Krakatoa (1933)

Although I’ve only been able to see a fraction of this original documentary, that’s still enough to appreciate quite an impressive demonstration of courageous camerawork. I always thought the volcano was already on an island, but what we see here basically shows us how the planet creates new islands from scratch. With jets of steam and molten rock clearly seen shooting up to three thousand feet into the air directly from craters far beneath the ocean, the proximity of the cameras to the violence of nature in this remote location is quite compelling to watch for a few lively minutes. It’s really almost as astonishing that this entire film doesn’t exist anymore, too!