Aguirre, der Zorn Gottes

Plot synopsis:
Opening titles lay out the background of the story. After the conquest and plundering of the Inca Empire by Spain, natives invented the legend of El Dorado, supposedly situated in the headwaters of the Amazon. In 1560 a Spanish expedition set off from Peru. This is the story of the expedition based on the surviving diary of the monk Gaspar de Carvajal.As the film opens a narrator informs us that it is the 25th of December. The expedition has just passed the final peak of the Andes Mountains and is afforded its first glimpse at the jungle. We see hundreds descending into the Amazonian jungle- Spaniards in full armor, ladies in courtly dress, a monk, and hundreds of enslaved Indians carrying food, cannons, sedans and other supplies. The expedition reaches the bottom of the mountains. While many rest, Don Lope de Aguirre (Klaus Kinski) and Gonzalo Pizarro (Alejandro Repullés) stand looking at the river and discuss what faces them. Aguirre maintains that no one can conquer that river, but Pizarro believes that their journey will be easier from this point forward. Aguirre says, No, from here we are all going under. We see only the raging river for nearly a minute.Their break is not long. The group quickly begins their trek through the jungle. They begin to make their way through the jungle. On his horse, Pizarro struggles to cut through the branches with his sword; Indians struggle to carry the cannon, sedan and other goods. As they struggle in the mud the Indians are accosted by Aguirre for nearly dropping the sedan carrying one of the lady travelers. The narrator states that the Indians are useless as leaders and are dropping off like flies because of colds caused by the dramatic climate changes. The expedition stops and sets up camp near the river. Pizarro delivers a speech to the entire group. They cannot continue like this- the terrain is too difficult, rations are almost depleted, and they cannot hope of finding a populated area for a long time. As such he has changed his plan. Rafts will be built and manned by 40 men- these men will seek food, information about hostile Indians, and directions to El Dorado. They will have one week to return. If they don't return, they will be assumed dead, and the remainder of the expedition will march back the way they came. Don Pedro de Ursua (Ruy Guerra) will be in charge of the group. His mistress Donna Inez (Helena Rojo) will accompany him. Don Lope de Aguirre will be second in command, his daughter will accompany him. Brother Gaspar de Carvajal (Del Negro) will go to take the word of God to the pagans, and Don Fernando (Peter Berling) will represent the royal house of Spain. Pizarro says no one who wasn't selected should feel rejected.The group sets off on three rafts; each raft is rowed by Indians. The Spanish cast wary looks as they can hear only the raging river and the calls of the birds in the jungle surrounding them. One of the rafts gets stuck in an eddy on the other side of the river. As they are swept about in continuous circles, the remaining two rafts land on the other side of the river. They watch, clustered in a group, shouting and gesturing at the other group. Their advice, however, cannot be heard.Ursua and Aguirre discuss the trapped men. Ursua wants to help the men, but Aguirre disagrees. He does not want to stop to help them. Ursua maintains that he is still the one giving orders. As Ursua walks away Aguirre softly says, Is that so?Ursua walks over to Armando, one of the only men who will stay loyal to him, and instructs him to form a rescue party. He is to take as many men and supplies as he needs and cross the river to retrieve the trapped party. The newly formed rescue group ventures into the jungle to find a point where they can cross the river. The remaining men begin to set up camp, putting up coverings made from trees they've cut down; the women relax, and the horse gets water. Darkness falls and the group is gathered around a campfire. They discuss their trapped comrades. Several shots sound. One asks if they are being signaled, another mentions that perhaps it is a battle.Morning comes and the trapped men are dead. The river is calm now and several of the men, led by the monk, venture curiously into the river. The rescue party has just arrived and looks down at the raft, now full of only dead bodies. One notes that three men are missing- two Indians and a Spaniard. Armando directs the rescue party to return to the main body. Be wary of the Indians, he warns, the jungle is infested. One man in the party lags a few feet behind the others. His foot is caught in a trap and he is silently swept up into a tree. A comrade turns to look for him, and retraces his steps. Blood drops onto his helmet and the leaf in front of him. He looks up, and is terror struck. He turns to catch up with the