Landscapes of dreams I : Into the great wide open
When Atreyu starts his journey, riding on Atax, his horse and loyal companion, he crosses several landscapes of Fantasia.
Wide views on Fantasia (and later, its destruction) are important parts of its complete vision. You see endless deserts, mountains, directly shot on location or combined with artificial elements, "crystal" landscapes, lakes and of course, Atreyu enters woods again. Surely, "The Neverending Story" is not the first movie to create fascinating landscapes and fantastic dreamworlds in cinema history. But it's the combination, their integration into the storyline and the atmosphere they evoke which counts.
When Atreyu starts his journey, riding on Atax, his horse and loyal companion, he crosses several landscapes of Fantasia.
Wide views on Fantasia (and later, its destruction) are important parts of its complete vision. You see endless deserts, mountains, directly shot on location or combined with artificial elements, "crystal" landscapes, lakes and of course, Atreyu enters woods again. Surely, "The Neverending Story" is not the first movie to create fascinating landscapes and fantastic dreamworlds in cinema history. But it's the combination, their integration into the storyline and the atmosphere they evoke which counts.
Landscapes of dreams II : The swamps of sadness
Fantasia is a world, full of the brightest and darkest places Bastian (or any other human being) could ever imagine. When Atreyu arrives in the "Swamps of sadness" and looses his beloved friend Atax, you feel like you're dragged down into the deepest depths of the realm as well. Swamps always had a very mystical and threatening image in stories and movies. There's hardly any better picture to illustrate the feeling of loneliness and sadness than a thick, dark swamp that captures you. Real mud and similar substances were used to let Atreyu (Noah Hathaway) struggle through the foggy field of sunken trees and branches, and finally letting Atax sink and die in the swamp. It's a highly emotional scene, full of pain and lost.
After Atax' death, Atreyu continues his journey without his horse and arrives at a giant, quiet hill in the middle of the swamp fields. Suddenly he remembers the legend of a very old, wise creature called "Morla" who is said to be living here. When he climbs up the hill, it begins to move and he realizes where Morla is.
This scene and the new character which shows up now, is one of the most disturbing moments in the film. Atreyu faces an overdimensional turtle-like creature, and the "hill" was in fact Morla's back, from which he gets thrown down. I've barely seen another comparable image of nightmarish disturbance and subtle appearance than this one. Atreyu's following talk with Morla about the mysterious force which destroys Fantasia and how he could fight it, reveals her biblical (unknown) age and the unbearable low pace of her mind and temper, what makes her mighty stature even more authentic. Later on, we see an exhausted Atreyu, crawling his way through the mud and desperately trying to stay alive and reach the far distant "Southern Oracle", which Morla described as his possibly last hope to find answers.
Fantasia is a world, full of the brightest and darkest places Bastian (or any other human being) could ever imagine. When Atreyu arrives in the "Swamps of sadness" and looses his beloved friend Atax, you feel like you're dragged down into the deepest depths of the realm as well. Swamps always had a very mystical and threatening image in stories and movies. There's hardly any better picture to illustrate the feeling of loneliness and sadness than a thick, dark swamp that captures you. Real mud and similar substances were used to let Atreyu (Noah Hathaway) struggle through the foggy field of sunken trees and branches, and finally letting Atax sink and die in the swamp. It's a highly emotional scene, full of pain and lost.
After Atax' death, Atreyu continues his journey without his horse and arrives at a giant, quiet hill in the middle of the swamp fields. Suddenly he remembers the legend of a very old, wise creature called "Morla" who is said to be living here. When he climbs up the hill, it begins to move and he realizes where Morla is.
