Aguirre, the Wrath of God (1972)

A Spanish expedition is sent out to travel deep into the jungle and find the legendary city of El Dorado and recover its gold for the throne of Spain. Quickly the expedition gets into trouble and leader Don Pedro de Ursua decides that they must turn back. However to do this is not an option to Don Lope de Aguirre, who leads a violent rebellion, culling those loyal to Ursua and officially breaking off ties with Spain. 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. The plot sees them gradually fall from the pomp and civility that they start the film with and this is no surprise, but the manner in which it happens is still interesting and engaging. Some viewers may find it going where they expect it to, but this should not surprise anyone and it shouldn't stop the majority of people enjoying the journey.

Herzog's direction is strong throughout. He does well with what was a very difficult shoot and he gets plenty of strong shots out of it – all of which still stand up as being impressive by today's standards. His direction of actors may not have been quite as good but the performances are still very good. Kinski is very strong in the lead role and, whether acting or not, he is totally convincing as he loses touch with reality. The support are all good, although Kinski is obviously where the picture is.

Overall an impressive film that is more worthwhile watching because of the stories behind it. The narrative may be simple and obvious enough but it is still very engaging as a journey or rather descent. Is maybe praised a little bit too highly by some but is a fascinating film regardless.

Fmovies: 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. Beautiful cinematography and locations place the viewer into the heart of the jungle, where they witness firsthand Aguirre's descent into madness. Continually interesting and exciting, it features some of the greatest images ever committed to film, most notably the opening and closing shots of the movie.

AGUIRRE: THE WRATH OF GOD (1972) Spaniards in search of El Dorado descend down an intense mountain peak with barely a path on it. Men slosh through a wet jungle forest with cannibals, dragging horses, cannons and women on thrones with them. Rafts try to navigate harsh rapids with no end in sight, sending one of them into a whirlpool. This is the first ten minutes. And it is probably easier than what it took to make the film.

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. Kinski wasn't an actor, he was a time-traveller, and his performances for Herzog are his best. My favorite scene of all his work is in this film early-on: as the huge group of slaves struggle and burn their souls carrying a woman on a throne-chair against the unforgiving jungle mud and trees, Kinski suddenly appears in the middle to offer a helping hand. He writhes and morphs, grabbing the slaves and shoving them, screaming at the top of his lungs, "Fools!!! The sedan chair is stuck!"

AGUIRRE is what got Herzog noticed around the world as part of a new group of German filmmakers along with Fassbinder and Wenders. His previous film was EVEN DWARVES STARTED SMALL, which resulted in Kinski calling him, "A mere dwarf director." The battles between he and Kinski should be legendary by now. The final result in Herzog stating he will grab his gun and kill both himself and Kinski as the actor was threatening to leave the production. Kinski was convinced and finished the film.

This story and more is part of the excellent analog track by Herzog, covering all of the hardcore production that overwhelms the more famous Coppola problems making Apocalypse Now. Herzog didn't have millions of dollars, rather 300 grand, had to live on the rafts for months and deal with the jungle and Kinski. But he never bitches - you do what you have to do, and the film is never compromised, from the costumes, the beautiful real locations and the boat hanging in the tree to the eerie group of small monkeys at the end (which Herzog had to steal, even though he paid for them). The analog track is constant (many now seem to take pauses to watch the film) with background on the idea, actors, filming and philosophies. Yes, that is a real mummy in the cannibal camp, for which Herzog's brother had to buy a passenger ticket for the plane ride over.

The DVD is another fantastic release giving the nice treatment to a title that can't be making them millionaires. The image looks great and is not letterboxed, so I assume that that is how Herzog prefers it. The three trailers didn't add much to the presentation, but that's a minor point. When they are finished with the entire Herzog collection, it will be one of the most fascinating career studies on DVD.

Aguirre, the Wrath of God fmovies. One of the reasons I go to the movies is to experience a place that I would otherwise not get to see. In Werner Herzog's astonishing "Aguirre: The Wrath of God" we are taken into the Andes region of the Middle and South Americas in the mid-16th century and are exposed to incredible images and faces. It's a haunting masterpiece that seems ageless.

At first sight, the costumes and effects seem amaturish, but quickly we realize that this makes the film superior to what it would have been if it had been made with a larger budget; it adds to the film's artistry and authenticity. Film is a visual medium and it works best when the images we see are not tied down to strictly suit the plot; this film is a feast for the eyes.

The plot, what little there is, is very simple: a crew aboard a raft are attempting to get to the 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. The physicality of Kinski's performance is startlingly effective - he seems drunk on his own sense of power and recalls Brando, Dean, and a young De Niro or Pacino at their most absorbed.

