dorrington. His reaction when he lands is one of euphoria, wonder and overwhelm. His thoughts (also) go out to Dieter, of course, which makes it extra beautiful (and dramatic).

It has become an interesting, positive film that honors the power of the human mind and is about sustaining and achieving dreams. It may be a pleonasm, but it must be said: this white diamond is a little gem.