Review of Aguirre, the Wrath of God (1972) by Mel V — 22 Feb 2009

In 1560, a group of conquistadors ventured into the Amazon jungles in search of the fabled "El Dorado", the City of Gold. By boat, the large crew recognized that this expedition was becoming hopeless, and therefore only a select number of men were set to carry out and complete the mission. Rafting down the Amazon for a week, the small crew was no match to the rapids, the native savages, and worst of all, the maniacal Aguirre (Klaus Kinski), a visionary so ruthless that he considered himself "the Wrath of God".

The small party is initially led by Don Pedro de Ursua (Ruy Guerra), with Aguirre as a simple second-in-command, however eventually Ursua is suspiciously convicted of murder and killed soon thereafter. Aguirre declares a new man the leader, Don Fernando de Guzman (Peter Berling), who is also murdered after his hearty meal of fish and fruit while the rest of his men starve. And thus, the power-hungry Aguirre becomes the emperor of the boat - a man so obsessed with legacy that even when his crew has all died, he speaks of his kingdom to their corpses and the dozens of small monkeys raiding his boat.

The tale of corruption by greed is frequently told, however it's Herzog's harrowing and full vision that brings "Aguirre: The Wrath of God" to life. From the haunting music, to the unexplainable surrealism (near the end, we see a large boat on top of a tree), to the pace, "Aguirre" is a complete film experience that absolutely solidifies it as a classic. One must also praise the performance of Klaus Kinski, who is as intimidating of an antihero as you'll ever see on film.

Perhaps the only more intimidating figure than Kinski is the jungles and rapids themselves. They serve as completely dehumanizing surroundings, certainly amplified by the ruthless savages who always seem to be just on the other side of the trees. The sense of claustrophobia you get in this film, mostly set in a boat, is astounding - especially when it's made clear that the jungle is so flooded that there's no place to park the boat.

The cinematography, from the opening shot of a single-file line of soldiers on a snakelike winding path, to the famous last scene, is breathtaking and beautiful. Herzog films another film in a similar setting, "Fitzcarraldo", a film with such an infamous production process that there was a documentary made about it. In such an unusual location, "Aguirre: The Wrath of God" becomes completely original and memorable, and only enhances everything within. Certainly it's a legendary film if only for it's impressive location.

Do yourself a favor and see this one as soon as possible. NetFlix members can watch it on Instant View.