MovieChat Forums > Fata Morgana (1972) Discussion > mirages

mirages

posted 20 years ago by agk4984x
10 replies | jump to latest

There is a scene in Fata Morgana, where Werner is filming a bus, and you see people get out of the bus and start walking around.
Its filmed in the hot sahara desert and its kindof blurry because of the 120+ degree temperatures.
but its clearly a bus- and its clearly people.
Herzog says in the documentary that they filmed this scene because it looked very intriguing, and as soon as they stop recording, he and his film crew rushed over to the bus, in hope of finding ice, or cold drinks.
they got there, there was no people/ there was no bus.
infact the entire backround you see on camera was a mirage.
wonderful absolutely wonderful..

its a brilliant film, and maybe herzog's least conventional.
i recommend getting the dvd, with commentary- its very interesting.

-anton.

[–] YourFlask 19 years ago

Do you know if it is available on Region 2 DVD?

[–] blanor 19 years ago

http://www.amazon.de/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00028F6GI/ref=pd_ir_d/028-9874553-5852555

[–] YourFlask 19 years ago

many thanks blanor

[–] 19 years ago

[deleted]

[–] the sphynx 16 years ago

Which is saying a lot--considering how unconventional his stuff is across the board!

[–] Fidelio111 15 years ago

It's probably my favourite Herzog movie... I don't know why people find it so difficult to sit throuh.

[–] 15 years ago

[deleted]

[–] dyahrmarkt 12 years ago

@agk -

I wouldn't believe everything Werner says. You can't really hallucinate people in that kind of detail getting off a bus and walking around. Watching the film again, will come back to this thread if necessary -

Please nest your IMDB page, and respond to the correct person -

[–] daveoafc77 12 years ago

its not a hallucination but more of a transportation, the images seen are real but not happening in the place where it seems they are. The bus may be miles away but the mirage distorts the objects and in effect transports it to a different place

[–] Satan2016 8 years ago

The title refers to type of mirage https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fata_Morgana_(mirage):

A Fata Morgana (Italian: [ˈfaːta morˈɡaːna]) is an unusual and complex form of superior mirage that is seen in a narrow band right above the horizon. It is the Italian name for the Arthurian sorceress Morgan le Fay, from a belief that these mirages, often seen in the Strait of Messina, were fairy castles in the air or false land created by her witchcraft to lure sailors to their death. Although the term Fata Morgana is sometimes applied to other, more common kinds of mirages, the true Fata Morgana is not the same as an ordinary superior mirage, nor is it the same as an inferior mirage.

Fata Morgana mirages distort the object or objects which they are based on significantly, often such that the object is completely unrecognizable. A Fata Morgana can be seen on land or at sea, in polar regions or in deserts. This kind of mirage can involve almost any kind of distant object, including boats, islands and the coastline.