Known as one of Werner Herzog's more ambitious projects
Aguirre: the Wrath of God tells the story of conquistadors lost in the amazon, searching for El Dorado. Shot on location, in hostile jungle, the film is dominated by Klaus Kinski's portrayl of Aguirre, an explorer with a Cortez complex. Through careful political manuevering and manipulation, Aguirre seizes control of a 40 man wing of the Pizarro expedition to further his own maddening ends. Deep in the jungle they search desperately for their own fame and fortune only to be led into oblivian.
The film is dominated by one main set piece: a raft used to float deep into the interior. At the beginning of the film the river flows fast, and carries the expedition with it. As their numbers are decimated, first by arrow shooting natives, and later by their own madness, the raft slows to a crawl. The flimsy vessel eventually becomes the focus of one of the most powerful shots in Herzog's career.
Aguirre is tale of brutish passions being dashed on the rocks of reality, and of men so set on riches that they destroy themselves in the search.