This scene and the new character which shows up now, is one of the most disturbing moments in the film. Atreyu faces an overdimensional turtle-like creature, and the "hill" was in fact Morla's back, from which he gets thrown down. I've barely seen another comparable image of nightmarish disturbance and subtle appearance than this one. Atreyu's following talk with Morla about the mysterious force which destroys Fantasia and how he could fight it, reveals her biblical (unknown) age and the unbearable low pace of her mind and temper, what makes her mighty stature even more authentic. Later on, we see an exhausted Atreyu, crawling his way through the mud and desperately trying to stay alive and reach the far distant "Southern Oracle", which Morla described as his possibly last hope to find answers.
Landscapes of dreams III : Out of nowhere
The G'mork, a monstrous werewolf who appeared shortly at the beginning, is serving the mysterious deadly force by hunting down Atreyu through the whole story. He almost killed him in the swamps, but Fuchur, a "Luck Dragon" (the most famous character of the story) saves him in time and carries him away to another mystical place.
Production Design and photography did a subtle, but fine job here as well. When Atreyu wakes up, he's confused by this new environment (having slept in Fuchur's claws, close to his body) and it takes a few moments for us too, to recognize where he landed. Fuchur's massive, but lean body is completely white and grey-haired, fluffy and the expression of his huge dark eyes is trusty and - of course - always very enthusiastic. Fuchur introduces Atreyu to a truly odd couple, Enymuk and Urgl, a gnomish scientist and expert of the Southern Oracle and his wife. Their little home cave seems quiet believable and really cosy, also because of the scientist's equipment and her "medical" brews she offers to Atreyu to recover. Till today, I very like the looks of their home place, also contrasting its "cold" and darker exterior under the open stars.
Enymuk shows Atreyu the path to the Southern Oracle, but first he has to pass two deadly trials who killed many others who tried to get through them.
The first trial are yellow-golden twin sphinx statues who can "look" into the heart of the one who wants to pass - If this person has enough self-confidence and a strong heart, he or she'll be able to dodge the sphinxes' lethal eye-lightnings, otherwise they kill them.
These sphinxes are very powerful appearances, full of grace (also a bit over the top), mystical ambience and deadly action. I've always been very impressed by this scene, when Atreyu witnesses a knight who tries to pass and gets killed by the statues, left in the sand between them, scattered and burnt inside his armor. Beautifully crafted and realized, the lightnings, shooting out of the closed eyes of the sphinxes even seem somehow real and threatening. Not knowing anything about the origin of this first "portal" to the oracle, or who built it, makes the design even more mysterious and compelling.
The G'mork, a monstrous werewolf who appeared shortly at the beginning, is serving the mysterious deadly force by hunting down Atreyu through the whole story. He almost killed him in the swamps, but Fuchur, a "Luck Dragon" (the most famous character of the story) saves him in time and carries him away to another mystical place.
Production Design and photography did a subtle, but fine job here as well. When Atreyu wakes up, he's confused by this new environment (having slept in Fuchur's claws, close to his body) and it takes a few moments for us too, to recognize where he landed. Fuchur's massive, but lean body is completely white and grey-haired, fluffy and the expression of his huge dark eyes is trusty and - of course - always very enthusiastic. Fuchur introduces Atreyu to a truly odd couple, Enymuk and Urgl, a gnomish scientist and expert of the Southern Oracle and his wife. Their little home cave seems quiet believable and really cosy, also because of the scientist's equipment and her "medical" brews she offers to Atreyu to recover. Till today, I very like the looks of their home place, also contrasting its "cold" and darker exterior under the open stars.
Enymuk shows Atreyu the path to the Southern Oracle, but first he has to pass two deadly trials who killed many others who tried to get through them.
The first trial are yellow-golden twin sphinx statues who can "look" into the heart of the one who wants to pass - If this person has enough self-confidence and a strong heart, he or she'll be able to dodge the sphinxes' lethal eye-lightnings, otherwise they kill them.
