Art FIFA 2013: Angkor

Angkor : la civilisation engloutie

France | 2012 | colour | 52 min | French

PRODUCTION TEAM

Director:  Saléha Gherdane

Cinematography: Jean-Pierre Guillerez, Fred Forêt, Raphaël Beauvois 

Editing: Sophie Le Strat 

Music: Films Distribution 

Narration: Agnès Barge

Participation: Christophe Pottier, Roland Fletcher, Jacques Gaucher, Dominique Soutif, Daniel Penny 

Producers: Hélène Coldefy 

Production: ARTE France/Iliade Productions, Crépuscule des civilisations/Les Films de l Odyssée 

Narration: Agnès Barge

Producers: Hélène Coldefy

Production: ARTE France/Iliade Productions, Crépuscule des civilisations/Les Films de l Odyssée

Distribution:  ARTE France

Official description of the film:

Angkor, capital of the Khmer Empire, the world’s largest city in the thirteenth century, was rediscovered by French explorers in the nineteenth century. They found an abandoned city whose ruins have been a source of fascination ever since. Today, the Greater Angkor Project, involving scientists of all nationalities, is attempting to penetrate the mysteries behind the disappearance of this civilization using the latest technologies. Archeologist Christophe Pottier analyzes the factors in the brutal demise of the Khmer Empire, which had dominated the region for centuries. The kingdom’s waterworks (more than 200 large canals) were key to its power, but also its Achilles heel.

The photography in this film is stunning. The areal views are magnificent. This film makes one to discover an old and complex culture which created monumental sculptures, built complex stone edifices, and participated in a grand scale projects such as building irrigation canals and water reservoirs. Just the scale of those utility works, especially as seen from the air, will amazes any spectator. Although the explanation in the film of why this culture, which strived on such grandiose building projects, has so suddenly come to an extinction seems quite logical, I found it quite unsatisfactory. Those ancient people were magnificent builders, and this despite the fact they had no access to areal views and therefore had to have an instinctive understanding of the terrain, of the minute ground inclinations, of the miles of water flow and drainage routes in order to be able to build such a complex irrigation and water storage system. Moreover, they were precise carvers of huge pieces of stone, both rectangular and sculptural. They would even chisel through a solid rock in order to establish some of the irrigation routes, if that was what it took to ensure the correct water flow. Surely such masterful craftsmen would have been able to figure out how to deepen the water reservoirs and protect them from the earth being washed off into the water system. If they were able to organize themselves to build such a complex and vast water system, they surely would have been able to organize themselves for a lesser technical task of undertaking regular maintenance works. The film concludes that their were no money for the water works maintenance. Yet where did the money come from to build this complex system to begin with?

Basically, this is a chicken and an egg dilemma. Which came first, the great civilization with smart engineers who were able to create most complex, kilometres-long water irrigation and water storage systems? Or did the water system and smart engineers came first before the civilized cities, popping up from nowhere, in order to create canals so complex, long and vast so that grand cities could be establish next to them? The engineers do not grow by themselves in the jungle communities. Big cities, which would have access to many trained and skilled people could not be established in the jungle without any secure multi-miles water supply system already being right there in place. Because of this dilemma, this civilization, though explained so skilfully in this film, still remains a great enigma to me.

Photo above courtesy of FIFA.