The Wild Blue Yonder
Encyclopedia
The Wild Blue Yonder is a science fiction
film
by the German
director Werner Herzog
, released in 2005
. It has been presented at the 62nd Venice Film Festival
, where it was awarded the FIPRESCI
Prize. It went on to screen in competition at the Mar del Plata Film Festival
and the Sitges Film Festival, it won "Carnet Jove - Special Mention" at the latter. Most of the film consists of recontextualized documentary footage which is overlaid with fictional (sometimes fantastical) narration. This technique was used in Herzog's earlier film Lessons of Darkness.
The film is about an extraterrestrial
(played by Brad Dourif
) who came to Earth several decades ago from a water planet
(The Wild Blue Yonder), after it suffered through an ice age
. His narration reveals that the aliens have tried through the years to form a community on our planet, though without great success.
The alien also tells the story of a space mission he became aware of after finding a job with the CIA. In the late 90s, he says, the debris from the Roswell UFO crash
was unearthed and examined. The scientists falsely believed that they had contracted an infectious alien disease from the debris, and an exploratory mission was launched to Blue Yonder (represented with archival footage from STS-34
and Henry Kaiser
's diving expedition in Antarctica) in order that a new, uninfected human colony might be created there. After deciding Blue Yonder was suitable for human habitation, the astronauts returned home to Earth 800 years later only to discover that the planet had been abandoned in their absence.
and feature authentic astronaut
s.
According to the DVD extras, the interview with the alien is filmed in Niland, CA (where two railroads meet) and nearby Slab City
, CA.
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
film
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
by the German
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
director Werner Herzog
Werner Herzog
Werner Herzog Stipetić , known as Werner Herzog, is a German film director, producer, screenwriter, actor, and opera director.He is often considered as one of the greatest figures of the New German Cinema, along with Rainer Werner Fassbinder, Margarethe von Trotta, Volker Schlöndorff, Werner...
, released in 2005
2005 in film
- Highest-grossing films :Please note that following the tradition of the English-language film industry, these are the top-grossing films that were first released in the United States in 2005...
. It has been presented at the 62nd Venice Film Festival
Venice Film Festival
The Venice International Film Festival is the oldest international film festival in the world. Founded by Count Giuseppe Volpi in 1932 as the "Esposizione Internazionale d'Arte Cinematografica", the festival has since taken place every year in late August or early September on the island of the...
, where it was awarded the FIPRESCI
FIPRESCI
The International Federation of Film Critics is an association of national organizations of professional film critics and film journalists from around the world for "the promotion and development of film culture and for the safeguarding of professional interests." It was founded in June 1930 in...
Prize. It went on to screen in competition at the Mar del Plata Film Festival
Mar del Plata Film Festival
The Mar del Plata International Film Festival is an international film festival that takes place every November in the city of Mar del Plata, Argentina...
and the Sitges Film Festival, it won "Carnet Jove - Special Mention" at the latter. Most of the film consists of recontextualized documentary footage which is overlaid with fictional (sometimes fantastical) narration. This technique was used in Herzog's earlier film Lessons of Darkness.
The film is about an extraterrestrial
Extraterrestrial life in popular culture
In popular cultures, "extraterrestrials" are life forms — especially intelligent life forms— that are of extraterrestrial origin .-Historical ideas:-Pre-modern:...
(played by Brad Dourif
Brad Dourif
Bradford Claude "Brad" Dourif is an American film and television actor who gained early fame for his portrayal of Billy Bibbit in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, and has since appeared in a number of memorable roles, including the voice of Chucky in the Child's Play franchise, Younger Brother in...
) who came to Earth several decades ago from a water planet
Ocean planet
An ocean planet is a hypothetical type of planet whose surface is completely covered with an ocean of water.Planetary objects that form in the outer solar system begin as a comet-like mixture of roughly half water and half rock by mass...
(The Wild Blue Yonder), after it suffered through an ice age
Ice age
An ice age or, more precisely, glacial age, is a generic geological period of long-term reduction in the temperature of the Earth's surface and atmosphere, resulting in the presence or expansion of continental ice sheets, polar ice sheets and alpine glaciers...
. His narration reveals that the aliens have tried through the years to form a community on our planet, though without great success.
The alien also tells the story of a space mission he became aware of after finding a job with the CIA. In the late 90s, he says, the debris from the Roswell UFO crash
Roswell UFO incident
The Roswell UFO Incident was the recovery of an object that crashed in the general vicinity of Roswell, New Mexico, in June or July 1947, allegedly an extra-terrestrial spacecraft and its alien occupants. Since the late 1970s the incident has been the subject of intense controversy and of...
was unearthed and examined. The scientists falsely believed that they had contracted an infectious alien disease from the debris, and an exploratory mission was launched to Blue Yonder (represented with archival footage from STS-34
STS-34
STS-34 was a NASA Space Shuttle mission using Space Shuttle Atlantis. It was the 31st shuttle mission overall, and the 5th flight for Atlantis. During the mission, the Jupiter-bound Galileo probe was deployed into space...
and Henry Kaiser
Henry Kaiser (musician)
Henry Kaiser is an American guitarist and composer.Recording and performing prolifically in many styles of music, Kaiser is a fixture on the San Francisco Bay Area music scene. He is considered a member of the "first generation" of American free improvisers.-Biography:His grandfather was the...
's diving expedition in Antarctica) in order that a new, uninfected human colony might be created there. After deciding Blue Yonder was suitable for human habitation, the astronauts returned home to Earth 800 years later only to discover that the planet had been abandoned in their absence.
Trivia
The scenes in space are courtesy of NASANASA
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is the agency of the United States government that is responsible for the nation's civilian space program and for aeronautics and aerospace research...
and feature authentic astronaut
Astronaut
An astronaut or cosmonaut is a person trained by a human spaceflight program to command, pilot, or serve as a crew member of a spacecraft....
s.
According to the DVD extras, the interview with the alien is filmed in Niland, CA (where two railroads meet) and nearby Slab City
Slab City
Slab City or The Slabs is a camp in the Colorado Desert in southeastern California, used by recreational vehicle owners and squatters from across North America. It takes its name from the concrete slabs and pylons that remain from the abandoned World War II Marine barracks Camp Dunlap there...
, CA.