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AGUIREE, THE WRATH OF GOD (1972)
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This was the movie from Lime’s list that I was least looking forward to seeing. First, I had never heard of it, had seen it on no other lists, nor seen it mentioned elsewhere on Movie Forums as good. Second, it’s a foreign film: That doesn’t necessarily mean I’m not ever going to see it; it just means that my odds of watching it were a lot lower. And third, I’m not at all interested in the Spanish conquistadors exploring America. After viewing it, though, I’m glad I saw it, because it is a good movie—dare I say great with a few re-watches. Just not a movie I’d show to friends on a Saturday night.
Klaus Kinski (Nosferatu: Phantom der Nacht) plays Don Lope de Aguirre, a conquistador who had helped take down the Incans and is now looking for the mythical city of El Dorado, the City of Gold. However, one person—Brother Gaspar de Carvajal, played by Del Negro—wants to bring religion to the savages of the land. He’s our narrator, as we read from his diary.
I liked Carvajal narrating. It helped me understand a bit more what the crew were feeling and what exactly was going on. Even if it starts it a bit late in the action (I would have loved to see them take over the Incans), the script takes us in interesting directions. Everything is taken into account—the crew’s mishaps, random Indian attacks, a mutiny, and a leader who really doesn’t want to be a leader—and most are used to their full potential. Some elements fall flat and sometimes I became uninterested in the direction it was taking, but that was only in the beginning.
That part, however beautiful looking, I felt ran on too long. Luckily Herzog used long shots very sparingly. This was my first movie in his filmography, but definitely not my last. He’s got a talent, especially since making this movie was such a challenge. From the stories I’ve heard, murder was threatened, film was lost, guns were pulled on people, and he only had 8 crew members. Peru must’ve been a very hard place to navigate (explored in the movie), and this deserves an “up” point just for effort . . .
. . . which I thought most of the cast showed. They had very deafening silences sometimes, which made me a bit uneasy. My heart began racing, wondering if an Indian attack was about to happen. Luckily the story showed us that Aguirre was smart enough to know how to survive, and to save people when he can. Del Negro is likeable enough, but the rest of the cast really didn’t matter: It was just a one-man show of Aguirre slowly going insane.
All in all, this movie was a pleasant surprise, and I think a true film buff should see it at least once.
AGUIREE, THE WRATH OF GOD (1972)
+
This was the movie from Lime’s list that I was least looking forward to seeing. First, I had never heard of it, had seen it on no other lists, nor seen it mentioned elsewhere on Movie Forums as good. Second, it’s a foreign film: That doesn’t necessarily mean I’m not ever going to see it; it just means that my odds of watching it were a lot lower. And third, I’m not at all interested in the Spanish conquistadors exploring America. After viewing it, though, I’m glad I saw it, because it is a good movie—dare I say great with a few re-watches. Just not a movie I’d show to friends on a Saturday night.
Klaus Kinski (Nosferatu: Phantom der Nacht) plays Don Lope de Aguirre, a conquistador who had helped take down the Incans and is now looking for the mythical city of El Dorado, the City of Gold. However, one person—Brother Gaspar de Carvajal, played by Del Negro—wants to bring religion to the savages of the land. He’s our narrator, as we read from his diary.
I liked Carvajal narrating. It helped me understand a bit more what the crew were feeling and what exactly was going on. Even if it starts it a bit late in the action (I would have loved to see them take over the Incans), the script takes us in interesting directions. Everything is taken into account—the crew’s mishaps, random Indian attacks, a mutiny, and a leader who really doesn’t want to be a leader—and most are used to their full potential. Some elements fall flat and sometimes I became uninterested in the direction it was taking, but that was only in the beginning.
That part, however beautiful looking, I felt ran on too long. Luckily Herzog used long shots very sparingly. This was my first movie in his filmography, but definitely not my last. He’s got a talent, especially since making this movie was such a challenge. From the stories I’ve heard, murder was threatened, film was lost, guns were pulled on people, and he only had 8 crew members. Peru must’ve been a very hard place to navigate (explored in the movie), and this deserves an “up” point just for effort . . .
. . . which I thought most of the cast showed. They had very deafening silences sometimes, which made me a bit uneasy. My heart began racing, wondering if an Indian attack was about to happen. Luckily the story showed us that Aguirre was smart enough to know how to survive, and to save people when he can. Del Negro is likeable enough, but the rest of the cast really didn’t matter: It was just a one-man show of Aguirre slowly going insane.
All in all, this movie was a pleasant surprise, and I think a true film buff should see it at least once.