Lektionen in Finsternis (Lessons of Darkness) (1992) Movie Script
The collapse of the stellar universe
will occur like creation - in grandiose splendor.
A planet in our solar system.
White mountain ranges, clouds,
a land shrouded in mist.
The first creature we encountered,
tried to communicate something to us.
A Capital City
Something is looming over the city.
The city that will soon be laid waste by war.
Now it is still alive, biding it's time.
Nobody has yet begun to suspect the impending doom.
The War
The war lasted only a few hours.
Afterwards, everything was different.
After The Battle
All we could find were traces.
Had human beings actually lived here?
Had there ever been a city?
The battle had raged so ferociously
that afterwards, grass would never grow here again.
Torture Chambers
We met a woman who wanted to tell us something.
She had been dragged away by soldiers
along with her two grown sons..
...and had to watch her sons being tortured
to death before her very eyes.
This caused her to lose her speech,..
...but she still tried to tell us what had happened.
Satan's National Park
This was once a forest before it was covered with oil.
Everything that looks like water is in actuality oil.
Ponds and lakes are spread out all over the land.
The oil is treacherous because it reflects the sky.
The oil is trying to disguise itself as water.
This lake here as well, like everything else, is black oil.
And there were voices and thunders, and lightnings..
...and there was a great earthquake..
...such was not since men were upon the earth,..
...so mighty an earthquake and so great.
And the great city was divided into three parts,
and the cities of the nations fell.
And every island fled away, and the mountains were not found.
Childhood
Even the tears were black.
When my child wept, his tears were black.
When his nose ran, it ran black.
Even the spittle in his mouth was black.
The soldiers came at night while the children were sleeping.
They dragged this one here out of bed..
...and one of the soldiers trampled on the child's head
with his heavy boot..
...and then pressed all his weight down on it.
They held on to my husband and me,
and threatened us with their rifles.
I said: "Please, take your boot away,
you are crushing his head!".
Look at this little fellow,
he hasn't spoken a word since.
It was terrible for me.
Then they shot my husband.
That was a year ago.
The boy used to be able to talk
but now he says nothing more.
Only once he said:
"Mama, I don't ever want to learn how to talk.".
And A Smoke Arose
Like The Smoke From A Furnace
And the fifth angel sounded..
...and I saw a star fall from heaven onto the earth.
And to him was given the key "of the bottomless pit
...and he opened the bottomless pit..
...and there arose a smoke out of the pit
as the smoke of a great furnace,..
...and the sun and the air were darkened
by reason of the smoke.
And in those days shall men seek
"death, and shall not find it..."
...and shall desire to die, and death shall flee from them.
A Pilgrimage
A Dinosaur's Feast
Protuberances
The Drying Up Of The Wells
Life Without Fire
Two figures are approaching an oil well.
One of them holds a lighted torch.
What are they up to?
Are they going to rekindle the blaze?
Has life without fire become unbearable for them?
Others, seized by madness follow suit.
Now they are content,
now there is something to extinguish again.
I Am So Weary Of Sighing, 0 Lord,
Grant That The Night Cometh
will occur like creation - in grandiose splendor.
A planet in our solar system.
White mountain ranges, clouds,
a land shrouded in mist.
The first creature we encountered,
tried to communicate something to us.
A Capital City
Something is looming over the city.
The city that will soon be laid waste by war.
Now it is still alive, biding it's time.
Nobody has yet begun to suspect the impending doom.
The War
The war lasted only a few hours.
Afterwards, everything was different.
After The Battle
All we could find were traces.
Had human beings actually lived here?
Had there ever been a city?
The battle had raged so ferociously
that afterwards, grass would never grow here again.
Torture Chambers
We met a woman who wanted to tell us something.
She had been dragged away by soldiers
along with her two grown sons..
...and had to watch her sons being tortured
to death before her very eyes.
This caused her to lose her speech,..
...but she still tried to tell us what had happened.
Satan's National Park
This was once a forest before it was covered with oil.
Everything that looks like water is in actuality oil.
Ponds and lakes are spread out all over the land.
The oil is treacherous because it reflects the sky.
The oil is trying to disguise itself as water.
This lake here as well, like everything else, is black oil.
And there were voices and thunders, and lightnings..
...and there was a great earthquake..
...such was not since men were upon the earth,..
...so mighty an earthquake and so great.
And the great city was divided into three parts,
and the cities of the nations fell.
And every island fled away, and the mountains were not found.
Childhood
Even the tears were black.
When my child wept, his tears were black.
When his nose ran, it ran black.
Even the spittle in his mouth was black.
The soldiers came at night while the children were sleeping.
They dragged this one here out of bed..
...and one of the soldiers trampled on the child's head
with his heavy boot..
...and then pressed all his weight down on it.
They held on to my husband and me,
and threatened us with their rifles.
I said: "Please, take your boot away,
you are crushing his head!".
Look at this little fellow,
he hasn't spoken a word since.
It was terrible for me.
Then they shot my husband.
That was a year ago.
The boy used to be able to talk
but now he says nothing more.
Only once he said:
"Mama, I don't ever want to learn how to talk.".
And A Smoke Arose
Like The Smoke From A Furnace
And the fifth angel sounded..
...and I saw a star fall from heaven onto the earth.
And to him was given the key "of the bottomless pit
...and he opened the bottomless pit..
...and there arose a smoke out of the pit
as the smoke of a great furnace,..
...and the sun and the air were darkened
by reason of the smoke.
And in those days shall men seek
"death, and shall not find it..."
...and shall desire to die, and death shall flee from them.
A Pilgrimage
A Dinosaur's Feast
Protuberances
The Drying Up Of The Wells
Life Without Fire
Two figures are approaching an oil well.
One of them holds a lighted torch.
What are they up to?
Are they going to rekindle the blaze?
Has life without fire become unbearable for them?
Others, seized by madness follow suit.
Now they are content,
now there is something to extinguish again.
I Am So Weary Of Sighing, 0 Lord,
Grant That The Night Cometh