The music in the film inspires a sense of awe and wonder that, along with the lush landscape and vistas, succeeds in taking us to another place. These are the kinds of films I love: a director so obsessed with achieving a sensation of marvel, so ambitious in his scope that we are free to wander within the film's world as we watch the characters journey into the mysterious unknown of their mind.

There are many good, very good and great films - too many to list, in fact. What I am hoping to do is label each film I see fit as a "masterwork".

This film is a masterwork.

****

Filmed not far from Machu Picchu, the legendary lost city of the Incas in the mountains of Peru, the opening images of this film are breathtaking in their natural grandeur and visual scale. A long cavalcade of 16th century Spanish soldiers slowly winds its way, serpentine like, down a steep mountain face. It's one of the most impressive and awe-inspiring openings in film history.

The soldiers are searching for El Dorado, the fabled Andean city of gold. The caravan includes the story's main character, Aguirre (Klaus Kinski), a greedy, ambitious soldier who will stop at nothing in his quest for riches and power. Also included is Inez, a young, well-meaning woman who wears blue velvet and white lace. Representing the Spanish Crown, she rides in a wheeless carriage, described in the movie as the "sedan-chair", a flimsy, enclosed wooden box toted by other soldiers. The carriage, painted blue and red, is so out of place in this rugged wilderness, it's the first clue that the entire mission is a fool's errand, based on romantic dreams and delusions. Against the backdrop of towering mountains and dense jungle, the sedan-chair and Inez' regal looking clothes make Spanish royalty look impotent.

Eventually, only a small convoy of soldiers, along with Inez and her sedan-chair proceed, as El Dorado becomes ever more elusive. Down the Amazon River the little band of adventurers traverse, encountering one problem after another. Aguirre, having long since taken command, leads them on, ever in search of that pot of gold at the end of the rainbow.

Throughout the film, Aguirre rarely smiles. He displays a strange body language, sometimes leaning sideways or backwards, his thoughtful, stern face with reactions that are slow and deliberate. His behavior suggests other Messianic "leaders", like Jim Jones, who led his flock of followers to their doom in 1978 in the jungles of Guyana.

"Aguirre, The Wrath Of God" is a story of adventure, a story about the mystery of the unknown. It's a story about dreams and fantasies of greed. It's a very physical film. Every single scene, without exception, was filmed outdoors.

It's a non-Hollywood type film, too. There are no sets, and some of the plot and dialogue are improvised, enhancing spontaneity and grim realism. It's a film not unlike "Deliverance" (1972).

"Aguirre, The Wrath Of God" is one of the most visually striking film I have ever seen. And the underlying theme of mankind's arrogance, against an implacable Nature, is starkly apparent. The film is visionary, profound. It will leave many viewers changed, enriched, perhaps even a little wiser.

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. Kinski and Herzog's absolute real life hate for one another only makes the film more real in its depiction of a man driven to the edge of sanity as his obsession for a mythical treasure - so obsessed that he sacrifices all that is precious to him in finding it. 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. Pizarro, the leader of the expedition comes to the point where he must turn and head back to civilization, following a long and tormenting journey that ultimately led them to nowhere. Fearing they'll get lost in the uncharted jungles of the Amazon, he sends a smaller group to complete the journey and commands them to return within a few days if no Gold is found. It is only a matter of time before this group faces unbearable difficulties down the Amazon River. Fearing the leader of their new group might turn back to prevent any more men being killed, Don Lope de Aguirre (Kinski) inspires a mutiny and manipulates the men in believing that with the riches they would find they wouldn't need to go home. They must battle with the native enemy they can't see and walk through the most difficult terrain on a most terrifying quest. What follows is a devastating character study of human nature and how one's obsession can destroy him and everything that really matters.

This film comes as a rarity in our world gone mad - a world controlled by greedy, obsessed and powerful dehumanized people. Klaus Kinski was one of the world's most profound and versatile actors. His rough, striking and villainous exterior gave him an almighty presence. He creates such a vividly obsessed and evil character in the film, you are easily convinced he is for real. I believe his abhorrence for Werner Herzog assisted him in his performance. Never during filming did they ever share ideas, always opposing and showing one's hatred for one another, which leaves people questioning their constant repairing. But Werner Herzog makes no mistake when casting Kinski in his films. Kinski drives the film, sometimes completely on his own. Werner Herzog's films are always extremely deep, philosophical and mythical. The cinematography is consistently breathtaking and never fails to transport you to the world Herzog intends to take you. And music perfectly paints the picture of human degradation, with its slow, subtle and haunting tone. It sticks in your head long after the conclusion and adds immensely to the the power of the film.

'Aguirre: The Wrath Of God', much like 'The Mosquito Coast', is one of the most poignant character studies in film