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Aguirre, the Wrath of God
[Blu-ray 4K]
Blu-ray ALL - United Kingdom - British Film Institute Review written by and copyright: James-Masaki Ryan (11th September 2025). |
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The Film
 "Aguirre, the Wrath of God" ("Aguirre, der Zorn Gottes") (1972) Taking place in the year 1560, a group of conquistadors are traveling the mountain slopes, vast jungles, and raging rivers of the Amazon jungle in order to reach their goal - the hope of discovering the mythical land of El Dorado, where they would be greeted with riches in paradise. Under the guidance of lead conquistador Gonzalo Pizarro (played by Alejandro Repullés), the group of men are tasked with building rafts to sail downstream and given a week to report their findings. Pedro de Ursúa (played by Ruy Guerra) is leading the men alongside the power hungry Lope de Aguirre (played by Klaus Kinski) as second in command. In addition, Brother Gaspar de Carvajal (played by Del Negro) joins as a Christian mercenary to bring the word of God, Don Fernando de Guzmán (played by Peter Berling) representing the crown of Spain, a dozen or so men with armor and goods, along with Ursúa's mistress Doña Inés (played by Helena Rojo) and Aguirre's teenage daughter Flores (played by Cecilia Rivera). The group traverse down the river challenging death from the forces of nature as well as protective natives of the jungles, but with the extreme circumstances and the struggles from within, conflicts erupt between them for power and control of the mission. German filmmaker Werner Herzog crafted some unique productions early in his career with absurdist comedies, existential documentaries, with stories and situations that were quite unconventional. For his third feature length dramatic film, "Aguirre, the Wrath of God" was based on historical figures and stories, namely Spanish explorers in the New World, the story itself is basically fiction, laced with realistic accounts. The characters were real historical figures and were part of South American expeditions, though all of them traveling together was entirely fictional, as well as their outcomes. The character of Aguirre is based on the real life Lope de Aguirre, who in fact was part of the 1560 expedition to search for El Dorado led by Pedro de Ursúa, brought his daughter along (who was named Elvira, not Flores), went power hungry and killed Pedro de Ursúa and Fernando de Guzmán on the voyage and declared a rebellion against the Spanish monarchy. As for how events transpired on the journey, this was all created in the mind of writer/director Herzog, as well as through the circumstances of the film's shooting, on location in the depths of the Peruvian jungles. "Aguirre, the Wrath of God" was shot entirely in the remote jungles where modern commodities were far distances away, and Herzog along with his small international cast and crew created a film about men going against the forces of nature, by doing everything as the men had done more than half a century ago. Large rafts were built to sail them down the dangerous rivers, rainfall and flooding caused chaos, and they had to live in huts, tents, and on the rafts themselves for weeks while shooting the film in fairly uncertain and dangerous conditions. Shooting in chronological order, the film feels closer to a documentary of the accounts rather than a feature film, as the handheld cameras capturing the footage shows mishaps and accidents that could not be scripted, such as actors falling or stumbling, the loss of a cage of chickens when it falls down a mountain and smashes (was the BBFC okay with that particular footage?), a horse losing balance on the raft, and tree branches almost destroying the roof of a raft. The camera operator Thomas Mauch sometimes feels like a character himself as the camera tries to stay on subject while having to avoid accidents himself. The madness and the exhaustion as seen in the characters may not have been entirely acting, but rather the performers themselves starting to lose focus and have adrenaline take control, especially in the case of Kinski, who becomes the "Wrath of God" himself through his anger and menacing acts. Herzog met Kinski when Herzog was a teenager and the established actor came to stay with his family lodge. His almost animalistic tone was ingrained into Herzog's memory, and he knew the only person that could play the part of Aguirre would be Klaus Kinski. This would be the first of five feature film collaborations between Herzog and Kinski, and while each of them have been highly regarded, the behind the scenes of each, especially "Aguirre, the Wrath of God" and "Fitzcarraldo" are infamous for their constant arguments and incidents behind the scenes. In "Aguirre" Kinski shot the tip of a finger off of a crewmember, smashed the head of an actor with his sword in which luckily the metal helmet caught most of the blow, and threatened to kill the sound engineer. Conditions were not ideal altogether for any of the cast and crew, but Herzog was certain to capture the reality, and it would have been a completely different outcome if all had been shot in a studio or