group and runs screaming, Indians! Help, Help!At the camp Aguirre is unnoticed by Carvajal and Ursua as they walk past. They discuss the burial of the murdered men. Carvajal thinks the men must be buried according to a proper Christian burial. Ursua agrees and allows him to begin preparations for the ceremony. The men have passed. Aguirre calls over Perucho, one of his devotees, and mentions that the cannon is looking rusty. Perucho nods and walks over to the aforementioned cannon. Whispering La, la, la, la, he blows on a ashy light and looks around. Seeing no one he shifts the cannon slightly and ignites it. The raft and the men who were left on it are blown to bits.Inez sits halfway in her sedan and addresses Ursua. She reminds him that he knows who is responsible, and if he is allowed to get away with this- what's next? Ursua nods, but tells her they have bigger problems- Indians- theyre everywhere and no one wants to die like the men on the raft. Aguirre wouldn't rebel against the Spanish crown. Inez is skeptical and reminds him that they are no longer in Castile.Aguirre speaks with his daughter Flores. He found a tiny sloth and shares it with her. It is a little animal that sleeps the entire day.Two Spaniards sleep on rocks at the rivers edge. One awakens with a start to realize that the river has flooded and wakes up his comrade. The narrator begins: the river flooded fifteen feet last night. The rafts were swept away. Men begin scouting wood to build new rafts. Iron is collected to forge nails to help hold it together. Aguirre pulls a lifeless Indian from the water and drops him shortly thereafter. Guzman shakes an Indian, demanding an answer- will he run away if Guzman loosens his chains? He gets no answer from the silent slave. A man walks by. Guzman turns his attention to the passerby and accuses him of taking his pot. The black slave advises a conquistador not to use a tree for the raft. His advice is rejected- the advisee is afraid to venture further into the hostile jungle.
As this goes on, Ursua emerges. He asks one man what he is doing, but receives no answer. Another only responds with, everyone is doing it. No one will tell him who ordered them to begin building a raft. Ursua sees Aguirre but says nothing to him. The women observe the men as they work. Flores asks Inez, What does it all mean? Inez tells her to be quiet. It's her father's fault.The men are gathered around Ursua. Ursua speaks: He has decided that they will return to Pizarro. Aguirre is heard in the background, It is not my habit to retreat. Ursua continues: They must hike because the current is too strong. Another declares the plan is suicide- they'll all be killed by Indians! Ursua ignores the interjection- they will return to Pizarro, whatever the cost. Aguirre begins again, Shit on Pizarro- we can conquer without him. Perucho reminds them that this is why they built the rafts this morning. Aguirre calls Cortez to their attention. The great Spanish conquerer only became so renowned because he disregarded his orders. Ursua repeatedly orders Silence! But to no avail. He orders Aguirre put in chains, but is shot in the abdomen. Inez rushes to his side. His loyal Armando draws a sword, but he too is shot. Aguirre orders silence asking if anyone else wishes to join Ursua and Armando. Everyone stands silently. One begins to speak wondering what will happen now? Perhaps there are waterfalls downriver, questions another. What does it matter so long as they get closer to El Dorado, interjects another. Another man notices Ursuas fist is clenched. Surely Ursua will be killed, he mentions, but no one is willing to help him.An Indian plays a flute while Aguirre watches him.Armando is confined to chains in a jail constructed out of tree branches. Inez comforts Ursua.Monk Caspar de Carvajal sits on a rock at the river's edge. Inez approaches him. He is their last hope; Aguirre will kill Ursua and Armando. Carvajal can only console her a little- God is always on the side of the strong.Aguirre approaches Armando's cell. We want you on our side. We need men like you. He circles the cell, thwarting Armando's attempts to avoid his gaze. Think about it- but not too long. Aguirre gathers the men for a speech. They've rid themselves of the troublemakers, now it is time to elect a leader. The choice is clear- Don Fernando de Guzman. Guzman appears confused by the nomination. Perucho immediately set forth a formal proposal among the group to elect Guzman. Aguirre glares at each of the men until they reluctantly raise their hands and the decision is unanimous. Perucho elects Aguirre to remain second in command, the group agrees.Balthasar, one of the Indian slaves, speaks with Flores. He has survived plagues and floods, but what the Spanish have done to him is far worse. They named him Balthasar, his name was Runo Rimac. He was