Movie Notes: Aguirre, The Wrath Of God

Agurrie, The Wrath of God looks like a documentary, with a constant realism to the cinematography. Director Werner Herzog really did trek his film crew and actors to the jungles of Peru, built rafts that braved the rapids, and yes, all the monkeys clambering about are real and not CGI. The actors faced the danger of disease, famine, and drowning. Kinski wanted to quit halfway through but Herzog threatened to shoot him if he did and then turn the gun on himself. The sense of danger and peril permeates the movie on a basic level.