a controlled outdoor environment. There are many moments that are absolute standouts. The sad abandoned last horse at the edge of the river as the men sail away, Inés' wandering into the jungle never to be heard from again, the hundreds of people walking the steep steps of the mountainside as the fog is clearing, and also the final circling shot of Aguirre seemingly alone but surrounded by wild monkeys. Herzog did not shoot with storyboards as he knew the environment would always clash with any planned materials, so there are many moments of improvisation and real reactions to be found throughout the feature. The production was international, with members from Germany such as Herzog and Kinski, as well as Ruy Guerra from Brazil, Helena Rojo from Mexico, Del Negro from the United States, as well as many local Peruvians as natives and guides seen in the film. Although the story is about Spanish conquistadors, the script was written in German, then translated to English so the common language spoken on the shoot would be English. The production was shot at the end of 1971 and was an eight week shoot that lasted until February of 1972. The 35mm film negatives were almost lost entirely, as paperwork for them to be shipped our of Peru for processing in Germany were completed, but the canisters never arrived. It was later discovered that the canisters were accidentally left outside in the sun at the airport in Lima and left unshipped. Thankfully the negatives were not damaged and were safely transported to Germany for post production. While the production was shot with sound in English, much of the dialogue was not usable and had to be post synchronized. While the film had a budget of $370,000 in which a third went to Kinski's salary, he asked for additional money for dubbing so the dialogue was done with another actor instead, in this case Aguirre was voiced by Gerd Martienzen for the German dub. The musical score was performed by Krautrock band Popol Vuh, for an eerie score that was notable for its haunting and hypnotic human sounding vocals that were played with synthesizers. The film was completed and screened almost a year after its production began, on December 29th, 1972 in West Germany. It had its international premiere at the Cannes Film Festival in May 1973, and scattered releases around the world, with the UK receiving a release in 1974 and the US in 1977. The film's reception and reputation were high from its release, with praise for Mauch's cinematography which won prizes at the German Film Awards and the US National Society of Film Critics and the French Syndicate of Cinema Critics awarding it Best Foreign Language Films. The realistic journey that was shot in real situations proved to be an inspiration for many features since, especially with "Apocalypse Now" (1979) taking heavy inspiration of madness in the remote jungles. Many have tried to emulate Herzog's style, but there is still something unique about his approach showing the heart of man, the complexities of nature, and the seemingly never-ending quest for balance, which he has explored many times in his features, documentaries, and shorts for decades up to now. "Aguirre, the Wrath of God" may be an early work by a young filmmaker who was taking extraordinary risks, but is still a defining work in his lengthy filmography and an awe inspiring and disturbing work that blends reality and dramatization. The BFI previously issued the film on DVD and Blu-ray, and now is giving it a 4K upgrade with this 4K UltraHD Blu-ray release. Note this is a region ALL 4K UltraHD Blu-ray
Video
The BFI presents the film in the 1.33:1 aspect ratio in 2160p HEVC with HDR10 / Dolby Vision grading. The original 35mm negative was scanned at 4K resolution and remastered by Alpha-Omega Digital GmbH in Germany. Herzog owns the rights to most of his works and his films have been well preserved in the digital era, with Herzog's company Werner Herzog Film GmbH taking great care with the elements and transfers. "Aguirre" has always looked fantastic even on standard definition DVD, and so there should be no surprise that it would look excellent in 4K. The visuals of the Amazon jungle comes to beautiful life from the film materials shot over fifty years ago, with lush greens of the trees, the murky browns of the muddy rivers, and the rich colors found in the costume designs. The Dolby Vision grading gives it an extra push with the detail, and it looks great from start to finish. Detail is also very strong, with extreme closeups on faces being very clear. Damage marks are virtually non-existent, with a clean and crisp image with no examples of compression or digital artifacts to be found. While it may not be a major step up from previous transfers as they have all been excellent, it is still a fantastic looking image and another winner from the BFI in 4K resolution. The film's runtime is 94:26. When choosing German audio for the film, the opening crawl and credits are in German, and when choosing English audio for the film. they will play in English. Note that the runtime is the same for either version. As for the closing credits, they play in German regardless of which language is chosen for the audio.
