Post by Capo on Dec 28, 2006 14:00:59 GMT
Aguirre, der Zorn Gottes 
Aguirre, the Wrath of God
Werner Herzog 1972 West Germany
Screenplay: Werner Herzog; Producers: Hessicher Rundfunk, Werner Herzog; Photography: Thomas Mauch; Music: Popol Vuh; Cast: Klaus Kinski, Ruy Guerra.
In 1560, an ambitious soldier in Pizarro's conquistador army leads a mission on raft down the Amazon River, and slowly goes mad.
One of those you'd have to see, not so much because it is entirely different from what synopses or written observations of aesthetic suggest, but because it is so ambitious, so magnificent and so haunting that justice seems lacking in almost every write-up. Herzog is fascinated by obsessed people, geniuses perhaps, and here it is a man obsessed with the idea of taking over not only the troop he is part of, but leading them into conquering the world. It begins with a breathtaking shot of what seems an entire army descending a mountain through the clouds, and then ascending, in the foreground of the same shot, the opposite side of the valley; moves into a vaguely interesting exposition of the troop of soldiers who face starvation if they are to remain at their new camp; and then focuses entirely on one mad soldier in particular, as he leads them to their deaths. The final shot is in stark contrast and rhythm to the opening one; Herzog's masterpiece, notable for Kinski's performance, Popol Vuh's score, and the location shooting, which belies the budget.
Aguirre, the Wrath of God
Werner Herzog 1972 West Germany
Screenplay: Werner Herzog; Producers: Hessicher Rundfunk, Werner Herzog; Photography: Thomas Mauch; Music: Popol Vuh; Cast: Klaus Kinski, Ruy Guerra.
In 1560, an ambitious soldier in Pizarro's conquistador army leads a mission on raft down the Amazon River, and slowly goes mad.
One of those you'd have to see, not so much because it is entirely different from what synopses or written observations of aesthetic suggest, but because it is so ambitious, so magnificent and so haunting that justice seems lacking in almost every write-up. Herzog is fascinated by obsessed people, geniuses perhaps, and here it is a man obsessed with the idea of taking over not only the troop he is part of, but leading them into conquering the world. It begins with a breathtaking shot of what seems an entire army descending a mountain through the clouds, and then ascending, in the foreground of the same shot, the opposite side of the valley; moves into a vaguely interesting exposition of the troop of soldiers who face starvation if they are to remain at their new camp; and then focuses entirely on one mad soldier in particular, as he leads them to their deaths. The final shot is in stark contrast and rhythm to the opening one; Herzog's masterpiece, notable for Kinski's performance, Popol Vuh's score, and the location shooting, which belies the budget.