a prince before, and no one could look him in the eye. Now he is a slave like his people were. He feels sorry for Flores though, because there is no escape from this. The men sit and eat. Inez brings Armando some food to eat in his cell. While feeding him through the bars of his jail, Perucho hovers around them taunting them with a steady, la, la, la, la, la. Armando inquires quietly about how Ursua is doing. Inez does not reply.Aguirre rises to address the group again. Their position must be made legal. He orders Gaspar de Carvajal to read a document. Gaspar reads- The article addresses the king. Until yesterday these men considered themselves in the king's service. Fate, Gods Help, and their own work carried them down the river, but now they are 200 miles from Pizarro. Now they will share none of the fruits of their conquest with the Spanish crown. We Rebel Until Death. May our hands perish and our tongues dry up if this is not so. The house of Habsburg is overthrown and Phillip the Second is dethroned. By this declaration you are annihilated. Guzman is king of El Dorado. God Bless.Aguirre seizes the document from Carvajal. He declares that fortune smiles on the brave and spits on the coward. The reluctant King Guzman is shown his throne- merely two pieces of wood with a bit of velvet thrown over it. Scoffing, he asks if this is really to be his throne. Aguirre assures him it is as he forcibly seats him in it. Guzman sits there and begins to tear up. Aguirre inspects the jail cell. Armando has escaped, and the guard is dead.Guzman sits on a bench in the river, washed and massaged by two men. Aguirre comes up behind him and warns that so long as Ursua lives, his life will be in danger. Ursua still has sympathizers within the group. Guzman declares that so long as he is king, law will prevail. There should be a trial. Fine, hisses Aguirre. Try him. Then kill him.Gaspar de Carvajal leads the trial. Perucho testifies that Ursua will say nothing. No one can take what is clenched in his fist, to do so they would have to cut off his hand. Balthasar testifies that he and other Indians have received money from Ursua; Okello testifies that he has received money as well though he is not really sure as to why. Ursua is called on for a defense. Defiant, however, he says nothing. Inez sits next to him. She rises to speak. Back in Spain they paid their servant. Surely they should do the same here, even if they are Indians. Carvajal dismisses her calling her a confused child, no one will hold her testimony against her.Carvajal speaks. He declares that Ursua has been found guilty of treason and will be sentenced to death. Guzman, sitting behind him on a throne confirms the verdict and a confident Aguirre begins to walk away. He turns around, eyes wide and raging, as Guzman begins speaking again. Today is the anniversary of the last moor leaving Spain. He will grant Ursua clemency, but he forfeits all rights as a citizen. His portion will be divided- half for the church, half among the best soldiers. The following day the party continues down the river on their newly built raft. Ursua reclines by Inez, he still refuses to speak, and has begun to lose his vision. It's noon and the party spots a fire on the banks of the river. A village is burning. Aguirre sets up an attack. Okello, the black slave, is stripped save for a loin cloth, so he can scare the Indians. The group lands and, prodded by the Spaniards behind him, Okello reluctantly runs in front of them into the village. The men grab at fruit, and are admonished- they must conquer. King Guzman sits on the edge of a platform eating ripe fruit. As they discover a bucket with human skulls, and a mummy, they realize they are in a village where cannibals lived. Grabbing what little food they can, the disturbed group quickly returns to the raft and begins again to venture down the river.The river comes to a near standstill. Weary adventurers seek refuge under newly built thatched roofs. Inez warns Aguirre as he walks past- She knows his intent to kill Urusa, and God in heaven will punish him for it. Silence falls over the raft as they see Indians on the distant shore. One man is shot and dies. A perturbed Aguirre orders the men to shoot at anything to break the ominous silence. Noting the men are stilled unsettled, Aguirre orders an Indian slave to play the flute for them.Two Indians, a man and a woman, paddle over to the raft in a canoe. The Spaniards are wary of a trap, but pull them up onto the raft. The man explains with Balthasar as a translator that they have long awaited the foretold arrival of the white man with sticks that throw lightning.Guzman listens, but is quickly distracted and focuses only on the gold pendant he rips from the mans neck. They demand to know where the gold came from. The Indian's only answer is that gold is father downriver.
