Review of Aguirre, the Wrath of God (1972) by Robert C — 18 Jun 2009

A film that is subtle, quiet and racked with tension.

Few people can capture the essence of obsessive compulsive behavior and (ultimately) total madness like Werner Herzog. And he does it in a way that (at times) can almost feel like a documentary. At least from a visual standpoint.

Having said that, few people can play obsessive compulsive and/or mad quite like Klaus Kinski. Though with Klaus, I tend to doubt that these characteristics were much of a challenge for him to bring to the screen.

While the stories of their shoots together are the stuff of (film shoot hell) "legend", the end result was usually a masterpiece in one sense or another. This film is no exception and could not be made today with the same powerful realism. With the exception of the horribly fake 70's "special effects" blood. of course.

I would love to hear his (real life) daughter Nastassja Kinski recount of this shoot. She plays a small role as Aguirre's daughter in the film.