Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		2.5
Overall		4.0

Aguirre, the Wrath of God Blu-ray Movie Review

Heart of Darkness.

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman July 20, 2014

Note: This title is currently available as part of Herzog: The Collection.

Has there ever been a more fascinating figure in film than Werner Herzog? This much debated individual, one who elicits both hyperbolic accolades and equally exaggerated derision, has been a seeming force of nature in film for decades, helping to define the New German Cinema (a somewhat later analog to the French New Wave). Herzog’s filmography is rather breathtakingly diverse, traversing both traditional fiction, quasi-biographies, and a large number of documentaries. Through it all, Herzog himself has become the subject of considerable controversy, at times seeming to be as obsessively motivated as some of his film subjects. The auteur’s off kilter blend of nihilism and often black humor has given him and his films a decidedly unique place in contemporary media, to the point that a supposed note Herzog jotted off to his cleaning lady became an internet sensation (it’s actually a brilliantly written parody by Dale Shaw). Shout! Factory, a label which repeatedly stubbed its corporate toe on its last big deluxe boxed set built around the talents of one person (Bruce Lee: The Legacy Collection, the only time in my reviewing career I have had to start over from scratch due to a complete recall and reissue) may seem to be throwing caution to the wind by upping the ante with this release. Here there are no fewer than 16 films by Herzog, housed in a handsome hardback booklike case that also features a wealth of text and information about each of the films. Fifteen of the films are new to Blu-ray (Shout's horror imprint Scream Factory released Herzog's Nosferatu the Vampyre as a standalone a few months ago), and the offerings here cover both iconic films in Herzog's oeuvre as well as some oddities. The extremely handsome packaging offers a 7.5" x 7.5" x 1.5" hardback book exterior casing which houses heavy cardstock pocket holders that contain the discs. Also included are The Werner Herzog Condition by Stephen J. Smith, an appreciation of the director's work with essays about each of the films. The films get even more text in write-ups by Chris Wahl and Brad Prager. Each of the pocket holder pages details the film (or in some cases, films) on each disc, with audio options and special features listed.

Somehow Klaus Kinski and Werner Herzog managed to make four more films together after Aguirre, the Wrath of God, but that fact certainly must be considered as one of the major miracles of 20th century film history, at least if one takes the unbelievably hostile relationship between the two which is discussed (and overtly shown) in Herzog’s own documentary My Best Fiend into account. Whatever the very real conflicts between the volatile star and prickly director may have been, they ended up redounding to the film’s benefit, for Aguirre, the Wrath of God remains one of the crowning achievements in the careers of both men. Loosely based on actual historical events, Aguirre, the Wrath of God is at its core a story of a man obsessed by a vision, and rather ironically like Apocalypse Now, a film it helped inspire, it became an obsession itself to its director. Filmed under completely harrowing conditions, and fraught with danger not just from the elements but by a seriously devolving relationship between its director and star, Aguirre, the Wrath of God somehow emerged unscathed, offering one of the most viscerally compelling experiences in the entire Herzog filmography.

The links between Apocalypse Now and Joseph Conrad’s monumental Heart of Darkness are well documented, but in a very real way, the subtext if not the actual content of Conrad’s iconic novella also inform Aguirre, the Wrath of God. Klaus Kinski plays the titular Aguirre, a Spanish Conquistador who is part of the army which has already devastated the Inca and is now on the hunt for the mythical city of El Dorado, where everyone expects to find untold riches. Aguirre is ordered by Pizarro (Alejandro Repullés) to be part of an exploratory brigade which is tasked with looking for supplies and (perhaps) civilization. Aguirre is under the direct command of Don Pedro de Ursúa (Ruy Guerra), and there are various other hangers on who will also be making the trek, including Ursúa’s comely mistress, Doña Inéz (Helena Rojo) and, perhaps most troublingly, Aguirre’s own young daughter Florés (Cecilia Rivera).