Gaspar de Carvajal steps forward to show the pair a Bible. He holds it up explaining that this is the word of God. He hands it to the man, who takes it and, confused, holds it against his ear. He tells the Spaniards that he hears nothing. Accused of blasphemy, he is killed. Carvajal comments that it is difficult to convert these heathens.Given hope the group begins to dream of the riches of El Dorado. Gold abounds, they have governorships, provinces and Okello even dreams of freedom. While tracing out a map Guzman declares that all the land to the left and to the right is the property of El Dorado. Every day they drift his kingdom grows larger.Okello fixes dinner for Guzman- fish stuffed with fruits and cooked over a fire. Upon being served, Guzman whines that he has no salt and holds out his cup as if expecting wine at a fine dinner. The men behind him however, are counting out the last grains they have. Today there are only ten grains per man. The horse is frightened and begins to thrash around kicking and stomping. Angry that his meal was disturbed, Guzman orders the horse off the raft. The men shove the horse off of the raft and ignore its attempt to get back on. The horse swims to the bank and stands on land the raft floats away. Carvajal muses with Perucho, that Guzman is a dead man. The sight of a horse could scare away armies of Indians, and the horse was meat for a week. Shortly thereafter Guzman is found dead just outside the raft's outhouse.Ursuas fate is sealed by Guzman's death. He is taken by Perucho and two others inland via canoe. Here, they find a tree barely able to hold his weight on its spindly branches, hoist him up so they can tie the rope down, and let him hang. Perucho sits on a branch below him and eats while reciting nonsense, waiting for Ursua to die.With all of its remaining members on board the raft keep moving slowly down the river. They approach a new group of Indians who, according to Balthasars translation, shout, Meat, Meat! Meat is floating by! As the Spaniards land, arrows fly. Spaniards shoot at Indians and light the village on fire. Starving men are soon distracted and begin to lick up salt from the ground. Suddenly a beautifully adorned Inez emerges and walks calmly and alone into the jungle. The attack is complete, and Perucho reports to Aguirre. They followed Inez's tracks a half mile into the jungle but saw neither her nor the Indians. The men accompanying him panicked at the silence and returned to the camp. As he reports a voice comes from the background. A man is plotting to return to Pizarro. He has counted the bends in the river and will travel by night and hide by day to avoid the Indians. Aguirre hears the traitor and comments to Perucho that the man speaking is a head taller than himself, and that should soon change. Perucho walks quietly over and slices the oblivious man's head off mid-sentence. Aguirre speaks- he is the greatest traitor, there will be no greater. The earth bows to his will. Anyone who attempts to leave will die. The group returns to the raft to continue downstream. As they float along, two more men are picked off by the arrows of Indians.Gaspar de Carvajal speaks with Aguirre about morale. They see nothing but death but never see their enemy. Perhaps even El Dorado is an illusion. Aguirre, however, will not have it. Mexico was no illusion, and if they give up then someone else will come along later and take it. Power and Fame are riches as well. Carvajal muses that Aguirre is leading them to their destruction- perhaps even doing so intentionally.Weeks later unbearable suffering is rampant among the men. Many are struck with fever and hallucinations due to hunger and illness. Okello sees a ship with sails in a tree. Carvajal dismisses this as a hallucination. Aguirre, however, is convinced that they will retrieve the ship and go to the Atlantic. Carvajal dares to defy him- the men are sick and near dying. They will not go with Aguirre. Okello is struck by an arrow, then Carvajal. They believe, however, that these are illusions and don't move. Flores walks to the edge of the raft and is struck by an arrow as she looks into the trees in front of her. Aguirre walks over and takes her in his arms. She dies quietly and motionless in Aguirres arms.Monkeys suddenly appear all over the raft and Aguirre follows them around the raft. He speaks- He will reach the Atlantic, take Trinidad from Spain, and Mexico from Cortez. They will have all of New Spain. He will marry his own daughter and found a pure dynasty. They will rule the entire continent together and endure. The film closes with Aguirre being the only person clearly alive. The camera circles him until the credits roll.

