Werner Herzog wants his crazy back.
May 20, 2011 11:06 AM

In Lessons Of Darkness by Werner Herzog, why do the oil well firefighters send lit torches into non-burning wells at the end?

In the Werner Herzog movie Lessons of Darkness, at the end, one of the workers takes a lighted torch and throws it into an extinguished oil well, setting it on fire. Several others repeat this. Herzog has a thing about how they’ve all gone made. But really, what actually happened? Why would a worker intentionally set a well on fire? I assume that was actually something they wanted to do but can’t imagine why.
posted by sully75 to Media & Arts (5 answers total) 3 users marked this as a favorite
Maybe they want to burn off gas?
posted by dfriedman at 11:18 AM on May 20, 2011


If you're a oil well firefighter, your work is over once the fire goes out. Perhaps they didn't want to face the reality of not being needed.
posted by tommasz at 11:20 AM on May 20, 2011


I asked this exact question a few years ago. I didn't find any of the answers particularly convincing.

(And you thought you didn't have to search before posting!)
posted by OmieWise at 11:52 AM on May 20, 2011


ha! well I guess that remains a mystery. Pretty great movie, I think.
posted by sully75 at 7:53 AM on May 21, 2011


ps Omie, awesome nickname!
posted by sully75 at 7:53 AM on May 21, 2011


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