DVD: Encounters At The End of the World (U)

Academy award-winning director Werner Herzog's preoccupation with themes of nature, conflict and triumph in troubling conditions leads him to the Antarctic in this warm-hearted documentary.

From the original base of Edward Shackleton to the continent's caves and volcanoes, the wintry setting provides the backdrop for the stories of the denizens of the frozen South Pole. Zoologists, physicists, geologists and volcanologists provide the bulk of the entertainment, while dazzling underwater shots do the beauty. The icy tundra is the figurative counterpoint to the optimism of life at sub-zero. A well-deserved Oscar nominee.