Aguirre, The Wrath of God

Werner Herzog’s highly visual film about an ill-fated expedition in search for the legendary El Dorado in 16th century South America is a study of madness and megalomania. Who better to portray the title character than German actor Klaus Kinski, who in real life was no stranger when it came to outbursts of madness while the on-set feuds between him and director Herzog were almost as legendary as the mythical city. Get ready for a journey you won’t forget!

Right from the opening scene, accompanied by the ethereal and transcendental music of former West German band Popol Vuh (regular collaborators on Herzog’s projects), we see a group of Spanish conquistadors, many native (and enslaved) Indios plus various Llamas and horses march down a steep and narrow mountain pass - presumably the Andes. The journey is made even more difficult by heavy cannons which need to be pulled and the utterly unsuitable armours the Conquistadores are clad in. There are also two women among the group, one being carried in a sedan chair. This scene alone is breathtaking in its beauty while at the same time, it perfectly depicts the treacherous terrain the Spanish are clearly not familiar with. The year is 1560 and it’s Christmas Eve (not that you would know it from the landscape and hot and humid weather). The group in question is led by Gonzalo Pizarro (Alejandro Repullés) and his ambition for the group is to make its way down the mountain range and then proceed through the dense Amazonian rainforest in the hope to discover the fabled city of gold - El Dorado.

Days pass and it’s now New Year’s Eve when Pizarro instructs forty men to build several rafts and venture downriver. If the chosen men have not returned to the main group within seven days (and hopefully with good news regarding El Dorado), the party will be considered lost. For the expedition, Pizarro appoints Don Pedro de Ursúa as its commander whilst second-in-command is Don Lope de Aguirre (Klaus Kinski). They are further accompanied by Brother Gaspar de Carvajal (Del Negro) whose task it is to spread the word of God among the native ‘pagans’ and last but not least, stout nobleman Don Fernando de Guzmán (Peter Berling), who represents the Spanish crown. Although Pizarro is not happy about the decision, the two aforementioned women also join the small party. They are Aguirre’s teenage daughter Flores (Cecilia Rivera, who doesn’t utter a single word throughout) and Dona Inés de Atienza (Helena Rojo), and young and headstrong mistress of Pedro de Ursúa.

Trouble soon starts when one of the rafts gets caught in an eddy, with the remaining party members unable to save it. Worse is to come as soon after, gunfire erupts and the following morning, the men on the trapped raft are found either dead or missing. Ursúa suggests bringing back the dead bodies to Pizarro’s camp for a proper Christian burial but Aguirre protests, as it would slow down the expedition. Instead, Aguirre orders members of the party to fire with a cannon at the trapped raft, thus not only destroying it but the dead bodies on it are blown into the river as well… no Christian burial needed! At that point, we (and Ursúa’s small party) get a taste of things to come and sure enough, it doesn’t take long for Aguirre to start a mutiny after the remaining rafts are swept away by rising waters and Ursúa contemplating to return to Pizarro main group, even if its means additional danger from hostile native tribes. Aguirre, however, doesn’t want to know about giving up and cleverly instigates a trial during which Ursúa is initially sentenced to death, although his life is spared (for the moment) by nobleman Guzmán. Undeterred, Aguirre emerges as the new and tyrannical leader and quickly silences anyone who still shows loyalty to Ursúa. Aguiire only shows his compassionate and human side when he plays with a baby groundhog which he smilingly hands to his daughter. At the other end of the spectrum, Dona Inés warns Aguirre that God will judge him for his actions. Thus begins a journey into madness and death as the increasingly deluded Aguirre ignores all warnings and imagines conquering the New World…

Sumptuous to look at and with minimal plot and dialogue (the visuals speak for themselves), AGUIRRE, THE WRATH OF GOD delivers a tour-de-force performance from Kinski and has stood the test of time.
BFI Film have just released the film in a brand-new 4K restoration on Blu-ray and UHD. Bonus material includes: Various audio options / Audio commentary by Werner Herzog / Film critic Mark Kermode introduces the film / four short films by Herzog made between 1968 and 1971 / Original theatrical trailer / Image gallery / Illustrated booklet (first pressing only).