The Fire Within: A Requiem for Katia and Maurice Krafft
In the strange world of cinema, weird occurrences happen every year. From eerily similar films releasing around the same time to well-established directors randomly releasing projects with almost no warning or promotion. What is somewhat rare is that these occurrences happen at the same time, which is exactly the case for Werner Herzog's The Fire Within: A Requiem for Katia and Maurice Krafft. Using the extensive amount of footage left behind by Katia and Maurice Krafft, two of the world's leading volcanologists before their unfortunate death in 1991, Herzog looks at the works of Katia and Maurice and both the physical and emotional journey they went on throughout their lives together. With Sara Dosa's Fire of Love looking at the same subjects and having a highly successful debut at the 2022 Sundance Film Festival, it is questionable why Herzog's documentary ended up getting quietly dumped onto streaming services with little to no promotion or notice, especially as the film serves as a wonderful companion piece to Dosa's film.
While Fire of Love defines itself by painting a portrait of the love triangle found between Katia, Maurice, and the volcanoes, The Fire Within focuses much more on the work they produced and the grounded journey they went on. Nearly the entire film is composed of clips filmed by Katia and Maurice Krafft with a grizzled narration given by Herzog, who comments on the notes he makes from the footage. Similar to Fire of Love, Herzog crafts a narrative filled with personality and character as he demonstrates for the audience a journey of two individuals finding their place in front of the camera and finding their path towards their callings. The energy and personas of Katia and Maurice are infectious as their innocence radiates throughout the film. Herzog is incredibly open about their fate, leaving a sense of sorrow to hang in the air as they make their way across the world, eventually ending up at Mount Unzen in Japan where they will both die due to an unexpected pyroclastic flow. It is a heartbreaking fate that lives in juxtaposition to the joy and love felt by these individuals in every clip available of them.
Herzog presents the facts in a manner that is easy to understand, yet also engaging. One cannot help but fall in love with these two and find poignance in their outlooks on life. Footage is used of them discussing the risk of death and their lack of fear considering the lives they have been able to live. It is authentic and meaningful with Herzog crafting the film in a delicate yet firm style. While the artistic value of Fire of Love is ultimately missing from the final product, the seismic impact remains the same.
In this sense, The Fire Within and Fire of Love don't cannibalise each other, but rather enhance each other. Katia and Maurice are remarkable humans and their lives, as with any human, are complex. While the work they produced and shared with the world is stunning, they themselves as people and souls are also fascinating. Fire of Love provides an inwards examination of these two and serves as a dissertation on the love they share for both themselves and the world around them. The Fire Within is a love letter itself to the work they produced and how their souls crept into the violent world they captured.
The Fire Within proves that Herzog is still operating at an incredibly high level. Finding a successful blend of rawness and craft, The Fire Within is a heartbreaking celebration that deserves to be seen and recognized. Herzog crafts a story with love, admiration, confusion, and sorrow to create a final package that dances with all of these and more. It is this mature and smart filmmaking that has defined Herzog's career and continues to be on display today.
