The Sky Above, the Mud Below (1961) User Reviews

wimps? Hardly. An Impressive Adventure.

[solarblast · 8/10 · 29 June 2006]

I see dogbowl thought these explorers were wimps. I believe they traveled 700-1000 miles in seven months, three people died, they were near starvation several times, several people had to be air lifted to the hospital near the end of their journey, they were lost many times, ran out of supplies (eventually resupplied from the air), among head hunters many times, endured high and low temperatures with rain and wind (and mud), and bitten by leeches and flying insects for days at a time. The territory they went through had never been explored by anyone other than some native tribes, and I doubt some of them had even explored much of the isolated and wild jungle traveled in this story.

New Guinea is the second largest island on the planet. Yes, they had help from bearers, and were funded by the Dutch government. I don't see how they could be called rich. The support was necessary. It was a large and bold scientific exploration. They did receive air support of food and supplies, which were delivered at the peril of the pilots on several occasions. It's a very good story, which is probably the last of such adventures of its type. Yes, the story is missing the modern cinematography touch, and the narration is somewhat matter of fact, but it's still quite an impressive story.

Impressive Documentary - The Sky Above, the Mud Below

[arthur_tafero · 8/10 · 7 July 2023]

I had meant to see this film when I was a teenager, but I seem to never have gotten around to it, as high school was full of beckoning activities. The filming of this adventure was quite impressive; the entire trip took seven months. Each day of those seven months, or over 200 days, were 200+ days of various challenges, tortuous marches and several unknown dangers. These explorers were facing millions of flies and mosquitoes, treacherous jungle paths (when there was a path; most times there weren't any), endless vegetation and rivers flowing at 30 knots; enough to carry away even the strongest swimmer. There were pygmy tribes, friendly tribes, and mostly cautious tribes, who had never seen a Westerner. The cameraman did a fantastic job getting and developing footage in a part of the world where keeping film dry was a major challenge. You have to see the film to believe that men would put themselves through such adversity, just to explore some new areas of New Guinea. You wouldn't find me there for ten grand a month.

After seeing this, a few points need to be made

[llltdesq · 9/10 · 13 January 2007]

This documentary (and it is a documentary, not a docudrama) won an Academy Award for Documentary Feature and deserved to win. There are a number of things in this documentary which could be most unsettling to the faint-hearted, so not only is this a spoiler warning, but some of what I cover may be disturbing, so be forewarned:

This documentary covers the trek of a scientific mission to try and map the uncharted area of the island of New Guinea. It starts out with the team flying in and features the only bit of forced drollery in the beginning with a comment about one guy's evident interest in the air hostess. In the main, the narration is on point and informative.

Evidently, some do not grasp a basic and essential reality, to judge by some of the comments I've seen, so I have a few observations to make here. One, the company numbered over seventy when they met up with their porters. They initially planned to make as much of the trip to the base of the mountains (the climbing portion of the expedition) by water, which would allow them to carry more supplies, including food, for a longer part of the trip, but had to change plans and go on foot, trying to carry as much of their equipment and supplies as they could. It is practically impossible for enough food to be carried by men traveling on foot on a journey of that length for a period of five to seven months, even if all they carried was food. So they either have to be able to live off the land (which they did, to a degree, though when anything you don't recognize could prove lethal if consumed, this has practical limits) or someone has to drop supplies like food and medicine to you. That's just a practical reality of this kind of project.

Second, on a trip like this, everyone pitches in-no one, unless they are ill, is dead weight. It's just a practical necessity. Everyone had to carry their own weight.

Third, they were encountering tribes which could as easily decided to kill them as interact with them. The skulls and bones weren't decorative props on a movie set. They were very real. They faced danger most of the time they were out there, in one form or another-from sheer drops in the higher elevations to wild animals to being swept away in the rapids when attempting to cross the rivers. This was not a walk in the park.

I am in awe of the individuals who took this trip, both for their physical efforts and the hardships they (willingly) undertook (which I could not do) and for their behavior towards the tribes they encountered there. They weren't condescending and, apart from the understandable and (at least to me) justifiable horror at the clear evidence of cannibalism, the observations of the customs were remarkably free from judgment and were respectful.

