The movie
Ghost Elephants
For more than a decade, Dr. Steve Boyes, a conservation biologist and National Geographic Explorer, has been searching for a mysterious, elusive herd of “ghost elephants” in the highlands of Angola, hidden deep within the forests.
Description
Werner Herzog sets out on an expedition to the highlands of Angola, an impenetrable region the size of England where, according to the San people, descendants of the largest elephant species ever seen are said to roam. These gigantic “ghost elephants” are believed to differ genetically from all other African elephants. South African zoologist Steve Boyes has long been convinced that these mythical animals still exist, though this has never been scientifically confirmed.
Through Herzog’s eyes, the quest of the determined Boyes—assisted by some of the finest trackers from Angola and Namibia—becomes much more than a scientific expedition. As in his earlier films, Herzog is primarily fascinated by human obsessions, dreams, and imagination.
Is it perhaps better, he wonders together with Boyes, if the elephants remain forever hidden from human sight—if they remain ghosts? And is the San chief right in claiming that the fate of the elephants is directly and inseparably linked to that of humankind?
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