What was your reaction to viewing “Aguirre, Wrath of God”? Explain why you have the reaction and, using Roger Ebert’s review as a guide, comment on something he has said in your reaction.
“I believe he wants his audiences to feel like detached observers, standing outside time, saddened by the immensity of the universe as it bears down on the dreams and delusions of man.”—Roger Ebert
Indeed, that’s exactly how I felt, much as if I were looking over the shoulders of the men and women on that ill-fated raft. The film, “Aguirre, Wrath of God” is like nothing I have ever seen before. How immense that jungle must have seemed to the Spaniards who sought El Dorado—immense and unforgiving— as arrows and darts fly from the forest into the heads and necks and backs of men. Klaus Kinski could not have been better in his role as a maddened conquistador, his blue eyes flashing, his imperial manner appearing both insane and supremely confident at the same time. Ebert calls him “crucial” and I have to agree. I am most haunted by the sight of Inez as she marches into the jungle in her palace finery to a certain death at the hands of the Indians. A visual feast, I lose count of the memorable scenes, each one unique, but the one of the raft in the eddy, circling without a chance of escape, certainly set the tone for the film to come. Facing our own catastrophe in climate change, I am haunted by the idea that we are much like Aguirre in our unwillingness to admit to any weakness. Our delusions are indeed well presented in Herzog’s masterful film.
Aguirre’s Madness of Dream There is nothing but an astonishing vision and in my brain while I watching the movie “ Aguirre, The Wrath of God”. There are few words and expression but something unseen lead me to following with, and I really do. What happened and will happen with the small group within the immense forest and endless dangerous river? What’s they for? What’s important for these? After the final scene of the character Aguirre standing alone on a craft, seems like never ever gives up a certain goal which is great or crazy, I just pull back my thinking from these fabulous scenes. This is an unusual director, I think, he just shows us an original action within it a strong, cool with handsome, a bit strange almost mad man reins a group with kinds of person. I admire the director’s bravery of risking not only filmmaking but also audiences’ view of point, his seeming not want to give audience a bias, and his laying us few suspense: what will happen of the woman going straight into jungles? what’s that matter with the item held inside the dying daughter? which direction will Aguirre go? When I prepare to write something about this film, I simply want to give the idea what I am haunted.
“What Herzog sees in the story, I think, Men haunted by a vision of great achievement, who commits the sin of pride by daring to reach for it, and are crushed by an implacable universe.”—Roger Ebert The film “Aguirre, The Wrath of God” is a masterpiece in exploration the depth of human nature, revealing the depravity and greed that can potentially govern one’s heart, being the cause of destruction. I feel how small and vulnerable men is contrasting with the overwhelming nature on the opening shot, while a long line of men snaking on a steep path. Unfortunately, the conquistador never admits their weakness because they are dominated in their expansive ambitions and avaricious lust. Werner Herzog through an ominous atmosphere surrounding his film shows us an arrogant consequence ---inevitable demise. The cloud of mist obscuring the peaks at beginning is the catastrophic sign of the conquistador. Aguirre is an evil incarnation of the madness, cruelty, and surliness. His greedy ambition---to be a ruler as God of the world---pushes this expedition into death. Klaus Kinsk creates such a vividly evil character which leads me to dislike and fear “Aguirre” from beginning to the end. I am unable to erase his eerie appearance with the disconcerted and piercing blue eyes, crooked neck, and an oblique back standing posture from my memory, ever since I have watched this film. The only few senses I see is that he is sentimental to his daughter; however, the last his desperate roar, “I the wrath of God will marry my own daughter, and with her I will found the purest dynast the earth has ever seen.” makes me sick and shocked for his insane. Although this film had shot more than four decades, Werner Herzog’s perspective still is a significant impact on our reflection.
