The Bite Magazine - Spring/Summer 2022 - Issue 31

bitefilmreview Aguirre, theWrathofGod T he 1972 epic historical drama film Aguirre, The Wrath of God , was produced, written and directed by Werner Herzog. It starred German actor Klaus Kinski as Spanish soldier Lope de Aguirre who leads a group of conquistadors down to the Amazon River in South America, searching for the legendary city of gold and mythical golden kingdoms El Dorado and Omagua. The soundtrack was composed and performed by the West German band Popol Vuh. Aguirre, The Wrath of God, received widespread critical acclaim and quickly developed a large international cult film following. It was given an extensive arthouse theatrical release in the United States in 1977 and remained one of the director’s best-known films. Several critics have declared the film a masterpiece, and it has appeared on Time Magazine’s list of ‘All Time 100 Best Films’. Filming took place in the Peruvian rainforest on the Amazon River during an arduous five-week period, shooting on the tributaries of the Ucayali region. The cast and crew climbed mountains, cut through heavy vines to open routes to the various jungle locations, and rode treacherous river rapids on rafts built by local craft workers. With a minimalist approach to the story and dialogue, the film created a vision of madness and folly, counterpointed by the lush but unforgiv- ing Amazonian jungle and loosely based on what is known of the his- torical figure Aguirre. In historical accounts, the Spanish soldier was nicknamed El Loco (The Madman), who referred to himself as Wrath of God, Prince of Freedom. Aguirre, the Wrath of God, shows director Herzog’s mutual affection and abhorrence for nature, how it remains ambivalent to human desire and cruelty to our often maniacal ambitions, and how we continue to think, through our deluded perspective, that we can somehow con- quer it. https://whatson.bfi.org.uk/online