Werner Herzog was a leading light of the 70s "New German Cinema", which was determined to create a positive image for the country's post-war film culture. Herzog was, however, always the most wayward of the directors, looking way beyond narrow national barriers. And so, his breakout film, from 1972, turns out to be a fictionalised history of a 16th century Spanish adventurer, trying to create his own South Amerian empire.
"Aguirre" belongs to what we might describe the survivalist school of filmmaking. It was shot on a pittance, yet for heightened realism was shot in the inhospitable Peruvian jungle. Nothing was faked - Herzog employed native Peruvians both to act in the film, and also to act as guides, to help the film's crew survive in the jungle.
However, additional peril was added by the central casting of Klaus Kinski, a wild-eyed actor admired by Herzog. Kinski was known for reckless hard living, and his antics on set frequently threatened the lives of the cast. Suffice to say, Herzog had to confiscate a rifle Kinski had brought along at one point. Yet Herzog knew he was perfect for the role - Kinski's swagger and slow-burning rage were just right for this would-be conquistador descending into madness.
Initially, the film trades in a harsh realism - the jungle, as a force of nature, becomes almost a character in its own right. Although the hand-held camerawork often captures beautiful scenes, the audience is left in no doubt about the harshness of the conditions. Slowly, however, Herzog moves towards a more studied surrealism, using stylistised tableaux and focusing on increasingly strange imagery, ending up with Aguirre attempting to order about a ship full of monkeys.
It is particularly rewarding watching the film alongside the (English-language) commentary Herzog has supplied for the DVD release. This commentary, full of insights and anecdotes, almost persuades the viewer to see the film as a documentary about making a film in the jungle. See the early scenes where the entourage are struggling through the long grass, sometimes needing help to stay upright? That really was happening. Also, see the scene where Kinski as Aguirre bullies the other actors into seeing the world his way? That was happening off-camera too. The distinction between fiction and reality is getting increasingly blurred.
Later, Herzog and Kinski would have an even more demented and fractitious Amazon adventure ("Fitzcarraldo"). But "Aguirre" has a strangeness and originality all its own, and stands as one of Herzog's greatest films.
Nice to see it's continuing.
