“The Fire Within: A Requiem for Katia and Maurice Krafft” Review

Acclaimed filmmaker Werner Herzog pays tribute to volcanologists Maurice and Katia Krafft in his latest documentary film “The Fire Within.” By using footage the Kraffts shot over their many years as scientists, Herzog crafts a compelling visual diary of two figures that he finds inspiring.

As I said in my “Theatre of Thought” review, I got to watch two new Werner Herzog films at the DOC NYC festival and they both were incredibly different. While both films are about science, “Theatre of Thought” was all about scientific advancements and utilized footage that Werner Herzog shot himself with an amazing crew. The second film, “The Fire Within: A Requiem for Katia and Maurice Krafft,” isn’t so much about science as it is a love story about two scientists who gave their lives trying to understand one of nature’s most awe-inspiring and destructive events.

In “The Fire Within,” Herzog pays tribute to Katia and Maurice Krafft, a married couple of volcanologists, who studied volcanoes across the world for over twenty years before being killed by the eruption of Japan’s Mount Unzen on June 3, 1991. Over their travels, they not only examined volcanoes but also took breathtaking photographs and footage of their work which currently is preserved in an archive. 

When Herzog made his documentary “Into The Inferno” in 2016, he utilized footage of the Kraffts because it’s some of the best footage he could have ever hoped for. After becoming fascinated by the Krafft’s story and their dedication to one another, Herzog has now decided to make a film solely about them and how they weren’t just brilliant scientists, but brilliant filmmakers as well. 

While none of the footage is Herzog’s, the Kraffts captured so many incredible sights that rival the spectacular things that Herzog has captured on camera. I grew up surrounded by plains and cornfields. Mountains and volcanoes are as foreign to me as the depths of the sea or the mysteries of the afterlife. So, I was in a state of awe seeing how close the Kraffts got to these destructive wonders and how they found both the horror and beauty in what they did. But all of this footage, while breathtaking, was just that: footage. It had no apparent story. It needed someone to compile it and find a story. That’s where Herzog comes in with his poetic genius. 

The way that Herzog and editor Marco Capalbo have woven the story of the Kraffts into this footage is remarkable. Through this film, a love story is presented that glows as bright as all the magma beneath the Earth’s surface. The film is about love and evolution as Herzog not only narrates the Kraffts' love affair with each other and the fiery peaks, but also how they grew as filmmakers. Herzog feels a sense of comradery with the Krafts. Like them, he has ventured into situations of great danger to capture them on film and showcase it for an audience. Insane? Possibly. Courageous? Absolutely. 

At first, the Kraffts approach filmmaking with a playful sensibility. They try to fake rocks tumbling down on them or being frightened by geysers. Eventually, they realize that this isn’t them. They shouldn’t try to be actors. They should be documentarians. Because all of the greatest performances by legends like Toshiro Mifune, Daniel Day Lewis, Lawrence Olivier, Ingrid Bergman, Meryl Streep, Marlon Brando and Denzel Washington combined can’t compare to the sheer majesty of the Earth’s natural wonders. 

There are sequences in the film where Herzog abandons his poetic narration and instead creates a purely cinematic symphony of music, fire, ash and lava. Composer Ernst Reijseger’s score adds so much to this footage, creating an experience that is hellish but intriguing at the same time. 

But throughout the film, there’s a strong sense of mortality as Herzog keeps cutting back to the last days of the Kraffts’ lives. The film does present itself as a sorrowful requiem and it accomplishes its goal: to mourn the incredible lives of its subjects. Herzog says in the film that while most people would never want to endure the hardship of navigating these landscapes and being so close to certain death, he would have given so much to have been among them. After watching “The Fire Within,” I can’t say I blame him.