Werner Herzog’s “Aguirre, the Wrath of God” casted in 1973, without 3D filmmaking, gave me a fantastic realistic vision. It is “one of the great haunting visions of the cinema” as reviewed by Roger Ebert. From the beginning of the film, the camera continually gives several still shots which is more than 20 second long of each: snaked downhill people, roared river, unseen eddies, misted shore, etc. The camera deeply focuses on the forest along the river while the raft goes, which makes the forest as clear as people on the raft. This effect makes me highly stressful and fearful of something coming unexpectedly. These sights and unusual people set a heavy tone all through the film. The film title is amazing too. Herzog showed how perseverant and strong-willed Aguirre was. Meanwhile Herzog also displayed how arbitrary and cruel this conquistador was. Was Aguirre a hero, or a Satan? I think Roger Ebert best answered this question: “Men haunted by a vision of great achievement, who commit the sin of pride by daring to reach for it, and are crushed by an implacable universe.”
“The film is not driven by dialogue, anyway, or even by the characters, except for Aguirre, whose personality is created as much by Kinski’s face and body as by words.”—Roger Ebert
What impresses me is Aguirre’s madness in this movie, “Aguirre, the Wrath of God.” I think Klaus Kinski acts a role as a real crazy conquistador. His appearance is fit for this character: cruel eyes, thick and bloodless lips and pale face. Especially as if his legs can’t bend, his posture is very strange when he walks. However, Klaus Kinski gives the audiences an excellent performance: Aguirre is so evil that I don’t want to continue watching the movie. I can’t understand the soldiers follow his order to rebel their command, Ursua. I believe they arrest and kill him for they want to find EI Dorado, the city of gold. Their target is gold. When they capture two Indians, a padre hands a Bible to them, “the word of God.” I think it is an irony that the invaders act as they believe in God religiously. Contrasted to their faith, Aguirre and his soldiers treat Ursua and the Indians without mercy. I guess Aguirre kills his new leader, Guzman, for he is kind to them. I feel the atmosphere of the movie is weird like monkeys on the raft, immense Peruvian rain forest and too much death happened in the expedition. This movie reflects the dark side of the human being, and the director, Werner Herzog, succeeds in showing it to the audiences.
“I believe he wants his audiences to feel like detached observers, standing outside time, saddened by the immensity of the universe as it bears down on the dreams and delusions of man.”—Roger Ebert
ReplyDeleteIndeed, that’s exactly how I felt, much as if I were looking over the shoulders of the men and women on that ill-fated raft. The film, “Aguirre, Wrath of God” is like nothing I have ever seen before. How immense that jungle must have seemed to the Spaniards who sought El Dorado—immense and unforgiving— as arrows and darts fly from the forest into the heads and necks and backs of men. Klaus Kinski could not have been better in his role as a maddened conquistador, his blue eyes flashing, his imperial manner appearing both insane and supremely confident at the same time. Ebert calls him “crucial” and I have to agree. I am most haunted by the sight of Inez as she marches into the jungle in her palace finery to a certain death at the hands of the Indians. A visual feast, I lose count of the memorable scenes, each one unique, but the one of the raft in the eddy, circling without a chance of escape, certainly set the tone for the film to come. Facing our own catastrophe in climate change, I am haunted by the idea that we are much like Aguirre in our unwillingness to admit to any weakness. Our delusions are indeed well presented in Herzog’s masterful film.
Aguirre’s Madness of Dream
ReplyDeleteThere is nothing but an astonishing vision and in my brain while I watching the movie “ Aguirre, The Wrath of God”. There are few words and expression but something unseen lead me to following with, and I really do. What happened and will happen with the small group within the immense forest and endless dangerous river? What’s they for? What’s important for these? After the final scene of the character Aguirre standing alone on a craft, seems like never ever gives up a certain goal which is great or crazy, I just pull back my thinking from these fabulous scenes. This is an unusual director, I think, he just shows us an original action within it a strong, cool with handsome, a bit strange almost mad man reins a group with kinds of person. I admire the director’s bravery of risking not only filmmaking but also audiences’ view of point, his seeming not want to give audience a bias, and his laying us few suspense: what will happen of the woman going straight into jungles? what’s that matter with the item held inside the dying daughter? which direction will Aguirre go? When I prepare to write something about this film, I simply want to give the idea what I am haunted.
