Aguirre, the Wrath of God

Conquistador expedition travels down the Amazon to death and madness

After Pizarro’s conquest of the Inca Empire, a megalomaniacal Spanish soldier (Klaus Kinski) leads a group of conquistadores down the Amazon River in early 1561 in search of gold and more conquest.

Werner Herzog’s “Aguirre, the Wrath of God” (1972) mixes the 1541 expeditions of Gonzalo Pizarro & subordinate Francisco de Orellana with the 1560 expedition of the major characters of the film (Aguirre, Ursúa, Don Fernando, Inez and Flores), which left Peru to search for the fabled El Dorado.

This influenced superior movies like “Apocalypse Now” (1979) and “Black Robe” (1991), but “Aguirre” still packs a punch for those who can handle its unconventionality and remote jungle bleakness. It’s a polarizing picture with some loving it and others hating it. I’m in the middle.

I see its greatness: It’s artsy, realistic, haunting and there are potent, unforgettable moments, like the titular character skulking around with a menacing look. But it’s also not as effective as those two future films because it’s rather un-compelling and when the end credits start rolling the viewer is more likely to say “that was different” than be blown away.

The movie runs 1 hour, 35 minutes, and was shot in Peru.

GRADE: B-

Based (loosely) on fact, Werner Herzog takes us on an escapade through the Amazon jungle looking for the legendary El Dorado. Expedition leader and conqueror Pizarro despatches a forward troop to clear the way and gather some intelligence, and that's led by "Don Pedro" (Ruy Guerra) and his rather demonically focussed sidekick "Aguirre" (Klaus Kinski). This is an arduous and hazardous journey and the boss soon decides he wants to turn back. "Aguirre" is having none of this and so we have a change at the top and they force their way deeper and deeper into this hostile terrain with just about everything - man and beast - lined up against them. Kinski is super here portraying a man whose grasp on reality was at best limited when he started, but after months in the fever-ridden forest with his supplies running out and his men picked off one by one, we have to wonder if he had any hope of finding his city of gold in the first place let along ever making it back to tell! The cinematography is breathtaking - from the opening scenes of the Andes mountains through to the brutality of their trek - on their rickety raft with it's own toilet cabinet - the photography captures in increasing detail the descending madness on the faces of the men and the unforgiving nature of the wilderness. We can almost taste the beads of sweat running down their faces and share their joy when they find fresh water or sense a degree of hope. This imagery tries to convince our brains (and his, too) that maybe, just maybe - around the next bend? It's a film that allows Kinski to shine and offer us a performance with this character that made me shiver at times. I never liked him, he's a brute - but respect? Well, maybe... There is plenty of action to complement their quest, but there's never really any jeopardy - perhaps this is the most object lesson in futility?