Aguirre, the Wrath of God

"Aguirre" (1972) is directed by Werner Herzog (Fitzcarraldo) and was filmed on location in the Peruvian rain forest on the Amazon River. The movie is loosely based on Lope de Aguirre (Klaus Kinski) who was involved in a 1560 expedition that left Peru to find the city of El Dorado. Herzog combined this story with another Amazonian journey of Gonzalo Pizarro in 1541-1542. In real life Aguirre was a professional soldier who decided he could overthrow the Spanish rule of Peru with the 300 men on the journey. Aguirre murdered Ursua and proclaimed Guzman the "Prince of Peru", and eventually also murdered Guzman. As with many of Herzog's films the actors were pushed to the limits in the filming of this movie as they had to climb up mountains, hack through thick jungle, and ride river rapids on rafts built by natives. During the filming a storm flooded the river and subsequently buried the film sets and destroyed the rafts. This flooding was incorporated into the movie. The film has a hypnotic quality that takes one down the path of madness and hallucination. Francis Ford Coppola's 1979 film "Apocalypse Now" would be influenced by this film's visual style and narrative elements.

This particular version is in English or German, with English subtitles. The movie was originally filmed in English in mono, but the German soundtrack is superior in 5.1 Dolby Digital. The amazingly ethereal soundtrack is by Popol Vuh. This DVD's format is full screen 1.33:1 aspect ratio.

On the eastern slopes of the Andes during the Spanish expedition , Gonzalo Pizarro urges his men to continue through the thick Amazon forests despite the dangers within the dark and humid jungle. The tale of Pizarro's venture begins with an ominous warning as it is revealed to the audience that the only surviving evidence of the expedition is a journal kept by Brother Gaspar de Carvajal, a monk who travels to spread the gospel of Christianity. This bleak foreshadowing induces an inching uneasiness into the mind of the audience. This is enhanced by further looming incidents such as native slaves dying like flies from simple colds and food shortage. The low supply of food leads to a decision to split the group where one group should return for provisions and the other should continue searching for a gold shimmering city. This tale then follows the ill-fated who continue the journey for the legendary city as they are drawn deeper into the cruel world of the Amazon. Deaths of several men forebode the grim future of the expedition, which the leadership wants to call off and return to the safety of civilization. However, Aguirre (Klaus Kinski), a high ranking soldier, commands a rise against the leadership based on a proud vision of greatness and worldly riches beyond imagination that drives him to thrust deeper into the unexplored rainforest. Aguirre's vision draws the expedition into a personal realm of madness and destruction, which leads to only one certain fate.

Aguirre: The Wrath of God has a lingering effect on the audience as the eerie atmosphere created by Herzog persists from the initial shot to the final scene. There are several components that generate this bizarre ambiance of the story such as cinematography, idiosyncrasies, mise-en-scene, and performances by the cast. The cinematography is simple and sometimes documentary-like, which produces a real feeling. This real feeling together with the uncanny knowledge of the unavoidable doom enhances the extraordinary atmosphere of the venture. The complete portrait of the character Aguirre by Klaus Kinski is nothing but spectacular. Herzog's choice of mise-en-scene is delicately chosen as all the items had to be transported by the expedition. Each item within each frame displays a significant symbolism such as the horse and raft, which adds new layers to the unnatural atmosphere. Lastly, the performances by the cast are outstanding as it is not the dialogue that drives the story forward, but the visual manifestation of their being that elevates the outlandish impression of each scene. When Herzog combined all the aspects of film-making in Aguirre: The Wrath of God he left the world a brilliantly eerie cinematic experience that will leave several notions in reflecting minds.

Werner Herzog was in the seventies togeteher with the unforgettable Fassbinder, the alpha and the omega in the germany filmography of those film makers born at the end of the world war two.
Herzog has always been a high risk director. He liked to walk in the knife's edge in every film he made in those years.
But what Herzog got with this work fullfilled with superb cinematography, edition, casting, script, was something unbelievable.
In fact if you analyze carefully like me , that I 've seen all his following works, it's useless to state this is the masterpiece of Herzog, even Fitzcarraldo, filmed also with Kinski years after.
The powerful script with the Amazonas river as natural frame, the huge realism in that overpower sequence in the river with those men who are caught in circles night and day, that amazing answer who gives the priest as request to Don Pedr de Ursua when he repplies: You'll know that the church has been always with the power, such answer in the midle of the jungle, the trip around the river and the progressive growing of emotional euphoria, the madness, the sense of gretaness in the midle of nowhere, the slow decay of the reality and the final fall with monkees as his loyal servants, the work of camera , makes that film sublime, unique and one of the most supreme examples of how to make a film now and ever.
If you stiil haven't seen this movie, don't waste just any minute of your time and buy it. You'll see like me at least twenty five times and will get always something new, so typical of the masterpieces.
Kinski , in the peak of his craft. There were not enough prizes in the world enough worthy to gratify this performing.