Ghost Elephants: In search of a silhouette, unsure of its reality.
Werner Herzog follows Dr. Steve Boyes on his newest expedition in his decade-long search for an undiscovered herd of elephants in Angola, alongside the last of the master hunters.
Werner Herzog, one of the most legendary directors of our day, was just honoured with the Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement at the 82nd Venice Film Festival. Whether it is his full-length features, documentaries, or just his biography, he never ceases to amaze and inspire. In his newest documentary, which just premiered at the festival, Herzog joins Dr. Steve Boyes in his search for “Ghost Elephants,” a mysterious herd of elephants so grand they could be the largest land mammals on earth. For a decade, Dr. Steve Boyes had searched for these creatures in the highlands of Angola, a wooded plateau that is practically uninhabitable, the size of England, with no forensic evidence of elephants’ existence. Is it but imagination, an illusion derived from ambition?
Like all of Herzog’s documentaries, there is not only observation, but also a story, a journey. In the Smithsonian Museum, we listen as Dr. Steve Boyes shows us the taxidermy of “Henry,” or the Fénykövi elephant. The Angolan elephant stands at 13 feet, nearly 4 meters, and weighs 11 tons. As its name suggests, it was hunted in 1955 by Josef J. Fénykövi. As Dr. Steve Boyes marvels at its majestic grandeur, he tells us the Ghost Elephants could be the descendants of Henry, for they are also grand, elegant, and truly unlike any other.
On this quest, Dr. Steve Boyes brought with him the last master trackers from Namibia. Together they set off to chase their white whale, at the Land at the End of the Earth. We follow the team from their arrival and are introduced to the San people. We learn about their language and life, which familiarizes us with those we will be spending the next hour and a half with. Animal impression is highly important to them; their movements are crafted with such observation that you find yourself in front of a man with the soul of an elephant, as he uses his arm as the long nose of the animal. We also learn about the ways of the master trackers, who can read the desert’s and plain’s ground, sound, and air like a map. All that has been and is happening is, to them, laid out in plain sight, as if spelled out in words. A broken branch indicates an elephant has rubbed its shoulder against the tree. A rustling and rumbling of the floor means predators nearby. This expedition is also accompanied by researchers in the U.S., ready to analyse the DNA and samples collected by the team if successful. This group of peculiar experts is united by the quest, each contributing through their own expertise, with Herzog conducting the narrative between the laboratories and the Angolan highlands.
Just like in other Herzog documentaries, he narrates the film in his own words. Occasionally chiming in with his personal thoughts, informing us of the events unfolding on screen, and guiding us to reflect on what we see or do not hear from the protagonists. At other times, his thoughts are more lighthearted. The director, who has long passionately despised chickens’ immense stupidity, seems to have finally found a kind fondness for them in this film for a very brief moment. Herzog has the power to tell stories, regardless of the subject, as if we are sitting by a fireplace; he can make the smallest thing grand, and the powerful a mere dust in space. In this case, the way he portrayed the elephants’ mysteriousness granted them an almost hallowed nimbus. No matter whether it is biology, chemistry, geography, or history… even if you know nothing of the subject, Herzog still manages to make every detail endlessly fascinating.
That said, the voice of the story doesn’t always have to be words; sometimes, music takes over. As Herzog mentioned in his masterclass later, in collaboration with Dutch composer Ernst Reijseger, they integrated Reijseger’s cello with a group of folk singers in South India who sing with an almost “prehistoric” kind of voice. This combination transports you into a nearly trance-like state when accompanied by the visuals, stretching the poetry of the story through narration and images into melody.
In his previous documentaries, he’s shown that he isn't one to shy away from unveiling the cruelty of Nature, but neither is he dismissive of its beauty. Not only does he understand it, he knows exactly how to capture it in all its splendour on the silver screen. A sequence of oneiric motion—an elephant seen through an underwater lens—leaves its indentation on every viewer, rendering the scene forever unforgettable. With the motion of the current disturbed by the elephant, and light glimpsing through, it is almost divine.
Though the film is largely poetic and humorous on occasion, some parts pull you away from this otherworldly journey back to reality and history. The documentary contains scenes of elephant hunting extracted from the 1966 documentary Africa Addio. They are brutally raw and cruel—ghastly, appalling images of slaughter—that heavily contrast the rest of the film. One can't help but question… There are the San people, who still carry with them skills from the beginning of humankind, and then there are people from barely a century ago, who shoot and kill young elephants from a helicopter for sport. The fight is far from fair, and life has become a crude game. The desperate cries from the elephant and the beach of carcasses shatter one’s heart. How did we get to this?
Against such history, Dr. Steve Boyes’ quest is rooted in belief, care, and respect. It is almost an honor for us, the audience, to be able to follow along this journey and believe in the existence of this phantom silhouette. Herzog makes us understand and be compassionate with Dr. Steve Boyes thanks to the former’s artistry. A question creeps beneath the quest still: if they are not real, then we may live in this dream as long as we believe despite doubt. But if they truly are real, will there be an emptiness in knowing that this journey marks both the beginning of a chapter for researchers and the end of a decade-long dream chasing? As Herzog has it, Ghost Elephants is yet another documentary of Herzog’s that beautifully braids the fabric of imagination, dream, and reality in all its nuances.
It is Herzog’s unique narrative that renders his every picture a genre of its own. His endless persistence, defiance, dedication, and honesty to the art and the world are reflected in his every story, no matter the subject. Be it a deluded and passionate man convinced he is to live with Grizzly bears, or world-renowned volcanologists, or technology pioneers… He writes their story. Seeing him talk at his masterclass, he is endearingly honest with advice and considerably humorous. When he speaks, your attention and interest are fully his. It was an absolute honor to be able to attend this premiere. Unlike other premieres, we collectively welcomed him with a standing ovation the moment he entered the room, long before the film even started. Because, well, he is Werner Herzog, a filmmaker unlike any other.
Ghost Elephants premiered on August 28th, 2025, at the Venice International Film Festival. General release dates are yet to be announced.
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