The historian Simon Schama writes in his compendium on human relationships with nature Landscape and Memory writes;

“The “cathedral grove,” for example, is a common tourist cliché. “Words of veneration describe this land of has,” says one particularly breathless book on the old growth forests of the Pacific Northwest. But beneath the commonplace is a long, rich, and significant history of associations between the pagan primitive grove and its tree idolatry, and the distinctive forms of Gothic architecture. The evolution from Nordic tree worship through the Christian iconography of the Tree of Life and the wooden cross to images like Caspar David Friedrich’s explicit association between the evergreen fir and the architecture of resurrection may seem esoteric. But in fact it goes directly to the heart of one of our most powerful yearnings: the craving to find in nature a consolation for our mortality.”

The art of cinematography is no stranger to an exploration of landscape as a central theme. It is used as a device in film to echo our own mythological claims and serve as that boundary between sentience and the sublime.

This selection of curated films looks at the classic, the new wave, the postmodern for inspiration for landscape as a theme.

Lawrence of Arabia

Directed by: David Lean (1962)

Peter O’Toole’s breakthrough role as Colonel T. E. Lawrence the British archeologist, diplomat, army officer, and writer, who helped instigate the Arab Revolt of WW I. A larger than life character is portrayed by another larger than life character against the Super Panavision backdrop of Jordan, Morocco, and southern Spain. The film lays the historical groundwork for the mess the Middle East is today thanks to Western interventionism. This is an epic not to be missed and revisited often. Make sure you watch the restored 216-minute version.

The Naked Prey

Director by: Cornel Wilde (1965)

The reality TV show Naked and Afraid owes much to this 60’s film, whether it knows it or not. The Naked Prey is a relentless thriller set in the savanna of the South African veldt. White colonialism meets indigenous tribalism where a European is forced to contend with the unforgiving landscape of Africa and the inhumanity of both natives and colonialists. It is one of the greatest chase films of all time. A brutal display of our baser instincts set in the landscape that birthed Homo sapiens sapiens.

Walkabout

Directed by: Nicolas Roeg (1971)

One of the first films of the Australian New Wave, Walkabout turns the Aboriginal right of passage into a white coming of age film. It’s a poignant commentary on the lost connection of modernity with the land using a subtle biblical allegory as its framework. The film critic Edward Guthmann once called the film’s imagery a “chorus of lizards.” A complex, non-judgmental film that reminds us of how we once lived in harmony with nature and then lost our way.

La Vallée (Obscured by the Clouds)

Directed by: Barbet Schroeder (1972)

Named after the Pink Floyd album that serves as its soundtrack, this French New Wave film is another clash of European confrontation with aboriginal landscapes. This trippy story positions the protagonist Viviane, a French aristocrat living New Guinea against native tribal peoples with hippies as her guide. Although the film’s lead actress Bulle Ogier is lacking in her conviction to the character, the film more than makes up for it with its breathtaking view of a “land of the lost” landscape that harks back to pre-agricultural humanity.

Days of Heaven

Directed by: Terrence Malick (1978)

The term magic hour in filmmaking was probably invented after Malick made this film. Néstor Almendros’ ability to capture the ineffable quality of dusk against a backdrop of endless fields of grain is awe-inspiring. The film is a tribute to the American vision of amber waves of grain and the midwestern landscape that became the breadbasket of our growth as a nation. It also features a score by the legendary Ennio Morricone. Like all of Malick’s films, it requires patience and lets the action speak louder than words.

Stalker

Directed by: Andrei Tarkovsky (1979)

If you have never watched a film by the late Russian director Andrei Tarkovsky you are really missing out. Stalker translates landscape into metaphors for desire. An opportunity for escape from the reality of our daily lives. This incredible existential science fiction masterpiece contemplates our ongoing relationship with environmental destruction as a pretext for morality. If ever there was a film that focused on landscape and memory this is it. Slow, meditative, and dreamlike. 

Dreams

Directed by: Akira Kurosawa (1990)

Whether it’s the floating clouds of cherry blossoms or the rainbow arching across a Japanese mountain landscape, Dreams is a film of invented remembrance based on 8 recurring dreams the director had throughout his first 45 years of life. The beauty of this film is in its recognition that dreams and waking are often indistinguishable and both are representative of our lives. A hopeful film for these times of enormous weight.

Valhalla Rising

Directed by: Nicolas Winding Refn (2009)

It’s easy to forget how our ancestors once survived the harsh climates of the north sitting in the comfort of our heated homes and walking around in our puffy down coats. Refn reminds us of a time when people could handle being shirtless in 45º temperatures and the landscape was as harsh as our own violent ways. Set in Scotland in 1096 the film tracks the escape and journey of One-Eye (Mads Mikkleson) who is in search of the Holy Land and instead finds another kind of redemption. A brutal landscape reflects human brutality.

Die Wand (The Wall)

Directed by: Julian Pölsler (2012)

The Wall is based on a 1963 novel of the same name that leverages an invisible barrier to convey our sense of isolation against the vastness of nature. Shot in the Austrian alps the film is nerve-racking and extraordinarily beautiful. Moments of heroism are interspersed with mundanity and tragedy. The film builds off of age-old mythos of the Germanic forests, their mystery, danger, and magic. Beauty is not always benign and nature not always welcoming.

Under the Skin

Directed by: Jonathan Glazer (2013)

Under the Skin pushes the definition of landscape into black boxes, windblown Scottish pine barrens, and grey covered cities. The very erotic trap that is leveraged by Johansson’s character relies on the same erotic desires we have with landscape and the notion of Acadia. There are hints of The Man Who Fell to Earth and Invasion of the Body Snatchers while avoiding the timescale of the former and the silliness of the latter. Daniel Landin’s cinematography is stunning. It’s a reimagining of the environment from an alien point of view.