Tags: murder, cult, violence, insanity, psychedelic, tragedy, suspenseful, historical

Review:
Werner Herzog and Klaus Kinski's masterful achievement - Aguirre: The Wrath of God (Aguirre, der Zorn Gottes) is a rich and powerful film set deep in the the South American rain forest.
It is too fictionalized (yet plausible) to fit comfortably in the "historical fiction" shoebox; the dialog is as much a presentistic bit of reflexive thinking as it is fitting for the historical context of the film; and the setting is so breathtaking that without a plot and without the brilliant concept and fantastic acting, the film would still be breathtaking and painful.The opening scene, which very slowly depicts a caravan of Spanish soldiers, African and South American Indian slaves, burros, horses, cannons, and provisions making their way down a steep mountain path surrounded by miles of rain forest, is breathtaking and ominous, and sets not just the tone, but the pace of the film.
The rest of the cast rises to the challenge and acts right at Kinski's level, making this film one of the best actors/production team collaborations I have ever seen.This film is definitely not for everybody, it is a long, slow sip of delicious and yet bitter wine which the typical movie-goer will only appreciate when 'in the mood' for something which requires thought and energy to watch.
Due to the incredible hardships while filming on location in the Amazonian jungle, the myth surrounding AGUIRRE has almost outgrown the virtues of the film itself and over the years it has become an almost integral part when (re)viewing this film, even more so since Herzog's documentary MY BEST FIEND (1999) was released about his relationship with "best enemy" and star in many of his films, Klaus Kinski.A mesmerizing exploration of human obsession based on the diaries of Gaspar de Varvajal, a monk who accompanied Gonzalez Pizarro (half-brother of the brutal conqueror of the Incas) and died during the expedition, the film chronicles Pizarro's 1560 Peruvian expedition in search of the legendary city of gold, El Dorado.
To me it is simply astonishing Herzog decided to use their in a film about 16th century Spanish explorers shot on location in the Amazon and somehow it works wonderfully, a perfect blend of image and sound.
Besides the already astonishing, many times near-fatal accidents and Kinski's impossible madman behavior, this film seemed doomed from the start, like an old curse from the Incas.For those less familiar with Herzog's work, FITZCARRALDO (1982), also by Herzog and shot under equally horrendous conditions in the Peruvian jungle, would make a good companion piece.
The camera work is always interesting (he single-handedly "patented" camera shots that don't sweep - they ("you") stare and stare - and stare - at a thing or person or place until it becomes abstract, intense, beautiful, threatening, profound), the scoring is always appropriate yet never expected, and his casting, often using the unique talents of the late Klaus Kinski, guarantee nothing less than an intense experience...even in a film like "Aguirre", which SLOWLY claws and slogs it's way along each and every slippery, dangerous, foreign mile of jungle.
Klaus Kinski's enigmatic and frightening portrayal of man's obsession in Werner Herzog's nightmare masterpiece Aguirre: The Wrath Of God is a German film that is as powerful today as it was when released back in 1972.
Like the 'Mosquito Coast', an almost identical film, it concentrates on the human condition, in how far 'man' can go in his quest of becoming God. Werner Herzog, who's persistence in Klaus Kinski to star in most of his films, is a master storyteller and one great director, famous for other films starring Kinski including "Fitzcarraldo" and "Woyzeck".
