Cinema
Aguirre, the Wrath of God
Aguirre, der Zorn Gottes
Werner Herzog · 1972
Synopsis
At Christmas 1560, a column of conquistadors led by Gonzalo Pizarro descends from the Andes towards the Amazon forest in search of El Dorado. Pizarro detaches forty men on rafts, with orders to return within a week: Pedro de Ursúa commands them, Lope de Aguirre is his second, and the monk Gaspar de Carvajal keeps the chronicle of the journey. When the flood carries off the rafts and a return becomes necessary, Aguirre pushes the men to mutiny.
Context
The film is loosely inspired by the historical figure of Lope de Aguirre, and Herzog later acknowledged that the plot was fiction. Co-produced by West Germany, Mexico and Peru with a budget of 370,000 dollars, about a third of which went to Kinski's fee, the film was shot in Peru, on tributaries of the Amazon and on the steps of Machu Picchu for the opening scene. It was his first collaboration with Kinski, and their clashes were constant. The music is by the group Popol Vuh.
Who it is for
A film of an hour and a half, shot entirely on location, with little dialogue.
Prizes and reception
Released in West Germany on 29 December 1972 and praised by critics, it appears on Time magazine's list of the hundred best films of all time.