Rating of
4/4
Aguirre, Wrath of God review
Daniel Corleone - wrote on 03/15/12
A fierce Spanish soldier named Lope de Aguirre (Klaus Kinski ) heads a group of men together with Gonzalo Pizarro (Alejandro Repullés) down the Amazon River in South America to search for the legendary city of gold in El Dorado. They pass thru a river but eventually reach shore. Don Fernando de Guzman becomes the new leader while Aguirre in second command. The men encounter hardships along the way. The score of the film was heavenly and majestic which was suited for the times. Directing style was realistic, as if getting the feeling you were with them in the voyage. Utilization of nature and living things around was evident which shows the brilliance of the cinematographer, which reminded me of the film of Malick, Tree of Life.
Performances and costumes were wonderful as well. Screenplay was effective though not as entertaining because of the pacing of the movie. One of the memorable lines from the film: Brother Gaspar de Carvajal (Del Negro) - “Thou lettest man flow on like a river and Thy years know no end. The church was always on the side of the strong.” Aguirre – “Don’t forget to pray, otherwise God could come to a bad end.” It had themes of religion, slavery, madness, sanity, power, lost dreams, poor leadership and lack of vision. This could be likened to the character discernment of figures from Raging Bull, Lawrence of Arabia, Apocalypse Now and Citizen Kane. Aguirre, The Wrath of God became an influential (one of many were apocalypse Now, admitted by Copolla) cult film radiates its brilliance thru the eyes of the director and spectacular locations during the filming.