"Aguirre: The Wrath Of God", however, is his and Klaus Kinski's most famous and one of the most powerful films of all time.Entirely a true story, set in the 1600s, following the annihilation of the Incas Empire, when the Spanish Conquistadors explored and roamed most of South America, a legendary expedition set out in Peru into the Amazon River to locate the mythical City Of Gold, El Dorado.
Much like Coppola's "Apocalypse Now," we are taken on a mesmerizing journey into the depths of madness with the focus being primarily on mood, setting, atmosphere and images.Klaus Kinski, in one of the best performances I've seen, embodies the insanity that comes with the quest for power.
Werner Herzog's masterpiece follows Klaus Kinski as a conquistador leading a group of men through his personal madness in Peru, searching for the mythical city of gold.
The group continue down the river in search of their goal but conditions are hard and it is only the increasingly unrealistic aims of Aguirre that drives them onwards.In both the film and the making of the film this is best sold as a medieval Apocalypse Now as it has a great collection of stories behind it while also being an interesting journey into the mouth of madness.
The "making of" is told better other places than I can do here so I shan't bother, but suffice to say that at times the film feels like Herzog is just watching his cast to see what happens and not just following his characters.
Stunning, dreamlike film documents (in a somewhat documentary style), the story of Don Lope de Aguirre (Klaus Kinski), who leads a group of Spanish conquistadors into the depths of the jungle in search for El Dorado, the mythical city of gold.
1972's Aguirre, the Wrath of God, by Werner Herzog concerns an expedition formed by Spanish soldiers down the Orinoco and Amazon rivers searching for the fabled Dorado.
But later on , Lope De Aguirre (Klaus Kinski , who was the start of an extremely stormy, and sometimes violent, professional relationship with Herzog that lasted 15 years) taker over the explorers .Slow-moving and interesting film that contains historical events , thrills , double-crosses and wonderful scenarios .
Werner Herzog's widely acclaimed film about a 16th century expedition into the Southern American jungle looks like some hippie commune happened upon a bunch of costumes and a camera and decided to make a movie because "everybody's an artist".Klaus Kinski, in the title role, does his wild-eyed Kinski routine, overshadowing in the process the rest of the cast who seem to be on a mission to demonstrate that acting's actually hard.The editing is poor.
Herzog claims he can't remember what he wrote on these pages."The screenplay was shot as written, with some minor differences."When people say that something's "so bad that it's good", they usually mean that a work of art is unintentionally funny, and indeed I had to laugh when I watched some of the death scenes, which seem like reenactments of something out of The Simpsons.
Meanwhile, one of his most frequent collaborators Klaus Kinski was a somewhat larger than life actor in terms of screen presence with a seamlessly commanding if at times wild style of acting.Having heard nothing but good things about 'Aguirre Wrath of God' and finally getting back on track with my film watching, it was at long last viewed.
Backed by Popol Vuh's haunting score, it is one of the finest shots in the history of cinema.The filming of The Wrath of God is possibly as well-known as the film itself, with stories of poor planning, severe injuries, and leading man Klaus Kinski's generally disruptive and psychopathic behaviour emerging from the cast and crew after the film's release.
Set in 1560, the film tells the story of the ill-fated expedition led by Gonzalo Pizarro (Alejandro Repulles) to find the fabled land of El Dorado.Accompanied by a band of Spanish conquerors and a hundred Indian slaves, Pizarro soon realises that his expedition will soon be cut short by a lack of food, water and supplies and orders a smaller group of approximately 40 men to carry on with the search.
The movie is probably about man's primordial battle with nature or about the horrors of Western conquest or some other noble subtext but getting through the suffering, long stretches of not much happening and a generally uninteresting story make the trip, like the mythical quest for El Dorado depicted in the film, something of a fool's errand.
Aguirre, the Wrath of God sees Klaus Kinski's Don Lope de Aguirre lead, eventually, many Spanish soldiers through the jungles in search of El Dorado, the city of gold.
