... in his pursuit of the gold of El Dorado while exhibiting incestuous thoughts towards his daughter and a belief he is god - with a supporting cast of treason, mutiny, murder, slavery, cannibalism and monkeys: you consider yourself fortunate not to have been part of the Spanish, or indeed any countries ruthless empire building in the past.

You are however grateful, for the vision and inspirational insight brought to you by Werner Herzog, leaving you transfixed by the pioneers plight, surroundings (visual and audible),naivety and ignorance in their futile quest for immortality and riches. When you couple all this with the challenges of the films gestation, the time of its inception and the instability and unpredictable nature of Klaus Kinski; that it was ever birthed in the first instance turns it into a treasure worth discovering, or rediscovering if you've mislaid your ability to explore new cinematic horizons.

This is one of the odder films I have ever watched. It's about an ill-fated expedition to look for the mythical city of El Dorado. While originally director Herzog claimed this was based on the writings of a priest, the story is actually fictional. Things go from bad to worse during this Spanish expedition as the elements and hostile natives begin slowly wiping out the expedition. Ultimately, the megalomaniacal Aguirre kills off the leader and assumes control (with, initially, a puppet in charge). When the members of the expedition are killed off by hostile natives, but considering how unpleasant and evil the Spaniards are, I really could have cared less. And that brings me to why I score this movie lower than most other reviewers. I have a bias that IF a movie has no one to care about, I feel rather indifferent about it--no matter how well-made it is. This is technically a pretty good movie (though the print on the video was very dark and not particularly sharp),and I know it was a lot of work to go to the jungle and film much of it on a raft with a tiny crew. But in the end, WHO CARES? It's different but very unpleasant and mostly historically inaccurate.

German director Werner Herzog is one talented film-maker, with some of his films among the finest of German cinema. Meanwhile, one of his most frequent collaborators Klaus Kinski was a somewhat larger than life actor in terms of screen presence with a seamlessly commanding if at times wild style of acting.

Having heard nothing but good things about 'Aguirre Wrath of God' and finally getting back on track with my film watching, it was at long last viewed. Whether it is the best Herzog/Kinski collaboration is up for debate, to me it's among the best. It is still a crowning achievement for both Herzog and Kinski and a fine example of German cinema. No matter how much it has divided audiences it cannot be denied how much effort went into 'Aguirre Wrath of God', especially with its troubled production behind the scenes.

'Aguirre Wrath of God' is quite brilliantly made. The cinematography and editing may not be some people's definition of "beautiful, but they are still impeccably crafted and enhance the harrowing atmosphere magnificently. Every bit as impressive is the locations and how they are used. Having real life locations rather than studio sets gave the film so much realism, and they are both stunning and atmospheric. The music is sometimes sparse but when used pretty haunting.

Typically Herzog directs splendidly, delivering on the substance as well as the style. The script is largely improvisational but it is remarkable that it still flowed surprisingly well. 'Aguirre Wrath of God' is not a long film and it's paced in a way that while deliberate and nuanced one never feels every second or minute. Instead if in the right mood or taking the film for what it is and what it set out to do one gets swept up by the shocking power and poignancy of what is depicted.

On top of all this, the acting is remarkable, considering the conditions and that the script was written in haste and apparently the actors weren't even permitted to see it, let alone read it. There is not a single weak performance but it is Kinski who dominates the cast and the film, a powerful and chilling performances that burns long in the memory. Not a subtle performance by any stretch but the role (which is a deliberately eccentric one, a trademark of Herzog being having eccentric character in difficult conditions) and the film didn't call for subtlety really.

In conclusion, a crowning achievement in every regard. 10/10 Bethany Cox