Aguirre, the Wrath of God – Werner Herzog (1972)

“Aguirre, the Wrath of God is a 1972 epic historical drama film produced, written and directed by Werner Herzog. Klaus Kinski stars in the title role of Spanish soldier Lope de Aguirre, who leads a group of conquistadores down the Amazon River in South America in search of the legendary city of gold, El Dorado. The soundtrack was composed and performed by West German kosmische band Popol Vuh. Using a minimalist approach to story and dialogue, the film creates a vision of madness and folly, counterpointed by the lush but unforgiving Amazonian jungle. Although loosely based on what is known of the historical figure of Aguirre, Herzog acknowledged years after the film’s release that its storyline is a work of fiction. Some of the people and situations may have been inspired by Gaspar de Carvajal‘s account of an earlier Amazonian expedition, although Carvajal was not on the historical voyage represented in the film. Aguirre was the first of five collaborations between Herzog and Kinski. They had differing views as to how the role should be played, and they clashed throughout filming; Kinski’s rages terrorized both the crew and the locals who were assisting the production. Shooting was entirely on location, and was fraught with difficulties. Filming took place in the Peruvian rainforest on the Amazon River during an arduous five-week period, shooting on tributaries of the Ucayali region. The cast and crew climbed mountains, cut through heavy vines to open routes to the various jungle locations, and rode treacherous river rapids on rafts built by local craftworkers. Aguirre opened to widespread critical acclaim, and quickly developed a large international cult film following. It was given an extensive arthouse theatrical release in the United States in 1977, and remains one of the director’s best-known films. …”
Wikipedia
senses of cinema
Loath to Revere: Werner Herzog’s Aguirre, The Wrath of God
W – Aguirre (soundtrack), YouTube: Popol Vuh ‎– Aguirre 43:45
YouTube: Aguirre, Wrath of God – trailer