These sphinxes are very powerful appearances, full of grace (also a bit over the top), mystical ambience and deadly action. I've always been very impressed by this scene, when Atreyu witnesses a knight who tries to pass and gets killed by the statues, left in the sand between them, scattered and burnt inside his armor. Beautifully crafted and realized, the lightnings, shooting out of the closed eyes of the sphinxes even seem somehow real and threatening. Not knowing anything about the origin of this first "portal" to the oracle, or who built it, makes the design even more mysterious and compelling.
Landscapes of dreams IV : The Southern Oracle
When Atreyu also gets through the second trial, a frozen mirror gate (in which he recognizes his alter ego Bastian), he finally enters the cold, dark field of the Southern oracle.
You really feel like being at the end of the (Fantasia) world, seeing Atreyu walking towards this blue, ice version of the sphinxes which represent the ominous Southern oracle. This snow desert could be the result of the destruction by the dark menace, emptying the realm and leaving nothing else than ruins and devastation. The southern oracle itself is already damaged and broken, loosing its surface and big parts of the material (whatever it consists of). This process is very nice and impressively done by the special effects and Production Design team, supported by the fitting sounds and, again, very subtle ambient background music.
The Oracle advises Atreyu to find the final frontiers of Fantasia to fight the dark menace (called the "nothing") and find a human child which is the only being and cure which could heal the empress in the Ivory Tower.
When Atreyu also gets through the second trial, a frozen mirror gate (in which he recognizes his alter ego Bastian), he finally enters the cold, dark field of the Southern oracle.
You really feel like being at the end of the (Fantasia) world, seeing Atreyu walking towards this blue, ice version of the sphinxes which represent the ominous Southern oracle. This snow desert could be the result of the destruction by the dark menace, emptying the realm and leaving nothing else than ruins and devastation. The southern oracle itself is already damaged and broken, loosing its surface and big parts of the material (whatever it consists of). This process is very nice and impressively done by the special effects and Production Design team, supported by the fitting sounds and, again, very subtle ambient background music.
The Oracle advises Atreyu to find the final frontiers of Fantasia to fight the dark menace (called the "nothing") and find a human child which is the only being and cure which could heal the empress in the Ivory Tower.
Landscapes of dreams V : At the end of the world
Riding on the back of Fuchur, Atreyu indeed finds the boundaries of the realm and faces gigantic storms and lightnings, which are so powerful that Fuchur looses Atreyu over the troubled sea. He falls deep and finds himself alone at a deserted beach.
This sequence illustrates again the power of well made analog special effects. It reminds me a lot of Mark Mawson's photography (in a previous post of mine) and his magical, beautiful and mystical underwater images. Petersen and his team created a "perfect" storm which looks natural, mysterious, powerful and threatening at the same time. Seeing Fuchur struggling in it, with Atreyu on his back, both extremely tiny in front of the enormous landscape, is very impressive, almost shocking.
After he lost Fuchur, Atreyu enters a city of ruins.
Riding on the back of Fuchur, Atreyu indeed finds the boundaries of the realm and faces gigantic storms and lightnings, which are so powerful that Fuchur looses Atreyu over the troubled sea. He falls deep and finds himself alone at a deserted beach.
This sequence illustrates again the power of well made analog special effects. It reminds me a lot of Mark Mawson's photography (in a previous post of mine) and his magical, beautiful and mystical underwater images. Petersen and his team created a "perfect" storm which looks natural, mysterious, powerful and threatening at the same time. Seeing Fuchur struggling in it, with Atreyu on his back, both extremely tiny in front of the enormous landscape, is very impressive, almost shocking.
After he lost Fuchur, Atreyu enters a city of ruins.
The colours of the ruins and the dark, rocky earth resemble the swamps of sadness and Morla. Nevertheless, it's a new, unknown part of Fantasia. It looks old, destroyed, and dangerous. Like one of these illustrations of fantasy books or children literature that burn themselves into your memory, although their style has been copied many times.
