Aguirre: madness and power

Werner Herzog's Wrath of God remains after almost 50 years, one of the scariest movies ever made. But terror comes from the condition of the plot itself, not from some outside element.

On Christmas Day 1560, a Spanish expedition led by Gonzalo Pizarro (Alejandro Repullés), descending the steep mountains of the Peruvian Andes like small ants among clouds, arrives in the rainforest in search of the legendary city of El Dorado.

Dressed like a military parade, soldiers carry heavy cannons along the muddy trails, and enslaved natives carry litters with noble ladies. At the same time, a song composes the scene with sounds that travel between the sacred and the rusticity of the Indians. It's the band Popol Vuh (name of the Mayan holy book) led by Florian Fricke.

If the music is sinister, the presence of Klaus Kinski in the role of Don Lope de Aguirre sets the harrowing tone of the action. When the expedition splits into two groups, Aguirre rebels treacherously and cowardly against the leadership of Dom Pedro de Ursua (Ruy Guerra). Leaving this nobleman injured, he appoints the unimpressive nobleman Don Fernando de Guzman (Peter Berling) to command the expedition.

In a meeting with an Indian couple who cannot hear the word of God in a bible, the arrogance of the Spanish conquerors is expressed.

In contrast to jungle adventure movies, where it is known that someone will survive in the end, this film offers few alternatives to the hostile environment of the equatorial forest, the rushing river, and the arrows of the Indians.

There are no spectacular scenes, nor many dialogues. Faith in Aguirre's delusional thinking, which speaks of being emperor of a kingdom full of riches, or the fear of this delirium, causes everyone to follow him.

In the end, what you see is a limping Aguirre and what remains of his expedition drifting on the Amazon River on a raft. The hallucinated commander's speech becomes increasingly ambitious about the future, while little monkeys insist on occupying the float.

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