The Wrath of the Fandom

Aguirre-The Wrath of God (1972) A search for El Dorado, the legendary city of gold, ends in madness in the jungles of South America. A ruthless and insane 16th-century Spanish soldier usurps the leader’s role and leads his companions deeper into disaster.

Directed by Werner Herzog

Starring Klaus Kinski, Ruy Guerra, Helena Rojo, Del Negro, Peter Berling

Why I Liked It – An impressive movie-making feat.

Several items up front:

I am about to really PO a certain spectrum of the movie fandom.
If you want to see this story told ever so much better-watch “Apocalypse Now. “

And the pissing off has begun, lol.

People who should absolutely watch this movie: movie students, and Werner Herzog fans.

The second category is easy. If you’re a fan of the iconic and idiosyncratic director, you have already watched this movie. It’s considered his masterpiece. That’s reason enough for the first category to watch it. Any movie that gets the adulation this one gets, from a director who stands somewhat outside the average, is something you should see.

Here’s the problem for me. While the movie is stunning visually in so many ways, it’s also a train wreck. The script was written in two and a half days. Quite honestly, it feels like it. The dialogue is peculiar; the storyline is strange. It looks like a low-budget film because it basically is. Herzog worked close to the financial bone, employing only eight people on the film crew. It also feels like a low-budget film because every line feels like an overdub of a foreign-language movie. It both is and isn’t on this count. Originally filmed in English, the audio quality was unusable, and the entire movie was re-done and overdubbed. The movie was not planned out in advance. Every shot was framed on the set at the moment it was filmed. For those fans ready to jump down my throat with accusations of pre-existing bias, I knew none of this before I watched the movie. As I went along, the feeling of “What the hell is going on here?” grew, and I did some digging.

As for the comparison with “Apocalypse Now”, Francis Ford Coppola has acknowledged the inspiration taken from “Aguirre-The Wrath of God”. The chaotic nature of the setting as the main character floats ever deeper into the jungle and madness. The mythical goal they want to find. And everywhere, more and more madness.

I could go on and on with the strange backstory for this movie. It was shot with a stolen camera, and the director and lead actor had regular blowouts with each other.

Here’s the more important thing, though. In the end, it’s a movie you won’t stop thinking about. Herzog is a strange director to my eye, but the good stuff here is so good that I can’t contest the “masterpiece” designation.

Is this a fun watch? It’s grim and depressing, and violent. If you want to expand your understanding of what great movies look like, then it should be on your list. I think if you’re not in either of the two categories listed before, you’ll appreciate the recommendation, but never thank me for it.

You can stream “Aguirre, The Wrath of God” on Tubi, Pluto TV, Sling TV, Fandango, PLEX, YouTube, Prime Video, YouTube TV, Google TV, Apple TV.

Rating – *** Worth A Look