Review of Aguirre, the Wrath of God (1972) by Ryan M — 12 Jun 2009

The major inspiration for Apocalypse Now, Werner Herzog drops up deep in the Amazon Rainforest with the Spanish Conquistadors on the lookout for El Dorado, oh and some food as well. Fearing the search is coming to an end, a search party is organised to look for food and El Dorado, if nothing is found and the party haven't returned within a week, they will be deemed lost.

It's a simple premise, but Herzog's disturbingly surreal visuals, haunting music, and Klaus Kinski's dementedly brilliant performance elevates this film to a whole new level. We are simply an observer in Herzog's story, and we know that the possibility of finding El Dorado is remote at best, but Aguirre is the only one who doesn't realise this. Just by reading the legendary stories surrounding the making of this film, the lines between film and reality aren't necessarily blurred, you honestly can't tell if it is real or not. From the first shot, of the entire search party snaking their way down a giant Mountain, to the final shot, which is one of the greatest shots you could find in a film anywhere, Aguirre: The Wrath Of God is one of the most hauntingly atmospheric film experiences, and one of the greatest films ever made.