Land of Silence and Darkness

Land of Silence and Darkness (German: Land des Schweigens und der Dunkelheit) is a 1971 documentary film about deaf-blind people and their experience of life. The film was written, directed, and produced by Werner Herzog. Rolf Illig provided narration.

Land des Schweigens und der Dunkelheit
English	Land of Silence and Darkness
Directed by	Werner Herzog
Written by	Werner Herzog
Produced by	Werner Herzog
Starring	Fini Straubinger
Narrated by	Rolf Illig [de]
Cinematography	Jörg Schmidt-Reitwein
Edited by	Beate Mainka-Jellinghaus
Music by	J.S. Bach, Vivaldi
Production companies	Referat für Filmgeschichte Werner Herzog Filmproduktion
Distributed by	Werner Herzog Filmproduktion
Release date	1971 (1971)
Running time	85 minutes
Country	West Germany
Languages	German, German Sign Language

Plot

Herzog follows Fini Straubinger, a German woman who became deaf-blind early in life, as she visits with other deaf-blind people, and discusses their struggles living in the modern world.^[1] In one scene from the film, the filmmakers visit a home for boys who were born deaf-blind, in another, Fini Straubinger and her friends ride in an aeroplane. In the final scene, a man examines a tree with his hands, and embraces it.

See also

• 1971 in film
• Deafblindness
• Tactile signing
• List of films featuring the deaf and hard of hearing