AGUIRRE: THE WRATH OF GOD (1972)

SHORT REVIEW: Brilliant was never so boring. Werner Herzog’s masterpiece tells the story of Spaniard Don Lope de Aguirre as he goes completely insane and takes his expedition through the jungles of Peru to find the mythical city of El Dorado. They are doomed as they search for something that is not there. Many people (non film geeks) watching this film will have a perspective of this fate since they will wade through the film looking for a point only to find they are doomed to failure. This is not a film for everyone. I really enjoyed it, but then again I’m not a proper gauge when it comes to films such as this. It is films like this that separate film geeks from normal, healthy humans. A normal person will watch this film and probably be bored out of their heads after a half-hour or so. Yeah, stuff happens but man it takes a long time for it to come about. If sitting through a gaggle of Germans dressed up like Spaniards barking and snapping at one another while drifting down a Peruvian river, then this is your movie. Kidding aside, this is an extremely well shot and paced film. The knowledge of the doom that awaits the disillusioned characters only feeds into the tension of the piece. The menacing performance by reported nutcase Klaus Kinski is one of the great performances on film. The man had a great face for film and was a brilliant actors and reported nutcase. His performance in this film is so overwhelming that all of the other performances are sapped dry by his presence. It is rare to see such a demand on one’s attention by an actor. He literally is all there is to see when he is on screen even though he is surrounded by some of the most beautiful scenery in the world. Much has been made of the reports of violence and hatred between writer/director Werner Herzog and star Klaus Kinski during the shooting of this film. Although Herzog denies it, Kinski claimed that he had threatened to shoot Kinski and then himself because of their continual fights on set. I say, if you’re a patient viewer, go on and enjoy the fruits of these two men’s painfully soul wrenching and violent clash and watch this classic film. If nothing else, rent the film and watch the final few minutes. The ending shots may be some of the strangest and strongest ever put to film. RELATED REVIEW: Another Werner Herzog film Grizzly Man (2005) Categories: film, movie+review, DVD, Werner Herzog, Klaus Kinski, El Dorado