The naturalistic scheme of experience. Visions of nature as «the other» in Werner Herzog's cinema

Abstract

What interest me in this paper is to explore the explanatory power of the concept «naturalism» used by the French philosopher and anthropologist Philippe Descola, by adapting it to the cinematographic analysis of Werner Herzog’s work. This interdisciplinary experiment, melting cinematographic analysis, philosophy and history of art has, as main goal, to bring into light a thought transformed in images concerning the relationship of two strongly related concepts defining, according to Descola, our schemas of experience: otherness and owness. The alleged naturalism of Werner Herzog is part of a long tradition that has projected over the western concept of `nature’ that  ́otherness ́ alien to culture. After an exposition of what is to be understood by the term ‘naturalism’ according to Descola, I will explore some images from Herzog’s films in which I believe a clear instantiation of naturalism can be found, as an unwelcoming, radically other, nature. Finally, I will show that Herzog’s naturalism is not fatal. A way out of it can be found through the way Herzog understands the role of the spectator.