Following the release of the fantastic new film Fire of Love, we’ve rounded up the five best documentaries about volcanoes
Fire of Love (2022)
Fire of Love tells the story of two scientists, husband and wife Maurice and Katia Krafft, who died doing the one thing they loved most: studying, and filming, volcanoes. The documentary, which is pieced together from the Kraffts’ many hours of archival footage, touches on the science behind the couple’s work, but its main focus is the bond between the pair – as well as their incredible imagery. Their fatalistic attraction to these fiery mountains led them ever closer to the ash-spewing action, and they leave behind a legacy that has enriched our knowledge of the natural world.
Into the Inferno (2016)
Werner Herzog’s documentary is an exploration of active volcanoes from around the world, as well as the people who live and work near them. Co-directed by British volcanologist Clive Oppenheimer, it visits Mount Sinabung in Indonesia, Erta Ale in Ethiopia, the volcanoes of Iceland, North Korea and many more. The film is filled with aerial shots of great expanses of magma, rivers of lava and exploding craters, punctuated by Oppenheimer’s interviews with archaeologists, fellow volcanologists, and villagers in the Galápagos and Vanuatu who have learned to live in the shadow of these destructive forces of nature.
Fire & Iceland (2022)
Iceland is a hotbed of volcanic activity; geysers, mud pools, volcanoes and geothermal springs. But Fire & Iceland put the spotlight on its people – from the Search and Rescue crews helping over-inquisitive tourists, to the geologist studying the island’s volcanoes, to the ‘lava master’ who uses homemade lava to educate people on the different types of eruptions. For these people, volcanoes are simply a part of life.
A Perfect Planet: Volcano (2021)
The first episode of the BBC’s five-part earth science series puts the spotlight on volcanoes. Narrated by David Attenborough, it delves into their role in sustaining life on earth. Highlights of the hour-long premier include a visit to Lake Natron, a highly caustic, alkaline lake in northern Tanzania – a product of the volcanic activity of nearby Ol Doinyo Lengai. It’s practically inhospitable, save for the millions of pink flamingos that flock there each year to feed and breed.
Aliens of the Deep (2005)
In Aliens of the Deep, director James Cameron plunges us into the depths of the ocean to explore hydrothermal vents in volcanic regions of the Atlantic and Pacific. These vents are fissures in the seafloor that act like geysers or hot springs as the cool water is heated by magma. These vents are home to unique ecosystems that have evolved to live in the sulphurous waters, organisms like giant tube worms and blind white crabs, and are one of the most likely origins of the first life on Earth.
