Fascinating Nature - a film by Gogol Lobmayr (Faszination Natur)

Fascinating Nature is a nonverbal landscape documentary film of images from around the world.  Fascinating Nature was created by Gogol Lobmayr and is known as Faszination Natur in Gogol's native Germany. 

Content

Gogol Lobmayr has made the effort to travel to locations that many other film makers have not.  The iceberg and erosion formations are stunning, and I have not seen any images like these before.  There is a very broad range of locations, from deep in the desert, to prairies, to mountains, to glaciers.  The film is presented in a series of chapters, once chapter for each country or region.  Each chapter has a caption introduction.

New Zealand - Scenes range from the amazing active volcanoes to the impressively high snow capped mountains. The sub tropical water ways are instantly recognisable to anyone who has visited the country.
Bryce Canton, USA – The depth of colours Gogol has captured are amazing in this chapter. The deep reds and oranges are spectacular.
Great Barrier Reef, Australia – Aerial and underwater shots of Australia’s amazing reef.
Cappadocia, Turkey – Images from the remote and desolate region of Turkey. Great colours and contrast of textures.
Bora Bora / Tahiti, French Polynesia – The beautiful contrasting colours of the places and tribes are well captured. Similar to shots from Baraka, the initial part of the soundtrack even sounds like one of the tracks from Baraka. The aerial shots of the island reefs are breathtaking.
African Savannas, Kenya, Namibia, South Africa – The content from these countries are obvious. The prairies and wildlife are caught with great dusk and dawn colours, similar to Anima Mundi in style.
Virunga Mountain Gorillas, Uganda – A beautiful area of the world, home to the Gorillas.
Monument Valley, USA – A often captured region of the world, but Gogol again captures the colours unlike other film makers. The reds and oranges are beautiful.
Iguazu Falls, Argentina & Brazil – Great shots of the world’s biggest falls. Accompanies by a rock influenced sound track.
Arctic Canada, Churchill, Manitoba – The northern lights, the icy waters and the remarkable wildlife.
Yellowstone National Park, USA – The wildlife and natural features.
Pamukkale, Turkey – The weird and spectacular natural features.
Antelope Canyon, USA – Natural formations and unbelievable caves.
Lake Powell, USA – The harsh landscape and natural features. Some good time lapse scenes.
Antarctica – You know what to expect, but it is still breathtaking.
Patagonia, Chile & Argentina – The beautiful formations, lakes and mountains.
Newfoundland, Canada – Wildlife and landscapes
Sossus Vlei – Namib Desert – Colourful and remote desert.
Niagara Falls, Canada & USA – The spectacular falls, from above and below.
Rocky Mountains, Canada – The impressive mountain range and natural features.
Grand Canyon, USA – The spectacular canyon and surrounding features.
Lijian Valley, China – A lovely contrast to the other chapters, with fitting music. The strange landscape well caught on film.
Mono Lake, USA – More amazing colours and landscapes.
La Digue, Seychelles – Beautiful islands and natural features.
Paria Sandhills, USA – Bizarre and beautiful natural formations.

The colours captured in Fascinating Nature are amazing. There are lots of aerial shots, underwater shots and other shots in difficult to reach areas. Gogol and his team have put in a lot of time and effort in creating Fascinating Nature, and this effort is reflected in its beautiful presentation.

To some the film may seem like a tourist board film, without the presenters or narration. The chapter-per-region arrangement separates the film. It does not flow like other films featured on this web site. It also does not leave the mystery of not knowing where, why or what something is. But this is intentional. Fascinating Nature is a landscape documentary, and is what it intends to be, rich colourful and beautiful.

Images

Music

The music is a collection of classical pieces composed by Michael Hofmann de Boer.  The music fits the film well.

Credits

Director and cinematographer - Gogol Lobmayr
Music composed by Michael Hofmann de Boer
Production year - 1999
Run time - 1 hour 33 minutes
PAL
1.85 Wide Screen
Dolby AC-3 5.1 Channel Surround
Studio: Quantum Leap Group Limited

Links

Gogol Lobmayr site