Aguirre, the Wrath of God (1977)

`Aguirre: The Wrath of God' is the culmination of their talents and arguably their best work. Ostensibly about the early 16th Century Peruvian expedition for a lost city of gold by the Spanish explorer Pizarro, the actual subject matter is about power and what some people will do to achieve it.

Staggeringly hypnotic and lyrical, this film ranks in my top five films of all time for the simple reason that it is incredibly dreamlike, yet ironically, the most realistic evocation of a historical period that has ever been portrayed on film.

Opening with a sweeping pan over a winding Incan trail, a team of Spanish conquistadors, Indian allies and native American and African slaves, beasts of burden and heavy artillery march down a steep incline. This is 1972 and there is no CGI, no trickery, Herzog actually forced his actors to lug a cannon around the Andes (and much more besides). Almost immediately a viewer will notice the menacing power of nature and the isolation of the expedition party. This isolation is what Aguirre calculatingly plays upon.

After the impressive opening, Pizarro's search for the city of gold (the Cibola of Peru) almost immediately runs into trouble. Uncertain of which direction to strike out for next, he divides his party into two and hands the leadership of the other party to a nobleman and assigns Aguirre as his lieutenant. Aguirre has different ideas of what the goal of the expedition should be, namely that the quest for gold should be replaced with the conquering of a great slab of territory, as land brings power, not gold. He continually undermines the nobleman leader and slowly lets his hunger for power come to the fore. Eventually Aguirre tires of the yoke and mutinies, encouraging others to join him in his quest for power. All the while, the party is slowly travelling by raft down a broad river (an upper tributary of the mighty Amazon?) being slowly decimated by both nature and the local inhabitants. Oblivious to the dwindling party, the mad Aguirre wants to get to the end of the river and carve out his empire, regardless of the consequences. ...

Kinski's performance (as Aguirre) is absolutely first rate and the supporting cast are exceedingly talented, however, the power of the film lies behind the extremely adept way in which Herzog handles the visuals. It truly makes one feel like one is walking with the primitive, dirty, rapacious, immoral conquistadors. These visuals are heightened by the wonderful music of Popul Vuh. A `Krautrock' band, they nevertheless eschewed the harsh sparseness of Kraftwerk, Can, Neu, Harmonia and Cluster to come up with a far richer more melodic sound. Beautifully mournful organ music and soft pan flute music were used in all the right places to enhance the visuals' dreamlike qualities.

All in all, I can recommend this film wholeheartedly to any lover of cult movies, of history, or of European cinema. It is, however, a very deliberately paced movie and would not be enjoyable to those who are looking for mindless action or who can not appreciate that cinema gives what you take out of it. This film is an `experience' rather than mere `entertainment'.

A final note to any readers - this review is based on the cinema/video versions. The DVD has not been released yet and I have no idea of its picture quality or extras (doubtful). I was just so excited that it is finally coming out on DVD, that I had to write this and hopefully get one other person to see it :-)

Herzog has crafted an absolutely mesmerizing film that is innovative and transporting. He permeates the story with a hypnotic, ethereal atmosphere that draws you into this world, and allows you to experience the hardships of the river and the nearly insurmountable obstacles of the Peruvian Rain Forests and the mountains. He creates that sense of being in a dream, where nothing is real, all of which is enhanced by the deliberate pace Herzog sets, as well as the haunting score that intensifies Aguirre's descent into madness. There are a number of truly memorable scenes, the most brilliant of which frame the story: The opening takes you along with Pizarro and his men as they negotiate the treacherous mountain paths, plodding slowly through mud and mist against all odds. It's an extended scene that allows the viewer to assimilate the full import of what is transpiring, and with it, Herzog is letting you know what to expect from the rest of the film. It's a breathtaking beginning, rivaled only by the final scene, in which the camera endlessly circles Aguirre as he stands alone on a raft in the middle of the river, expounding his delusions of claiming lands and the conquests that lie ahead still, surrounded by scampering monkeys and an aura of doom.

Kinski, with his natural, haunted expression and the chilling depth of his eyes, is perfectly cast as Aguirre. He captures the very essence of a man whose soul is damned, yet remains adamant in his quest to fulfill what he deems to be his own destiny. Cloaked in armor, his long hair straggling out from beneath his helmet, he exhibits a singular countenance, infused with menace and an attitude of invincibility. It's a powerful performance that underscores the impact of the contrast between the strength of his misguided and paranoid character, and the folly of his actions. That he is unbalanced is obvious fairly early on in the film, and because of that, coupled with his determination, you are quickly able to discern the probable outcome of the story. And it's disturbing, watching and knowing the fate that awaits these people with whom you've become involved, while at the same time, you're somewhat numbed to it all by the wistful state of being into which you have been so subtly lulled by Herzog along the way.

The supporting cast includes Edward Roland (Okello), Dan Ades (Perucho), Del Negro (Brother Carvajal), Armando Polanah (Armando) and Peter Berling (Don Fernando). An honest consideration of instinctual behavior, "Aguirre, Wrath of God," is a thought provoking study of the innate predisposition of man to go forth and conquer, regardless of-- or perhaps owing to-- his present situation, whatever or wherever it may be. It's a rare film that will take you to a place wherein reality is seemingly an illusion reflected in madness, profoundly borne on the artistic wings of Werner Herzog.

"Aguirre, The Wrath of God" is intense. Herzog has created a film that feels unbearably realistic as he records his cast wandering around dazed and lost, sometimes looking directly at the camera in total despair. The soundtrack music, some haunting electronic soundscapes by Popol Vuh is kept to a minimum, and Herzog accentuates the tension by concentrating on the sinister quietness of the river and hazardous jungle. Kinski is sensational as the loathsome Aguirre, and as a metaphor for another notorious figure that embraced megalomania, the character takes on an even greater significance.

Shot by Herzog's regular cameraman, Thomas Mauch, the film is signposted with some extraordinary images - the opening where the conquistadors descend a mist shrouded mountain, a character who hallucinates to seeing a ship marooned upon a tall tree, and the final scene, where Aguirre is alone on his raft and over run with tiny monkeys is both astonishing and mocking...