Filmmaker Mathieu Le Lay’s In the Starlight follows French-Canadian photographer Paul Zizka on several adventurous and sometimes risky expeditions to discover the unique natural beauty in out-of-the-way places. Living amidst the Canadian Rockies with his wife and daughter, Zizka has filmed the Rocky Mountains for national photography magazines and written six books. Here, he climbs with two friends in Banff National Park to capture the magnificence of one of the highest peaks in North America (in one tense overhead shot, the three climbers are seen traversing a dangerously narrow walkway with severe vertical drops on either side as they approach the summit). Next, Zizka sets out alone to photograph the lights and shadows of the Namib Desert and the night sky in Southern Africa. Along the coastline, where shipwrecks are buried in the sand, Zizka makes one vessel seem to come to life with his camera in the evening skylight. Lastly, Zizka travels to Southern Greenland to film the icecap and barren granite mountains of this remote land. He photographs beautiful turquoise pools of water formed from glaciers melting on the icecap in the summer, and also kayaks a splendid fjord, and walks across a harsh landscape where few have ever visited. Saving the best for last, Zizka captures the nighttime wonder of the aurora borealis—vivid green and pink lights dancing above in the sky. A visual delight, this is highly recommended. Aud: C, P. (T. Root)
In the Starlight
(2019) 52 min. DVD: $39.95. DRA. Film Ideas. PPR. Volume 34, Issue 5
In the Starlight
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