This is available on DVD, along with the film Black and White In Color and the DVD is well worth having. Most recommended.

Remarkable

[sillyhat · 10/10 · 14 August 2010]

A fascinating account of a group of Europeans and local guides who journeyed by foot through 450 miles of harsh, unexplored New Guinean terrain. It offers insight as to what earlier explorers must have faced during their expeditions. On many occasions during viewing I couldn't believe they continued filming, given how difficult conditions were getting.

The expedition takes place from September 1959 to April 1960. At this time the island of New Guinea was divided between a Dutch colony in the west and an Australian colony in the east. The team appears to be financed by the government of France, to survey some uncharted territory (which had still appeared blank on maps) between two mountain ranges, and to identify the source of an important river. They have some limited contact with the Dutch colonial authorities in the capital city, but supplies can only be delivered through infrequent airdrops; the men frequently find themselves having to go it on their own.

The film can roughly be divided into two parts. In the first half of the film, we primary view a few tribal societies and see how they operate. The second half is focused more on the terrain and how the expedition muddled through as the months went on. Few details are left out: we often see nudity (several tribes do not wear clothing) as well as scenes of physical discomfort experienced by the explorers, including being swarmed by flies and covered with leeches.

The narrator does not subscribe to the standard politically-correct doctrine ("all cultures are exactly equal") of those of today - he will on occasion refer to them as "savages" and acknowledge the group's fear being around cannibalistic tribes (can you blame them?). But he does attempt to learn about their cultures, and frequently expresses his joy at the shared humanity he realizes that his men and the natives possess. He notes their astonishment at seeing modern technology (such as a radio) without so much being condescending as wondering just what it would be like to have never seen such technology before.

In sum, this is a rare viewing experience, one that will stay with the viewer for some time after wards. Definitely recommending viewing.

The Truly Other!!!

[gulag · 10/10 · 14 July 2005]

The Sky Above The Mud Below is an absolutely stunning film. This was made about 1960. It is basically one of the last journeys of its kind: A trek into unexplored territory meeting uncontacted tribes in New Guinea. Where can you go today this remote? As our world grows closer and closer in its current media saturated configuration the possibility of real geographic and ethnographic discovery by anyone is becoming more and more remote. The tribes are all accounted for. This film is the only real glimpse we can get of what it was like for explorers of the past to encounter the UNKNOWN. Yes as it is modern times they do have a radio. But no plane can land anywhere to find them. As their rickety little boat motors up river suddenly the voyagers come up a huge band of cannibal headhunters chanting intensely in canoes downstream straight towards them, hundreds and hundreds. It is compelling and eerie, Truly Other. One of the blessings of this film is that it is NOT made by anthropologists or any of the politically correct interpreters of the present, the kind of people who say "Well everyone has their own culture you know." Thus the tribal natives appear truly other in a way that preserves their mystery and uniqueness. The explorers may not understand what they are seeing but then again neither do we. The rites are truly hard to enter from the outside. Men sleep on skulls. Human skin is cut to seal a lizard skin drum. Young boys are readied to spend a night alone with a freshly cut head. Tribal warfare lurks everywhere. Malarial jungles invade the explorers' minds with frightening efficiency. Ghosts and spirits haunt everything. This film captures the dream of the exotic, the fear of the jungle as a central archetype better than any film I can think of. This is a glimpse of the true heart of darkness. This is a chance to look into a cannibal's face and to see both the humanity and that which lurks within us all. As we move towards our own neo-pagan dreams of burning men in the Nevada desert and frat house orgies captured for the Internet. New Guinea whispers to us. Paganism isn't just a few incantations of cosmic energy. There is always the blood. It must return if we move that way. Our postmodern cargo cults need to look to this part of the world to understand many things. Otherwise our rituals will bring fear lest we perform them the wrong way. I am so glad this film exists to leave a cracked door open on a world that has nearly completely vanished. They do listen to rap music now in New Guinea. You can take a tour. But New Guinea requires deep thought.

