Aguirre the Wrath of God (Werner Herzog, 1972) aka Aguirre der Zorn Gottes; Klaus Kinski, Helena Rojo, Del Negro, Ruy Guerra, Peter Berling; ruthless, insane Don Lope de Aguirre leads a Spanish expedition in search of El Dorado
One of my favourites forever; one of the best opening scenes; one of the best closing scenes; one of the most striking (if mad in this case) actors. Made with a single 35mm camera that Herzog stole from a film school. Fabulous music from Herzog's friend Florian Fricke's Popol Vuh, particularly noticeable in the opening sequence. (Fricke appears as a character, a composer and keyboard player, in Kaspar Hauser.) Though mad, Kinski certainly knew what he was doing as an actor. His final gaze into the camera at the end is unforgettable - like that of Antoine Doinel at the end of The 400 Blows.
Garry Gillard | reviews | New: 24 March, 2017 | Now: 28 December, 2023