Aguirre, der Zorn Gottes

... in his pursuit of the gold of El Dorado while exhibiting incestuous thoughts towards his daughter and a belief he is god - with a supporting cast of treason, mutiny, murder, slavery, cannibalism and monkeys: you consider yourself fortunate not to have been part of the Spanish, or indeed any countries ruthless empire building in the past.

You are however grateful, for the vision and inspirational insight brought to you by Werner Herzog, leaving you transfixed by the pioneers plight, surroundings (visual and audible), naivety and ignorance in their futile quest for immortality and riches. When you couple all this with the challenges of the films gestation, the time of its inception and the instability and unpredictable nature of Klaus Kinski; that it was ever birthed in the first instance turns it into a treasure worth discovering, or rediscovering if you've mislaid your ability to explore new cinematic horizons.

AGUIRRE: THE WRATH OF GOD (Werner Herzog - West Germany 1972).

Herzog's daring and unconventional approach in film-making is something very few filmmakers can match. 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. When the expedition is faltering by the difficult terrain, Pizarro decides to send a small party ahead to determine if exploration should continue. Though Don Pedro de Ursua (Ruy Guerra) is put in charge, he is soon challenged by the ambitious fanatical Aguirre (Klaus Kinski), who against all odds wants the journey to continue, with catastrophic consequences.

One of the key elements in Herzog's work is the use of landscape and the natural surroundings. The Amazonian jungle is a key third dimension in the film and really is a green hell, threatening and unforgiven. There's no romanticism in Herzog's view of nature. The continuing sounds of the running water and the birds are just as important for the story and the despair of Aguirre's men as the ambient electronic soundtrack by the German ensemble Popol Vuh, the ultimate modern and very German pioneers in electronic music, mixing choral chants with electronic samples and organ music. 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. Hard to identify a very important element of the "natural soundtrack": what's the name of the bird that produces this whistling shriek, that is heard almost continuously in the background and is one of the most recognizable sounds of Neo-tropical rain forests? A Quetzal?

Klaus Kinski's performance is a perfect match for Aguirre's descent into madness, eerily resemblant to Kinski's own Mad Kraut persona and well-published rampant behavior on the set and his misconduct in general actually. Watching the film for the first time with audio commentary by Herzog and he revealed many things I never heard before. One of the strangest anecdotes is not really about the film itself but is, well..truly one of the most bizarre things I ever heard.

Before the shooting started, Herzog and his crew were boarding for the plane that would bring them from Lima to Cuzco when the airplane had some technical problems. Since the airline company in question already had two or three serious accidents not long before, they decided to wait and take the next plane. Repaired or not, the plane left off anyway and crashed in the Amazonian jungle with the only survivor a young German woman, Juliane Koepcke. After weeks she finally reached a remote Indian village, malnourished, an almost fatal larval infection, close to death. Later Herzog would make a documentary about this, JULIANES STURZ IN DEN DSCHUNGEL (English title: Wings of Hope) (2000). 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. For Herzog's relationship with Kinski there is the interesting documentary MEIN LIEBSTER FEIND (My best fiend) (1999).

Camera Obscura --- 10/10

This is neither the masterwork nor the garbage most people see in it. Sure, it has a lot of very strong points - Kinski's acting, a fascinating plot, the original settings, some good cinematography and an unforgettable closing scene. However, the movie seriously suffers from awkward cuts and terrible dramaturgy; and, worst of all, the stiff dialogues and the amateur-class acting of almost everybody besides Kinski (you will note both especially if you speak German) make some scenes unbearable. So all in all, while it may have the potential to be a really great movie, it delivers only sometimes, and in order to call it a masterpiece, you would have to be very generous and overlook many flaws ...

"Aguirre, the Wrath of God": Werner Herzog is one of my all-time favorite film makers, and this is one of my favorite films by him. Actually taken from the diary of the priest who accompanied Pizarro's expedition in 1560, Herzog recreates the pretentious and self-deluded search for the "Lost City of Gold - Eldorado".

Herzog likes true stories...ones that are bizarre in their own right, but with his direction and personal vision, they become profound (and never optimistic). 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.

It is clear Herzog 'focuses' on the ridiculously high beliefs humans create for and hold of themselves - that they could actually "own" anything, "conquer" anything, outwit that which they do not understand, and by sheer Will cause anything they deem important, to exist. Herzog is NOT a cheerleader for the history of humans, but he is a ponderer... and we are fortunate he does it on film.

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 history. It is in German with subtitles, but you are bound to forget they are there, as this epic film will take you to the vast and dehumanizing Amazon on an adventurous journey you will never forget. See this for the adventure if not for the underlining depth. It is a master work from a unique artist that is Werner Herzog and made a classic by the colossal Klaus Kinski. A beautiful and haunting experience that is not to be missed.