A strangely hypnotic and somewhat lyrical experience. The plot or lack of it is not important, you will remember this because of its many unique scenes and Kinski's unsettling performance. A boat perched in the top of a tree, an uncontrollable and dirty river, a monkey in the hands of a madman. Fantastic.
Herzog's style feels very much like a documentary, as we are an unknown crew member witnessing these events right along side these men on their journey into madness. [Full Review]
Aguirre: The Wrath of God begins with the murders of six men and the unexplained disappearance of a seventh aboard a rogue raft. This scene foretells the fate of a mutinous forward expedition and it dawns upon us that the seventh man represents their leader, Aguirre. The film climaxes with Aguirre reclaiming enough composure to straighten his gaze, break the 4th wall and promptly herald 'I am the wrath of God!', true madness. One of the most refreshing pieces of cinema you will see.
Great direction, acting, and haunting cinematography. When I first saw it, I wasn't fond of it, but I eventually grew to like it. Never knew a shot of a horse would be so memorable.
Herzog is great when he gets to direct in the nature. The good, eerie score doesn't hurt either. Kinski is amazing but the rest of the actors and the plot are somewhat unimpressive.
I think there were definite flashes of brilliance. Particularly at the end. And I thought the lead actor was quite enigmatic. I was also impressed with the shots they got, just by filming in the Amazon. It’s all a sort of great tragedy. But yeah, I don’t know. I found some of it to be too slow and a little boring. I don’t think I quite got the film, but I can surely respect it.
Dreamlike, Aguirre is deceptively powerful despite its simple somewhat quaint approach. Kinski is diabolical and his 'la..la,la..la,la' henchman can send shivers down one's spine. This methodical masterpiece would only be helped by a more complete development of the female characters as well as the black slave, the men, and the 'Kaiser of El Dorado'. Regardless a beautiful soundtrack and the well place poetry readings carry a neo noir touch that fills in blanks captivating the audience.
A doomed expedition to South America in search of El Dorado, the lost city of gold. This movie is full of stupid eery music, poor acting and psychotic ramblings. If nobody was left alive, I wonder how the writings from the priest managed to survive. Aquirre was a psycho with dreams of conquest, searching for power, fame and riches, but his unrelenting journey only led to death for everyone in his party. Poor production and terrible storytelling.
Here we have three talents at the top of their games. Florian Fricke (Popul Vuh) delivers his finest score, an otherworldly miasma of odd sounds. Klaus Kinski is hypnotic as the megalomaniacal title character, driven by ambition and delusion. And Werner Herzog does what he does best: transports us to strange and exotic corners of existence, setting up one mysterious image after another. Haunting and mesmerizing.
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