In 16th-century South America, a Spanish expedition led by Gonzalo Pizarro sets out into the Amazon rainforest in search of the legendary golden city of El Dorado. After struggling through the hostile jungle and powerful river currents, the expedition becomes separated, leaving a smaller group under the command of Don Lope de Aguirre.
Aguirre gradually takes control of the expedition and openly challenges the authority of the Spanish crown. Driven by ambition and an obsessive belief in his own destiny, he leads his men deeper into the unforgiving wilderness. As food disappears, the environment becomes increasingly hostile, and members of the group begin to die, Aguirre’s authority becomes increasingly absolute and his vision increasingly detached from reality.
Werner Herzog’s Aguirre, the Wrath of God is less a conventional historical adventure than a nightmarish study of obsession, power, and madness. The Amazon landscape becomes almost as important as the characters themselves, creating a sense of isolation and inevitability as Aguirre’s grand ambitions collapse into chaos.
Director: Werner Herzog Stars: Klaus Kinski, Helena Rojo, Del Negro, Ruy Guerra, Peter Berling, Cecilia Rivera
