Aguirre: der Zorn Gottes (1973) (Aguirre: The Wrath of God)
Director Werner Herzog's film centers on the 1560 expedition
of Gonzalo Pizarro, and the conquistadors' search for El Dorado,
the legendary "City of Gold." Descending into the Amazon
basin, the expedition becomes mired in the jungle, and Pizarro
dispatches a reconnaissance expedition to explore the region.
However, once off on their own, the expedition mutinies, incited
by one of their commanders, Don Lope de Aguirre (Kinski), a ruthless
megalomaniac, who has persuaded them that they should find and
conquer El Dorado for themselves.
Herzog stages some remarkable and arresting images in this film.
The opening sequence depicts a legion of Spaniards trying to
negotiate a narrow, treacherous mountain pass, with Inca slaves,
livestock, and even artillery in tow. Later on, led by the mad
Aguirre, the conquistadors float on a raft down an endless river,
whose current slows more every day. Their armor, gunpowder, and
horses soon prove more a liability than an asset, weighing them
down and smothering their progress. Although ever hopeful that
El Dorado will appear around the next bend, it never appears,
and some of the men die of starvation, while Indian arrows claim
others, and a feverish madness quickly descends upon all.
Although realized on a modest budget, the film is epic in scope,
largely due to the fact that Herzog filmed the entire production
deep in the jungle, over 1,000 miles from civilization. Shooting
under such conditions invests the film with extraordinary realism,
the cast enduring many of the same hardships which plagued the
real expedition over 400 years ago.
For instance, the rusted weapons, tattered clothing, and rotting,
algae-infested rafts seem less the work of the art department
than natural decay. The photography is documentary-like in style
(much of it filmed with hand-held cameras), furthering the sense
of realism. Ironically however, the acting is often stylized,
particularly Kinski, whose twisted, calculated mannerisms exude
a serpent-like menace. The atmosphere of the film is intense,
and sometimes surreal, with a mood of tension and doom ever-present.
Aguirre, The Wrath of God is a far from uplifting experience,
but it is a poignant, and even hypnotic, condemnation of fanaticism
and greed. It is also one of the best films ever made about the
Spanish Conquistadors and their disastrous attempts to colonize
South America.
Paul Andrew MacLean
Shelton CT 06484 USA
(800) 232-2224 voice
(800) 775-2729 fax
LadyJanet@RenaissanceMagazine.com