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Aguirre, der Zorn Gottes (1972)
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Overview
User Rating:
Director:
Writer:
Werner Herzog (written by)
Release Date:
3 April 1977 (USA)
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Tagline:
On this river, God never finished his creation. more
Plot:
In in 16th century, the ruthless and insane Aguirre leads a Spanish expedition in search of El Dorado. full summary | full synopsis
Awards:
3 wins
&
1 nomination
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NewsDesk:
(5 articles)
Who do you read? Good Roger, or Bad Roger?
(From Roger Ebert's Blog. 10 December 2009, 10:41 PM, PST)
Serious Scores: 'Aguirre: The Wrath of God'
(From Cinematical. 20 November 2009, 5:15 PM, PST)
(From Roger Ebert's Blog. 10 December 2009, 10:41 PM, PST)
Serious Scores: 'Aguirre: The Wrath of God'
(From Cinematical. 20 November 2009, 5:15 PM, PST)
User Comments:
Brilliant, beautiful and desperately disturbing
more (145 total)
Cast
(Credited cast)| Klaus Kinski | ... | Don Lope de Aguirre | |
| Helena Rojo | ... | Inez | |
| Del Negro | ... | Brother Gaspar de Carvajal | |
| Ruy Guerra | ... | Don Pedro de Ursua | |
| Peter Berling | ... | Don Fernando de Guzman | |
| Cecilia Rivera | ... | Flores | |
| Daniel Ades | ... | Perucho (as Dan Ades) | |
| Edward Roland | ... | Okello | |
| Alejandro Chavez | |||
| Armando Polanah | ... | Armando | |
| Daniel Farfán | |||
| Julio E. Martínez | |||
| Alejandro Repulles | ... | Gonzalo Pizarro | |
| Indianern der Kooperative Lauramarca | |||
| rest of cast listed alphabetically: | |||
| Justo González | ... | González | |
| Antonio Marquez | |||
Additional Details
Also Known As:
Parents Guide:
Runtime:
93 min
Country:
Language:
Color:
Color (Eastmancolor)
Aspect Ratio:
1.33 : 1 more
Sound Mix:
Certification:
West Germany:12 |
South Korea:15 |
South Korea:12 (2002) |
Argentina:18 |
Australia:M (cable rating) |
Australia:PG (original rating) |
Finland:K-16 |
Norway:16 |
UK:A (original rating) |
UK:PG (video rating) (1991)
Filming Locations:
Company:
Fun Stuff
Trivia:
The complete crew comprised only eight people.
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Goofs:
Anachronisms: One of the main characters in the first part of the film, Gonzalo Pizarro, actually died in 1548 - twelve years before the film is set (1560).
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Quotes:
Movie Connections:
Referenced in Indiana Jones and the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull (2008)
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Soundtrack:
Aguirre, Der Zorn Gottes (Lacrime Di Re)
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FAQ
This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.more (145 total)
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Werner Herzog and Klaus Kinski's masterful achievement - Aguirre: The Wrath of God (Aguirre, der Zorn Gottes) is a rich and powerful film set deep in the the South American rain forest. Ostensibly a piece of historical fiction based on fragmentary evidence concerning one of the many ill-fated attempts to find and conquer the mythic El Dorado (a city of gold rumored to be anywhere from southern Canada to Patagonia), Aguirre operates on so many levels and reflects so many aspects of its story that it is difficult to convey precisely what the film is really about. It is too fictionalized (yet plausible) to fit comfortably in the "historical fiction" shoebox; the dialog is as much a presentistic bit of reflexive thinking as it is fitting for the historical context of the film; and the setting is so breathtaking that without a plot and without the brilliant concept and fantastic acting, the film would still be breathtaking and painful.
The opening scene, which very slowly depicts a caravan of Spanish soldiers, African and South American Indian slaves, burros, horses, cannons, and provisions making their way down a steep mountain path surrounded by miles of rain forest, is breathtaking and ominous, and sets not just the tone, but the pace of the film. Many people will find the pace a little too slow to handle. After a few minutes of struggle, the nobleman leader of the expedition throws in, and appoints a small number of participants to go forward into the jungle. Of these, only Lope Del Aguirre, a career soldier with vast ruthless ambition, and Ursua, a more gentle nobleman, are really leadership material. As the party floats down-river on rafts, it rapidly becomes clear by whose will the party continues on, and who will emerge as its sole leader in the end.
Herzog develops some of his usual themes in this film, and does so with poignancy and cinematography nothing short of beauty. The film is about power, madness, religion, oppression, nature, and culture, but certainly does not stop there. This is film as high art. Brilliantly executed, multi-faceted, moving, and as ambiguous as real life so often is.
This is also one of the great actor Klaus Kinski's most profound and appealing roles. Though Kinski was later typecast in mad, or at least eccentric, roles, as Aguirre he is able to show his range very effectively - because the character varies from a cold, brooding, Machiavellian rationalism to an obsessive sociopathic suicidalism. The rest of the cast rises to the challenge and acts right at Kinski's level, making this film one of the best actors/production team collaborations I have ever seen.
This film is definitely not for everybody, it is a long, slow sip of delicious and yet bitter wine which the typical movie-goer will only appreciate when 'in the mood' for something which requires thought and energy to watch. It is also one of my favorite films of all time.