Werner Herzog: greatest living director?

[Johann]

Yes, some scenes are staged. Painfully funny so, in some cases, like the "talent" show and the woman who just goes on and on in this monotone voice about her "adventures" (all made up I'm sure) like travelling across Africa in a garbage truck.
Love it, Werner.
Those were the scenes that made me laugh the hardest, along with the "buckethead" survival in a snowstorm sequence near the beginning.

Made for Discovery Films, Herzog goes to several basecamps or outposts to talk with the "travellers" and scientists who do research or work in Antarctica. Their stories vary greatly, and they're all interesting in one way or another.
Herzog assures us that he did not set out to make "another film about penguins", and his voiceover/narration is here to assault you. He speaks *seemingly* omnipotently, with a thick Bavarian accent. His pronounciation of some words should give you a laugh too. I've come to love his voiceovers. A Herzog voiceover is something that's hard to forget...He asks a researcher who studies penguins about gay penguins.
The man says he's never seen any evidence of that but he goes into a story about situations where you have two male penguins and one female..
Herzog asks if he's seen any penguins go crazy.
The man says "No, but they do get disoriented sometimes.."
Funny funny stuff. (and I'm paraphrasing here- go see the fucking film. It's the best non-fiction film of the year (with much staging in it :)

We learn about seals and how they survive in such a climate, and how they make noises to communicate with each other that sounds like Pink Floyd? I laughed at this bit. Herzog has some scientists put their heads to the ice and listen to the symphony of seal-speak.

He gives us a tour of Shackleton's original camp, preserved as it originally was, 100 years ago. He also shows us vintage stock footage of the Shackleton expedition and the recent underwater/under-ice footage that brought him to Antarctica in the first place.
That footage is astonishing.
It's like footage from another time-space continuum.
Another planet.
Strange sea-creatures, floating, intrauterine-like, with celestial voices, choirs accompanying it. Very Kubrick/2001...
Darling, Let's not ask for the stars
We already have the moon

Wonderful film, a triumph in a career of triumphs.
Herzog also has some philosophies that he presents in direct and not-so direct ways. This is a film that should give you a lot to think about. The shots inside ice caves, the shots of the vast, barren Hoth-like South Pole are quite arresting, quite visually stunning. There's also volcanos on that continent- we get great P.O.V. shot of the mouth and rim of a massively huge volcano, where researchers have set up equipment and cameras to monitor the volcanic activity. More laughs in this scene too...just watch it.

The scenes with the ice divers was incredible as well.
Any fan of cinema or travelling or pursuit of knowledge, check this Masterwork out. Extremely entertaining and extremely compelling.