Aguirre is given a bizarre sort of face thanks to the casting of Kinski, also his actions and general body language right from the off implant a certain degree of un-canniness or eccentricity about him.So for a film to establish both setting and characterisation of the lead role in such a manner is impressive; nobody else is really developed or has as much attention paid to them because, simply put, they are not as important.
nature perspective, one might find the final half an hour of Apocalypto as a good example.The one scene that does stand out as a clear tactic to confuse and force the audience into thinking is the one in which, very early on  (perhaps the initial incident?) the leader of the Spaniards is killed off through one way or another creating an ambiguous situation in which the group are already established to be struggling, Aguirre seems to be going a little crazy and now nobody can lead them to El Dorado.
Rather than an example of poor story telling emphasised by unrelated dialogue, it actually acts as a well timed line about something else uttered by someone perhaps going under.And so from this setting of the scene, the character introduction and scenario Aguirre and the band of soldiers travel on a mere raft, down a river which you very much get the feeling is of no return.
In the 16th century, the ruthless and insane Don Lope de Aguirre (Klaus Kinski) leads a Spanish expedition in search of El Dorado.What is most interesting about this picture is not the film itself, but the drama and violence behind the scenes.
So while the audience watches a slow boat to nowhere, the captain and crew become more and more obsessed and assured of their quest to become like God Kings of the New World.Why this movie is worth seeing is for it's photography, the Amazon looks real in this film in all it's inhospitable glory, the films only music comes from native flute, and thought the characters are Spanish, they all speak German, ha!
About the direction I believe also that Werner Herzog did a very good job on it with showing very nice the difference between the personalities of people and how this can affect the evolution of not only a quest but also a whole expedition.Finally I have to say that "Aguirre, the Wrath of God" is a very good movie which worth seeing and I recommend it to everyone.
Writer / director Werner Herzogs' poetic, haunting, beautifully filmed historical drama stars frequent collaborator Klaus Kinski, who plays the title character.
Aguirre leads a successful revolt, and the whole crew sail down the river in search of the legendary El Dorado, the lost city of gold.Herzog works with a first rate filmmaking company to create some absolutely breathtaking images.
This is a plus but does not make up for the mainly amateurish documentary style direction and production which makes it seem more like a 1970s TV docu-drama.The acting of Klaus Kinski is somewhat mesmerising and impressive and the aspect of the film which is interesting is the study of madness/megalomania in action.
'Aguirre: The Wrath of God', a story of Spanish explorers looking for El Dorado, could be summarised as a version of Joseph Conrad's 'Heart of Darkness' (or of the film it inspired, Apocalypse Now'), with one difference: Kurtz is on the boat, i.e. the madman is the leader of the expedition into the jungle, not its object.
So it's no surprise that he was engaged by this story about a group of Spanish conquistadors in 1560 trekking through the Peruvian jungle in search of El Dorado, legendary city of gold, and one man in particular, Aguirre, who stages a mutiny and continues to lead the remaining troupe on an increasingly insane and futile journey when all logic and reason compels them to turn back.It's remarkably easy to forget that you're watching staged action during this film, as the movie drips with authenticity.
The sublime aerial shots which open the film ram home that the painstaking endeavor is the real deal, the crew does go off the beaten path into the ethereal mountains, a mesmerizing hands-on style of filmmaking which has its built-in allure simply because who will not be in awe of a film takes so much human labor against the elemental force to make itself happen (the legendary Herzog-Kinski pair would go to extremes in FITZCARRALDO, a decade later), particularly at a time when the preponderance of offerings hitherto had been studio- bound, steeped in artificial aesthetics.In search of El Dorado, in the mid-16th century, a gold-crazed contingent of Spanish conquistadors goes deep into the Peruvian rain forest, lead by Pedro de Ursúa (famed Portuguese filmmaker Guerra), second-in-command Lope de Aguirre (Kinski), Brother Gaspar (Negro), a rotund nobleman Fernando de Guzmán (Berling), among others, two females, Inés (Rojo), Ursúa's wife and Florés (Rivera), Aguirre's teenage daughter, and many Indian slaves.
