The White Diamond

anarresti

All the ingredients of the best Herzog are here.

shane_b

Definitely my favourite of all documentary filmmakers is Werner Herzog, and this is one of his best. Full of breathtaking imagery shot above the treetops of Guyana and the amazing Kaieteur Falls, where a highly aerial bird called the Swift lives in mysterious caves. The film takes on an almost spiritual dimension via Herzog's unique knack for finding human idiosyncrasies to aid his existentialist enquiries. ★★★★½

Matthew_Lucas

Breathtakingly beautiful documentary follows another one of Werner Herzog's kindred obsessives, a man with a dream of flying a large balloon over the rainforests of South America.

Adam Cook

Upon my second viewing, I've realized this is one of Herzog's strongest and most affecting documentaries. All of his themes line up here. Reijsiger's score is among the greatest ever composed in my opinion.

jurgis

THAT IS A BEAUTIFUL VIEW, IT HAS THE SUNSET AND THERE IS THE BALOON, JUST FLOATIN' AROUND AIMLESSLY YEAH IT'S BEAUTIFUL IT'S JUST FANTASTIC. I'M SO FORTUNATE ENOUGH TO WITNESS SOMETHING OF A GEM.I'M A MINER MOSTLY THIS IS LIKE A DIAMOND-NICE BIG DIAMOND. YEAH I LOVE THIS THIS IS COOL THIS IS REAL COOL THERE IS THIS BIG WHITE DIAMOND JUST FLOATIN' AROUND IN THE SUNRISE, IT'S COOL. I DEDICATE THIS TO MY MOM

fearraigh

My only gripe is that there's a strange tension between Herzog's inimitable narrative voice and Dorrington, who is just too media-ready (at times he annoyingly reminds of a reality TV host). That said, The White Diamond is a splendid delving into the furthest reaches of human endeavour (and sometimes folly). The local Guyanese are the real stars of the show, commenting with wit and wisdom throughout.

Inner Pattern

I think this is a pretty underrated Herzog doc. Like Encounters At The End Of The World, it's about many things-hopes,fears,dreams,regret and just life itself. It's a beautiful documentary. I'm going to give it a 4.5 for now but if you ask me sometime in the near future it could very well become a 5.

SiIencio

A tribute to those early pioneers who first ventured into the realms of the skies, sometimes victorious, others fatally wounded, always chasing dreams with the zeal of children and lunatics. Paradoxically the White Diamond soon becomes invisible to our eyes like a dull zeppelin deflating rapidly, and Herzog finds himself wandering, fighting for breath, chasing minutiae and clearly fascinated by the waterfall.