Werner Herzog's films, fiction and non-fiction, are nothing if not an awestruck yet objective examination of humanity, in all its complexity. While unparalleled natural beauty also features in his pictures, as wondrous as it may be it's truly only a setting - the circumstances in which humans are to be analyzed. 'The dark glow of the mountains' is filled from head to toe with incredible, breath-taking footage of some of the most remote landscapes on Earth, yet sure enough, it's mountaineers Reinhold Messner and Hans Kammerlander who are the true focus of the documentary. This is a movie that's superficially very succinct and direct - but not least as it's accompanied by the grandeur of still another fantastic original score from Popol Vuh, at once both inspiring and haunting, for those willing and able to pry beyond what the eyes see, this is just as rich and captivating as anything the filmmaker has given us in his career.
In their own (translated) words, Messner and Kammerlander themselves can't quite pin down the motivation behind extreme mountain climbing. Between the astounding imagery and the grasping at language, however, what begins to take form is an idea that I'd surmise to be at the heart of Herzog's own pursuit as a documentarian and storyteller. What drives a person to ascend in sequence two of the highest peaks in the world isn't a psychology that can be easily seen, heard, or otherwise described, but a notion that in its most pure essence is something that can only be felt. It at once seems esoteric and intellectual to the point of pretension, but also inescapably human, to impart that to Go is to Be. Even at that, though - one can say it, and read it, but what does it mean? Messner and Kammerlander know; even homebody viewers can pick up on it if they're sufficiently discerning.
While Herzog provides a measure of narration, his point of view scarcely matters in this picture except as an observer. And what he sees, and lets us see through his eyes, is a portrait of humanity that may be far removed from the lived experience of most audiences, but which stirs recognizable deep sentiments of yearning. Rounded out with Rainer Klausmann's excellent cinematography, and swell editing by Maximiliane Mainka, 'The dark glow of the mountains' is as niche a cinematic experience as most any of Herzog's works, and made more so as viewers need to truly look inside to earnestly derive utmost meaning from the title. Invariably, however, the end result is a film that's discreetly mesmerizing, and which is surely just as well worth 46 minutes of our time whether we can find within ourselves the same transcendental spark, or if we're just here for the dazzling mountains and the physical journey. I can surely understand why this won't appeal to everyone, but if you get it, you really Get It.
