Review of Aguirre, the Wrath of God

Conquistador Aguirre is on a quest, a quest for gold and glory from the legendary city of El Dorado, a quest that would fuel his thirst for power and in the end, lead him to madness. Director Werner Herzog does a wonderful job of capturing the tense hopelessness that surrounds Aguirre and the others as they travel down the river on crude rafts, while still throwing in some random touches of humor. Some of his photography is amazing, be it the opening with hundreds of people descending a very steep and foggy cliff or the haunting shot of the ship with white sails. The final shot was very nicely accomplished as well. Aguirre was played by Klaus Kinski, who gave a powerful, frightening, and very distinctive performance…he almost oozed from place to place. All in all, Aguirre was an occasionally dull but often compelling and ultimately memorable picture. The DVD commentary with Herzog (who has a pleasant voice) is informative and worthwhile.