“What Herzog sees in the story, I think, Men haunted by a vision of great achievement, who commits the sin of pride by daring to reach for it, and are crushed by an implacable universe.”—Roger Ebert
ReplyDeleteThe film “Aguirre, The Wrath of God” is a masterpiece in exploration the depth of human nature, revealing the depravity and greed that can potentially govern one’s heart, being the cause of destruction. I feel how small and vulnerable men is contrasting with the overwhelming nature on the opening shot, while a long line of men snaking on a steep path. Unfortunately, the conquistador never admits their weakness because they are dominated in their expansive ambitions and avaricious lust. Werner Herzog through an ominous atmosphere surrounding his film shows us an arrogant consequence ---inevitable demise. The cloud of mist obscuring the peaks at beginning is the catastrophic sign of the conquistador. Aguirre is an evil incarnation of the madness, cruelty, and surliness. His greedy ambition---to be a ruler as God of the world---pushes this expedition into death. Klaus Kinsk creates such a vividly evil character which leads me to dislike and fear “Aguirre” from beginning to the end. I am unable to erase his eerie appearance with the disconcerted and piercing blue eyes, crooked neck, and an oblique back standing posture from my memory, ever since I have watched this film. The only few senses I see is that he is sentimental to his daughter; however, the last his desperate roar, “I the wrath of God will marry my own daughter, and with her I will found the purest dynast the earth has ever seen.” makes me sick and shocked for his insane. Although this film had shot more than four decades, Werner Herzog’s perspective still is a significant impact on our reflection.
Werner Herzog’s “Aguirre, the Wrath of God” casted in 1973, without 3D filmmaking, gave me a fantastic realistic vision. It is “one of the great haunting visions of the cinema” as reviewed by Roger Ebert.
ReplyDeleteFrom the beginning of the film, the camera continually gives several still shots which is more than 20 second long of each: snaked downhill people, roared river, unseen eddies, misted shore, etc. The camera deeply focuses on the forest along the river while the raft goes, which makes the forest as clear as people on the raft. This effect makes me highly stressful and fearful of something coming unexpectedly. These sights and unusual people set a heavy tone all through the film.
The film title is amazing too. Herzog showed how perseverant and strong-willed Aguirre was. Meanwhile Herzog also displayed how arbitrary and cruel this conquistador was. Was Aguirre a hero, or a Satan? I think Roger Ebert best answered this question: “Men haunted by a vision of great achievement, who commit the sin of pride by daring to reach for it, and are crushed by an implacable universe.”
“The film is not driven by dialogue, anyway, or even by the characters, except for Aguirre, whose personality is created as much by Kinski’s face and body as by words.”—Roger Ebert
ReplyDeleteWhat impresses me is Aguirre’s madness in this movie, “Aguirre, the Wrath of God.” I think Klaus Kinski acts a role as a real crazy conquistador. His appearance is fit for this character: cruel eyes, thick and bloodless lips and pale face. Especially as if his legs can’t bend, his posture is very strange when he walks. However, Klaus Kinski gives the audiences an excellent performance: Aguirre is so evil that I don’t want to continue watching the movie. I can’t understand the soldiers follow his order to rebel their command, Ursua. I believe they arrest and kill him for they want to find EI Dorado, the city of gold. Their target is gold. When they capture two Indians, a padre hands a Bible to them, “the word of God.” I think it is an irony that the invaders act as they believe in God religiously. Contrasted to their faith, Aguirre and his soldiers treat Ursua and the Indians without mercy. I guess Aguirre kills his new leader, Guzman, for he is kind to them. I feel the atmosphere of the movie is weird like monkeys on the raft, immense Peruvian rain forest and too much death happened in the expedition. This movie reflects the dark side of the human being, and the director, Werner Herzog, succeeds in showing it to the audiences.