Through the eyes of Spanish monk Gaspar De Carvajal, the tale of Lope de Aguirre unfolds in the Amazonian rainforest. On the quest for El Dorado - the fabled land of Gold, conquistadores under Gonzalo Pizarro set out deep into the unrelenting jungles of modern-day Peru.
When rations and men are reduced to grime and dirt, Pizarro decides to send out a forward expedition to seek out the land of gold. Aguirre, the protagonist is placed second under command of the reconnaissance mission. When the leader of the expedition Ursua, decides to return to Pizarro, Aguirre stages a mutiny and holds the expedition hostage. As the mission raft winds its way deeper into the jungle, the fate of the mission - impending doom, dawns on the mutineers and the hostages.
What unfolds is the ultimate denegeration of humanity, where low men die of poisoned arrows when not stung by hunger and madness while high birth falls prey to intrigue, conspiracy and sometimes utter foolishness.
Werman Herzog's 1972 film takes the viewer back to the 16th century, where armadas and Inquisitions terrorised the 'Old' and wiped out the 'New' World. More than the technique and the pace of the story telling, what intrigues me is Herzog's vision of Aguirre. The devil incarnate or should I say the Wrath Of God, the character of Lope De Aguirre is so well etched, that it makes the art of villainy to the next level only to be perfected in decades to come [read Heath Ledger's Joker]
Klaus Kinski's depiction of Aguirre is not his own, but Herzog himself, it may seem. As I read the stories around the making of the film, it becomes clearer it's the director not the actor who's on the raft heading towards certain death. Or Victory.
Kinski wants Aguirre to be a mad, raving tyrant while Herzog wants a quiet, darker conquistadore which would not bring audiences to the edge but to squirm in their seats. Kinski does not have a lot of dialogues, but the ones he has brings out that perverse, sadistic shade which every actor worth his salt would want to achieve.
Sample This -
Aguirre overhears dissent in his ranks, Turns to his trusted lieutenant and says
' That man stands a head taller than me, That may change'
Or
When another raft of the expedition is stuck in an eddy and Ursua proposes to send a rescue team, Aguirre whispers to his lieutenant
'That cannon is getting rusty'
Not that a finely etched character is the only good thing in the film. Or perhaps one of its flaws.
As celebrated as this film is [I have just arrived late], what I didn't understand was the lack of any panoramic shots of the Rainforests (Or did I miss them).
Most of the film is shot from the raft, from the viewpoint of the gold - seekers. The camera comes ashore only sometimes when the expedition is on land. The rainforest through this genius of a technique is transformed into this dark, unknown place where only the doomed dare to tread. This is emplified when Inez- mistress/wife of Ursua walks into the forest following the execution of her 'master'.
But with all due respect if that's the objective, then wouldn't showing the vastness of the rainforest add to this aspect of the film. Maybe that's why I'll never be Herzog.
The cinematography of the film is nothing much to write about especially when one takes into account that it was shot in the breathtaking Peruvian jungle. The first few scenes including the soft focussed surf of the raging river, the dark of the forest [middle], the last scenes of Aguirre with his companions, both dead and alive are one of the few exceptionally captured moments on film.
If Herzog is to be applauded for all the subtlety, what I can't understand is the need to fudge the plot by probably a useless scene of the slave lamenting the coming of the Spaniards.
What makes the evil of the Aguirre stand out is this unfazed look played so masterfully by Kinski. The only love, it seems Aguirre has in his life is his daughter. Throughout the journey on the river, the audience is made to believe that there could be a lustful aspect to this relationship but as death & degeneration unfold, even incest is too tooty-fruity for Lope de Aguirre. For him there's only fame and power, and in it all the glory.
- I'm Aguirre, the wrath of god. I, the Wrath of God, will marry my own daughter and with her I will found the purest dynasty the world has ever seen. We shall rule this entire continent. We shall endure. I am the Wrath of God!"
When the chopped head rolls of and counts 'SIX' & obviously the monkey scenes at the end are scenes par excellence, not much because of the composition of the shot but the sheer brilliance of the 'idea'.
I feel like I'm onto something here. Aguirre is the sort of film whose theme I'm completely enamoured by. Apocalypse Now, Predator, The Beach. The jungle swallowing you, eating you up and survival just another thing you do in the jungle.
A must watch movie, a slice of history but more than that follow a man to his destruction, you just want to get into the mind of Aguirre when he has these visions of Glory and Power.
Here I come, Herzog!
Photo Credits
Mcleodganj, Dec 2008 
