Aguirre, der Zorn Gottes (1972)

This one has been on my “To-watch” list for a long time. I like to put movies that I know I’ll love into a mental bank so that I know I’ll have something great to watch on a rainy day. Yeah, this is how I spend my spare time, thinking about movies to watch later. Don’t judge me. Okay, So…..

Director Werner Herzog and Actor Klaus Kinski together again, I’ve seen and loved “Fitzcarraldo” the epic film of a man and natives pulling a fucking boat over a mountain in the jungle(which they did without special effects and people actually died doing so), and the documentary of their troubled working relationship “My Best Fiend” and the Documentary of the making of “Fitzcarraldo” entitled “the Burden of Dreams”. All are mind blowing in the manner in which these men drag their vicious artistic visions into terrifying reality.

Aguirre is no different in the sense that it looks like documentary of people pushed so far that they are no longer acting, or rather you can see them still acting under amazing conditions, and just bearly holding on. Burning themselves out on the screen. The story is of group of Spanish expedition in search of El Dorado in the depths of the jungles of South America, and the complete destruction of life in their wake. It was perfect to watch on Thanksgiving evening.

It is worth pointing out that it really feel like you’re watching a play staged on a raft floating down a tumultuous river shot in a documentary style, which is exactly what it is. Pretty intense.

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