Merely watchful and often centering on Kinski's distinctively fierce and emotive visage, the camera expends more time perusing the biome's vista (the ship snagged on top of a tree is a coup de maître of the then young filmmaker, flagging up its powerful metaphoric impact and ludic whimsy) than engaging in the narrative proceedings as their ill-fated destiny lurking ahead, until the final majestic 360-degree twirling shot sending the megalomaniac stranded with numerous skittish monkeys on the raft, paranoid, bereft and dream-dashed.In any fair sense, the film is less potent as a character analysis of an outrageous madman than a gorgeous landscape porn, utterly otherworldly for those outsiders, but Kinski still hounds you with his muted aggro, lunacy and repellence (by dint of Herzog's tactful maneuver, who deliberately lets Kinski rip in his more frenetic performance, but saves the actual shots for the moments when he is abated or simply worn out), which would go beyond the pale in FITZCARRALDO, but here, the final impression is much more balanced and nuanced.One cannot finish the review without mentioning the acclaimed score composed by the West German avant-garde band Popol Vuh, it is unearthly but not intrusive, a bespoke incident music which leaves its repercussions long after the film reaches its finish-line..
Werner Herzog's "Aguirre, der Zorn Gottes" is a perfect example of truly affecting cinema that, even through its simplicity, manages to carve itself a memorable space in our viewing experiences.The film records the failed expedition of Lope de Aguirre (Klaus Kinski) as he leads a small and frightened group of men through the vast desolation and beauty of South America's jungles in the search of the legendary El Dorado.
This is when Kinski's title character, longing for power, takes the occasion to head a mutiny, telling the men that countless treasures lie ahead of them.The essential charm of this film is that it exhibits the cynical, self-accepting personality of Werner Herzog.
In Aquirre's case, it's a journey into madness as he tries to achieve his dreams for El Dorado on earth.Although Kinski, sadly, is no longer with us, I think we can rely on Herzog to continue producing and directing major works of film art.
Director Werner Herzog and actor Klaus Kinski did some fantastic and outstanding works together, besides Aquirre, the Wrath of God I would name Fitzcarraldo (1982), Cobra Verde (1987) and Nosferatu (1979).In Aquirre Kinski plays the ruthless and insane and passion driven Don Lope de Aguirre, leading a Spanish expedition of Conquistadors to find the city of El Dorado and plunder its riches for the Spanish crown and for himself.
"Aguirre, The Wrath of God," is a film by German New Wave key player Werner Herzog about a band of ruthless conquistadors in search of the mythical city of gold, El Dorado..
I admit it was weird to see actors dressed as conquistadors but speak German, but then I think how would a foreign audience feel about seeing a British or American film about their culture or history.Aguirre, The Wrath of God was shot on location and as expected the cinematography was fantastic, showing the beauty but also the harshness of the rainforest.
Man against man; man against nature; man against himself; this story, loosely based upon the search for El Dorado by the Spanish in the 1600s, is a marvel of film-making, and just as watchable today as it was when it was released.Klaus Kinski, in the last of five films he made with Herzog, is magnificent as the man who sought to be a God. He manages a mutiny against Don Ursua (Ruy Guerra), and leads the group to El Dorado.As they travel through the Peruvian jungle, they discover cannibals, people die, they meet some Indians, and men are decapitated.
While the main force of the expedition becomes stationary, Don Lope de Aguirre (Klaus Kinski) leads a small group of these colonizers further down the river, in a paranoid pursuit of mythical El Dorado -The City of Gold.The initial colorful obscurity of German-speaking conquistadors is quickly overshadowed by the documentary-like delivery of this extremely physical film.
The Boredom of God. In 16th century Peru, an obsessed and ruthless Spanish conquistador leads a group of men on a river raft in search of gold in this film, reminiscent of "Apocalypse Now." The location cinematography is beautiful, although surprisingly not in wide-screen format, and Kinski gives an interesting performance in the enigmatic title role.
After reading the script for this film for the first time, Klaus Kinski reportedly screamed for half an hour before the director Werner Herzog could make out what he was saying.
Werner Herzog is one of the most unique directors in cinema history, and Aguirre is the work that most encapsulates his approach to film-making.