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Aguirre,
the Wrath of God
(1972)
Aguirre,
der Zorn Gottes
This film is set in the Peruvian jungle in the year 1561 and concerns a team of Spanish conquistadors, led by Gonzalo Pizarro (Alejandro Rupelles), on the search for the mythical El Dorado, a land of gold. Coming across great difficulties in the jungle, Pizarro sends an expeditionary group down river to look for supplies and help. The group is led by Don Pedro de Ursua (Guerra) and second in command is Don Lope de Aguirre (Kinski). However it is not long before Aguirre leads a rebellion against Ursua, and takes command of the expedition. As they journey along the river, searching for El Dorado, they are pitted against hostile natives, the forces of nature and themselves. Aguirre becomes increasingly insane and violent, decides to overthrow Spain itself and dubs himself “The Wrath of God”.
Filmed under very arduous conditions on location in the Peruvian rainforest, this film marked the first time that director Werner Herzog and actor Klaus Kinski worked together. The two had very different ideas on how the character of Aguirre should be played, Kinski wanting to play him as a shrieking, ranting madman, while Herzog wanted something quieter and more menacing. In order to get what he wanted Herzog would frequently enrage Kinski on purpose before a take and watch the actor fly into one of his violent tantrums, so that by the time they filmed he was too exhausted to make any trouble. On one occasion Kinski hit a fellow actor on the head with a sword so hard that, if the man had not been wearing a steel helmet he would certainly have been killed. Another time Kinski fired a rifle three times into a hut crammed with extras, because he thought that they were making too much noise. One man had the top of his finger shot off and Herzog said later it was a miracle no-one was killed.
Towards the end of the shoot Kinski threatened to leave the production permanently and went down to the river with his bags to catch the boat to the nearest town. Herzog followed and informed Kinski that he had a gun with nine bullets and that if Kinski stepped on to the boat eight of them would be in his head before he reached the first bend in the river. Kinski believed him and stayed.
The film despite all the problems with the making of it, remains a classic. Starting out as an adventure film it becomes more and more surrealistic and dreamlike as it moves on, and is filled with memorable images, such as the breathtaking opening of the conquistadors and their captured slaves and animals descending a mist-shrouded mountain in a thin line towards the jungle.
Kinski does give a superb performance as a man clearly on the brink of insanity
from the very beginning of the film. The movie is marred by some bad dubbing,
even in the original German-language version, but this is a minor flaw in a film
which is otherwise a haunting and powerful masterpiece.
-Robert
Foster
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2004-2009 Thoughtsonfilm.com |
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Director:
Werner
Herzog
Writer: Werner
Herzog
Starring: Klaus
Kinski, Helena Rojo, Del Negro, Ruy Guerra, Peter Berling, Cecilia
Rivera
Distributor: New
Yorker Films
Runtime: 100
min
Rating: Not
Rated
Release Date: April
3, 1977
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