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Released by: Shout! Factory
Released on: March 17th, 2015.
Director: Werner Herzog
Cast: Klaus Kinski
Year: 1972
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The Movie:
For a more in depth plot synopsis, click here. Now for some thoughts on the movie...
A surreal and beautiful nightmare.
Made under circumstances so hellish that legend has it that at one point director Werner Herzog pulled a gun on his insane leading man, there are very few films that manage to captivate an audience quite like AGUIRRE, THE WRATH OF GOD.
For a comprehensive review of the film itself and its previous British edition, readers are directed to the link at the top of this page from RSP's Ian Jane on this site. This review will focus on the A/V of Shout Factory's USA edition as well as this reviewer's general thoughts.
AGUIRRE's narrative is simple enough. A Spanish missionary expedition (with a heavily military component) is tasked with penetrating the Peruvian rainforest with two goals: the bringing of Christ to the "savages" and the finding of a mythical city of gold - El Dorado. Much of the early part of the film sets up the characters and their interpersonal relationships, but one thing is clear. These people, virtually all of them, are either craven, misguided or insane.
The movie often has the look and feel of a documentary. It seems a kindred spirit to APOCALYPSE NOW as well. AGUIRRE is a film about insanity and greed but it is also about intellectual and spiritual arrogance. Even the slightly kindly in manner leader Gonzalo Pizarro (Alejandro Repullés) is really a monster. He may talk about sending a priest to bring God to the natives, but in the next breath he's splitting up his expedition into groups who's real mission is finding gold. The party is also heavily loaded with slaves who are routinely abused physically and mentally. The sight of cannons being hauled through waist high mud while conquistadors hurl verbal abuse at the slaves is disturbing and surreal. One of the most loathsome characters in the film is the priest named Gaspar (Del Negro). He piously yaps about Christ while dreaming of gold crosses around his neck. His hypocrisy is often called out by the soldiers but they are hardly better. In fact, when Kinski's Aguirre leads a mutiny many of them are thinking of riches and women. Even the slaves are mostly reprehensible - they dream of possible freedom and will happily slaughter any native in their way to get it.
AGUIRRE has a lot on its mind and Herzog makes his points brilliantly. A strong message about the folly of forced religious conversion and guerrilla warfare is there. The resisting natives are rarely seen - but their arrows are. Canons get bogged down in muck and are rendered useless. Horses and manpower are wasted trundling fat Spanish royals and mistresses around in idiotic canopies. That Nietzsche warning about the abyss is here too. Aguirre looks into it and it looks right back into him, consuming the man. For a movie so antagonistic to religion (at least the state sanctioned, organized kind) it really is extraordinary how biblical its moral thrust often is. Pride goeth before the fall. And when Kinski's Aguirre falls it is brutal. The final sequence of this masterpiece manages to be a perfect storm of biting pitch black humor and genuine horror. A madman ranting, alone, surrounded by chattering animals.
As for Kinski's performance it is important to understand a little about the man himself. He wasn't an eccentric. He wasn't a lovable crank either. He wasn't even really an "actor" the way we traditionally understand it. It would appear that he suffered from delusions of grandeur as well as severe mental illness. But he was functional. And certainly aware of what he was doing. Any serious study of Kinski's work brings one thing to the fore quickly. He was intensely charismatic. But his range was limited - he could never play a sympathetic romantic lead or shy bookworm. He was also impossible for a director to control because of the whole lightning in a bottle aspect. The genius of Herzog was his recognition of Kinski's strengths and his perfect casting choices for him. But even Herzog couldn't stop the violent eruptions (Kinski drew blood on other actors during AGUIRRE). Hence that infamous gun incident. AGUIRRE is Kinski's greatest performance because Kinski - in real life - WAS that character. He had a God complex. He treated his children abominably. He was violent. Watch him closely in the film and you see the barrier between character and actor disappear. Pure madness shines from Kinski's eyes. At one point, his character sways in time to the tones of a native's flute. I have never seen an actor so "in the moment" in any other film.
Video/Audio/Extras:
Shout! Factory's 1080p 1.33:1 framed transfer is a generally very solid affair with a few minor caveats. Some mild digital tampering does appear in the odd shot where film grain seems suspiciously absent. However, I didn't notice any missing detail and facial close ups, for example, look good. Despite being shot under hellacious conditions AND inexpensive equipment, AGUIRRE has always been a visually stunning film and this transfer does it justice. Colors pop, hazy and misty shots look strong (and this movie is loaded with haze, mist, and rain) and the image never appears smeary or digital. This is an organic film like presentation miles ahead of the likes of Shout!'s overly DNR'd Blu of Herzog's NOSFERATU. Just as it should be.
Audio is covered by three equally good tracks - German DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and 2.0 presentations and an English DTS-HD Master 2.0 dub. I went for the German 2.0 as my primary listening option because I found it the most authentic to the film's creation but the other two tracks are fine. The 5.1 opens things up discretely but does rob some of POPUL VUH's amazing score of its LFE punch. The English dub is far from an embarrassment too so those pathologically averse to subtitles will be well taken care of.
Extras are limited to a decent still gallery and two Herzog commentary tracks. The first - in English and moderated by Norman Hill is a masterclass in film commentary. Hill knows his subject well, and asks incisive questions while Herzog is funny, informative, frank and fascinating. Whether spilling the beans about Kinski's violent temper, traveling with mummies on airplanes or just filming in jungle hell, Herzog digs deep. He also has a marvelously hypnotic speaking voice. The German track has him paired up with collaborator and distributor Lauren Straub and is more academic in tone but still interesting. That one comes with subs in English. You also get the film's trailer.
The Parting Shot:
This is actually my favorite Herzog film and this edition is highly recommended. I haven't eyeballed the British BFI version but wouldn't be surprised if Shout!'s region A locked disc is identical. The film itself is a masterpiece of seething intensity and anyone who didn't pick up the USA box set that this comes from but wants this film as a standalone should scoop this one right up.
Click on the images below for full sized Blu-ray screen caps!
