Horst in Translation (filmreviews@web.de) "Wodaabe - Die Hirten der Sonne. Nomaden am Südrand der Sahara" or "Wodaabe: Herdsmen of the Sun" is a documentary movie from 1989, so this one has its 30th anniversary soon. The writer and director is Werner Herzog, which is why this film caught my attention. I am a great fan of the Munich-born man who is originally caught Werner Stipetic. The documentary runs for under 50 minutes, which is not uncommon at all for Herzog. He made many films that easily stayed under the 60-minute mark during his long career, especially many of his documentaries. The title here already tells us what this one is about, namely the Wodaabe. Now I will admit that I don't think I have ever heard that name before, but that is not a problem at all as Herzog patiently depicts us who they are. The Wodaabe are a tribe of African natives who lives in the Sahara/Sahel region. If you have not heard of them before just like me, you can maybe compare them to the Massai, but I am sure there are many many difference between the two tribes, so don't be too focused on them being similar. This is just a very general description, so that you can somewhat imagine what this documentary is about. I will not go any further into detail about how they live or what these beauty contests are about that they hold on a regular basis as you can check out the film for yourself. And should! This is another convincing work by Herzog, even if it is probably not seen by as many as some of his more known projects.. But it definitely is not any worse. I just wish we had a chance to listen to Herzog's great narration on more occasions as his voice is pretty scarce in this one sadly. But that's just a minor subjective criticism. I certainly recommend the watch here.

yoshi_s_story «The sun has overcome every fence, and no arrow can reach it.» This is a saying, a deeply wise one, from the Wodaabe, a semi-nomad tribe dwelling the Sahara desert this documentary is on.Their way of life is covered and exposed with something that defining abundance of detail and care would still be not satisfactory, as passion is involved and, like always, passion is the sole explanation to itself. Members of the tribe are customarily made marry at an age of around 10; however, there is freedom of choice to the marital matter unknown to our self-defining «advanced» societies: partition from one's spouse is allowed for both genders, and wives frequently exercise it; furthermore, when the love feast comes every woman can pick a young man to couple with for the night.Beauty and making-up (some derived by liquid from exhausted torch batteries), as well as ritual feasts, play a cardinal role, the sole distractions from the fatigue of every day. {mettere dove? Rain, and terrain fertility, are vital for survival.} Such vainness among a population feeling few needs and leading a natural, unsophisticated life, seem to indicate vainness be a constitutive trait of the human kind.Herzog's approach to cultures distant from the West's ones is his methodical, lucid yet fresh interest, the outcome of it being a dynamic, effective report, that catches the spirit, and traces back the very root, of far and away civilizations. So, after a ceremony has been completed, the Wodaabe are inquired on their next destination. the answer is that they don't know yet: they are simply going to follow the route their cattle will take.{I skipped 2 or 3 minutes of the documentary, where an animal is slayed.}

Michael_Elliott Wodaabe: Herdsmen of the Sun (1989) *** (out of 4) Very interesting documentary that follows the Wodaabe tribe of the Sahara region as they discuss various parts of their lives including a four year drought they had just gone through. The majority of the film focuses on a seven day beauty pageant where the women get to pick men to spend the night with and perhaps marry. I'm not sure how Herzog picks his material when it comes time to do a documentary but he's got a magic touch at finding interesting subjects. This is a very interesting documentary that shows us some people that many probably never even heard of and I have to wonder how many of the people in the film had ever seen a video camera before the German director showed up to film them. The film moves at a very fast pace and there's not a single slow moment even though a lot of the film is pictures only and doesn't feature too much narration. The narration is done by Herzog himself and that incredible voice works well with the film. There are several very cute moments including the morning after a couple has stayed the night together and Herzog is trying to question them but they are blushing so much and can't think of anything to say. It's moments like that that make this documentary worth seeing.

MisterWhiplash Herdsmen of the Sun is one of Werner Herzog's more under-seen documentary featurettes, which like Lessons of Darkness is shorter than an hour, probably with enough time for a few commercials if need be (both were shot for, or at least meant for, television broadcast on German networks). But it casts a light on a society of outcasts, and through Herzog's unblinking observations on them gets out what is something of a consistency in his catalog of work: the theme of outcasts who've created an insulated world for themselves, thanks (or rather no thanks) to factors of their infrastructure and how they communicate. It probably has some company to share alongside the likes of Even Dwarfs Started Small, or even Stroszek. If this one is any different it's because there's more of an issue with nature itself- because of a long-standing drought, many were put in a position of having to fend for the lowest common denominator (there's the insinuation many died in the interim, or those who couldn't sell their herds in time).If Herdsmen of the Sun stands out in as a Herzog film it's because it showcases the director as anthropologist. His narration details the mating habits as if these were any other species of animal: the ritualistic nature of preparations with make-up of the men and the contortions of the facial expressions (even more fascinating is to hear how they stand seven feet tall, no tippy-toes). Although one might expect the main difference between Herdsmen of the Sun and any given National Geographic TV doc is that the people on camera look right at it, Herzog uses this to an effect that's rather challenging, and even stirring to the mind. Like in Fata Morgana- the opening shot here also a mirage- it's about the faces themselves, expression, and how one looks and has a personality even more-so through having to put on a sort of act for a strange thing like a camera. Equally good are the candid moments when one sees Woodabe talking just like any other guy or woman at a bar, about their latest sexual conquests or crushes. It's actually sort of charming, in Herzog's skewed, sad viewpoint, as is a lot of the film under moments of recognition of the estrangement of the other under somber opera music.