After a kind of earthquake, Atreyu steps into one of the ruins and discovers some big, painted pictures on the walls - Each one represents an episode of his adventure in the Neverending Story we witnessed. We don't know who painted them or how it was possible that anyone in the movie could have observed him that closely. He sees Atax, Fuchur, Morla and the swamps of sadness and himself (lost at the beach) on them. And finally, a dark, frightening wolf-like monster which stares at him directly. At the same moment, the G'mork roars behind him - Atreyu's last challenge and opponent in the heart of darkness.
This sequence is, again, one of the most terrifying and moody ones I've ever seen in a fantasy movie. Again, the design is so beautifully created and filmed, and finally presenting the G'mork in his most stunning way. The design is epic, mysterious, dark, full of the smell of destroyed life, death and ancient walls which once could have been as beautiful as the Ivory Tower. Only looking at these painted images, the ruins and G'mork's hideout in the dark, gives you an idea of how mysterious, strange and beautiful the different parts of Fantasia must have been before its destruction.
The G'mork is an excellent example of animatronic special effects, aiming at a maximum of authentic looks. Of course, it may look a bit old fashioned today. Nevertheless, all the advantages of analog Production Design and special effects are clearly visible here. And at least the german voice of him sounds perfectly to the creature. So, the G'mork is still one of the most powerful and thrilling "villains" I've ever encountered in a movie or, in general, in my deepest grounds of childhood memories..
What follows is Atreyu's short, deadly fight with G'mork, his struggle against the tremendous forces of the "nothing" and his rescue from it by Fuchur. They return to the Ivory Tower which was spared from destruction, floating on a rock in an empty, space-like realm of Fantasia.
After a kind of earthquake, Atreyu steps into one of the ruins and discovers some big, painted pictures on the walls - Each one represents an episode of his adventure in the Neverending Story we witnessed. We don't know who painted them or how it was possible that anyone in the movie could have observed him that closely. He sees Atax, Fuchur, Morla and the swamps of sadness and himself (lost at the beach) on them. And finally, a dark, frightening wolf-like monster which stares at him directly. At the same moment, the G'mork roars behind him - Atreyu's last challenge and opponent in the heart of darkness.
This sequence is, again, one of the most terrifying and moody ones I've ever seen in a fantasy movie. Again, the design is so beautifully created and filmed, and finally presenting the G'mork in his most stunning way. The design is epic, mysterious, dark, full of the smell of destroyed life, death and ancient walls which once could have been as beautiful as the Ivory Tower. Only looking at these painted images, the ruins and G'mork's hideout in the dark, gives you an idea of how mysterious, strange and beautiful the different parts of Fantasia must have been before its destruction.
The G'mork is an excellent example of animatronic special effects, aiming at a maximum of authentic looks. Of course, it may look a bit old fashioned today. Nevertheless, all the advantages of analog Production Design and special effects are clearly visible here. And at least the german voice of him sounds perfectly to the creature. So, the G'mork is still one of the most powerful and thrilling "villains" I've ever encountered in a movie or, in general, in my deepest grounds of childhood memories..
What follows is Atreyu's short, deadly fight with G'mork, his struggle against the tremendous forces of the "nothing" and his rescue from it by Fuchur. They return to the Ivory Tower which was spared from destruction, floating on a rock in an empty, space-like realm of Fantasia.
"The Neverending Story" is an incredibly well done fantasy film.
There are also many other movies which include nice analog special effects and designs, but this one beats them all. And of course, the design responds very well to the philosophical, mystical content of the story, which is highly inspiring.
I'll also write about other masterpieces of film and art in the near future, which use analog techniques in a perfect way, but this vision by the team of Wolfgang Petersen is always a very enjoyable and deeply beautiful journey into my childhood (and grown up) dreams.
I'll also write about other masterpieces of film and art in the near future, which use analog techniques in a perfect way, but this vision by the team of Wolfgang Petersen is always a very enjoyable and deeply beautiful journey into my childhood (and grown up) dreams.
All stills are taken directly from the film.
Copyright © 1984 Neue Constantin Film / Bavaria Studios