That is basically the entire plot set up for the film, but as with Conrad’s novella and Coppola’s Apocalypse Now, it’s the journey rather than the destination (as devastating as that turns out to be in all three media) that ends up mattering most. The film is full of incredible adrenaline pumping sequences as the band of Spaniards and their native cohorts attempt to ford a raging river on rafts, it’s the slow devolution of the characters in the wilds of the South American rain forests that provides the dramatic momentum in the film. Aguirre seems—well, intense—from the very first moment he’s introduced, but it slowly becomes obvious that the character is driven, perhaps pathologically so.

Aguirre’s break is both physical and mental when it happens, and he instigates a mutiny of sorts, proffering a nobleman named Don Fernando de Guzman (Peter Berling) who is part of the group as the new king of (the still undiscovered) El Dorado. While Guzman is ostensibly Aguirre’s superior (in class if not in rank), Aguirre is the one really in charge. Except that as the expedition continues into the wild, the mental acuity of the men becomes seriously impaired, to the point that many are incapacitated and the film begins to take a decidedly surreal turn.

Without revealing too many of the film’s morbid trajectory, Aguirre ends the film as a conqueror without a conquest. Left to peruse his new kingdom which consists largely of monkeys, he’s a chilling reminder of a character who is simultaneously singleminded and out of that selfsame mind. As Herzog himself realized early on, there was no actor more preternaturally able to depict such a combination of resolve and insanity than Kinski, and Aguirre, the Wrath of God remains one of the actor’s defining roles.

Aguirre, the Wrath of God Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Aguirre, the Wrath of God is presented on Blu-ray with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.33:1. This is one of the nicer looking transfers in the new Herzog set, though there are signs of high frequency filtering that crop up now and again. The dense jungle environment, not to mention misty weather and some scenes drenched in rain, tend to at least slightly mask grain structure at times (unless you press your nose right up to the screen), but there are several moments that look relatively grain free, especially when one peruses the (admittedly rare) clear blue skies in some scenes. That said, there's no appreciable loss of fine detail, and none of the typically waxy, smeary appearance the usually denotes over aggressive DNR. Likewise, there are no signs of artificial sharpening. The transfer boasts excellent clarity and beautifully saturated color. Depth of field is stunning in several shots looking down the mouth of the gaping river. Contrast is strong and consistent and black levels are also solid. There are no stability issues of any note, and the elements are in superb condition.

Aguirre, the Wrath of God Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Aguirre, the Wrath of God features the original German audio in both DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 and 2.0 and an English dub in DTS-HD Master audio 2.0. While the included DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 German track significantly opens up environmental ambient effects throughout the film, things like the evocative score by Popul Vuh actually sound too diffuse in this version, and so some audiophiles may opt for the 2.0 track, which offers excellent fidelity and a somewhat more focused soundfield. There's also an odd frequency shift between the 5.1 mix and the 2.0 mix, where if you toggle between them, you can actually hear the underscore fluctuate a few centimes between the two.

Aguirre, the Wrath of God Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• English Commentary with Director Werner Herzog. Norman Hill once again moderates and Herzog is his usually incredibly erudite and informative self. He gets into some of the details of the arduous shoot, as well as his relationship with Klaus Kinski.


• German Commentary with Director Werner Herzog. As with other films in this set which feature both the German and English commentaries, there are some overlaps here,but Herzog is a tad more philosophical in this one, discussing some of the subtexts of the film. Lauren Straub, Herzog's longtime distributor, is also on hand.


• Theatrical Trailer (1080p; 3:19)


• Still Gallery (1080p; 5:15)

Aguirre, the Wrath of God Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Aguirre, the Wrath of God is typically listed as the best of the Kinski-Herzog collaborative efforts, and while some might want to debate that point, there's no denying that this is an incredibly fascinating film, one which presents an unforgettable portrait of an obsessive character in an exotic locale. Technical merits on this Blu-ray are generally excellent, and Aguirre, the Wrath of God comes Highly recommended.