Is it ever acceptable to endanger your own life, and the lives of your teammates, in the name of art? In keeping with his nature, that’s exactly what Werner Herzog did when traveling to Guadeloupe to interview residents who refused to evacuate their homes in the face of the Soufrière volcano’s imminent eruption. Abandoned homes, ransacked businesses, deserted streets now filled only with stray dogs and wild animals, sulfurous mountains emitting toxic gases: the images captured by photographic director Ed Lachman are just as stunning as they are unimaginable. Watching them make a perilous approach towards the base of the volcano, we cannot help but ask what on earth this film crew was doing there, in the middle of what would soon be a disaster area. We also wonder whether they’ll actually meet these hypothetical and recalcitrant residents, and we fear the worst—namely, that the island will be wiped out by the looming volcano. La Soufrière is filled with captivating suspense that exceeds all comprehension and challenges the very laws of nature.

Frédéric Savard
Archivist and programmer