(By the way it is available on DVD now. It was made to be watched in French with English subtitles. It is on the same DVD as Black and White in Color. I wish it had a DVD of its own. A triple bill of The Sky Above The Mud Below with Dead Birds and Cannibal Tours would be outstanding.)

Embarrassing 'us' the civilized and 'them' the savages story.

[gordonty · 3/10 · 12 June 2000]

'Sky Above, Mud Below' by today's standards would not qualify as a documentary despite its Academy Award for best documentary feature in 1961. The film is painfully patronizing, while simultaneously insulting and embarrassing. The narration is a constant irritant in both it's tone and content. At one point the narrator even whispers as if standing just out of sight of the camera with a microphone in hand, ala Howard Cosell. Much of the film is quite obviously staged and many things are mentioned to be going on while never shown. The only use for this documentary now after nearly 40 years is to be the next victim of Mystery Science Theater 3000.

the past in the present

[lee_eisenberg · 10/10 · 20 December 2006]

Watching "Le ciel et la boue" (called "The Sky Above, The Mud Below" in English), I got the feeling that it may have been one of the last chances that the documentary makers had to do this; after all, how many indigenous cultures still live their traditional ways? At times, the filmmakers use some pre-conscious terms such as "savage" and "civilization", but we understand that they aren't actually trying to attack the people on whom they're focusing.

I will say that the parts about airplanes flying supplies in gave me the impression that the filmmakers wimped out sometimes. But overall, the documentary is a fascinating look at cultures which may not have survived much longer. I recommend it.

Help is only a radio away...

[dogbowl · 10 January 1999]

When I was growing up I imagined adventurers to be fearless daredevils who travelled into unknown lands by themselves. Boy was I wrong. Apparently the only people who could afford to travel in the older days were rich society men who you can bet would never carry anything by themselves. This documentary was the academy award in 1960, but when viewed by today's standards looks like it is full of a bunch of whimps. The "adventurers" never lift a finger themselves and when any sort of danger arrives they radio for help. Having supplies airlifted to you at the drop of a dime isn't very impressive if you ask me.

The Most Succinct Lesson in Modern Colonialism

[thecobrasnake · 10/10 · 21 April 2008]

The artful documentary Le Ciel et la Boue has its audience tracking French adventure-seekers through the wilds of Papua New Guinea. The crew begins by flying over the landscape to their predetermined starting point noting that soon they would be "dots on the landscape, like whoever lives in that hut." Thus, they proceed into the thicket of the 'Island of the Wicked,' so named by the Dutch colonizers that first infiltrated it.The most trying portion of their journey is 150 uncharted miles that they come to navigate on foot and by rafts of their own making.

The filmmakers are overwhelmed to say the least by "savages" with no small comparison to Kipling's "The White Man's Burden;" taking it upon themselves to wow them with opera recordings and modern medicine. They strongly emphasis headhunting and cannibalism which Gaisseau finally decides "even for New Guinea, this is a bit much." Their methodology is questionable, but their resolve, unflagging. Through leeches, malaria, dysentery, and even the quixotic death of a few native guides the French press on: "Above all, in the jungle, one must never admit the possibility of being lost." Le Ciel et la Boue might well be the most succinct lesson in modern colonialism to come out of France in 1961 besides, obviously, the Algerian War. Their strange and harried journey ends regally with the two primary filmmakers literally walking into a sunset on a beach. Throughout the movie, there were scattered references to the Moon and the rockets that had recently been exploring them. Such revelations were met with disdain from Gaisseau and the natives. The Moon must have felt even further away in New Guinea than in Paris without the technology to even observe the technologies. So this movie above all, shows the audience the remoteness of all places relative to one person. Who is where? And how far away are they from everything else? Be it 150 miles in the jungle, a desert in Africa, the streets of Paris, or the other side of the moon. There is everything and nothing to disorient us and deter us from our paths. Essentially, this film glorifies French colonialism and expansionist tactics through the cheap thrills of leeches etc with the arrogance to purport that they're "helping them." It would be grossly offensive if it wasn't so improbably funny.