Audio
German DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 German LPCM 1.0 English LPCM 1.0 There are three audio tracks for the feature. A lossless German 5.1 track and uncompressed German and English mono tracks. As stated the film was shot with the actors speaking English as it was the one common language with the international cast. As the English dialogue audio recorded on location was basically unusable, the film was post-synchronized in studio. English matches the best with the mouth movements, though the German dub was the first version to be released and is considered the "original" audio. The 5.1 track was created for the DVD release twenty-five years ago and spreads the music and effects into the 5.1 soundscape. While it sounds good, it does feel like it was mixed to make use of the surrounds more than having a natural aspect. The original mono audio tracks are much better tuned, with the dialogue being well mixed with the music and effects. There are no hisses, pops, or other damage to be found for a great experience with any of the audio tracks. There are optional English subtitles translating the German audio in a white font. They are easy to read, well timed, and without errors. In an unusual case, there are no HoH subtitles included for the English audio. While the subtitles can be turned on while watching the English audio version, they do not match the dialogue and have quite a few differences with the German dub. Not enough to change the story, but it shows the subtle differences between the translations.
Extras
Audio commentary on "Aguirre, the Wrath of God" with producer / writer / director Werner Herzog and critic Norman Hill (2000) Herzog gives an excellent commentary here, joined by Anchor Bay Entertainment's Norman Hill, who supervised the transfers and releases of Herzog's catalog on DVD in the United States and the United Kingdom in the early 2000s. Discussed are some behind the scenes stories such as how the script was conceived, the lack of storyboards to lead to an authentic shoot with happy accidents (and unfortunate accidents), the logistical issues of the production, the unauthorized borrowing of the 35mm camera, about Kinski and his role, how the cast and crew managed their time on location, the injuries, the arguments, and much more. Note this was originally released on the Anchor Bay DVD release and later on other DVD and Blu-ray releases. in English LPCM 1.0 without subtitles "A Raft of Troubles: Herzog, Kinski and the Art of Darkness" 2025 visual essay by Nic Wassell (18:52) This is an excellent visual essay by critic Nic Wassell, which looks at the troubled yet fascinating behind the scenes of the making of the film, about Herzog's life and career with parallels to his other works, his working relationship with Kinski, about Spanish conquistadors and European colonization of South America, and the influence the film has had. It's illustrated with clips of various features and is well edited, well spoken, and filled with a lot of excellent detail. Note this is exclusive to this BFI UHD and is not available on the simultaneously released BFI Blu-ray reissue. in 1080p AVC MPEG-4, in various aspect ratios, in English DTS 2.0 without subtitles Mark Kermode introduces "Aguirre, the Wrath of God" for the BFI Player (2024) (3:02) This 2024 introduction by critic Mark Kermode for the BFI Player is a short and praising look at Herzog's feature and its being the scenes information without giving away too many spoilers. The clips from the film are in German with optional English subtitles, and there is also an English HoH subtitle track to caption both Kermode's comments as well as the translations for the film clips. note the introduction has been embedded below, courtesy of the BFI. Note this is exclusive to this BFI UHD and is not available on the simultaneously released BFI Blu-ray reissue. in 2160p HEVC, in 1.78:1 / 1.33:1, in English / German DTS 2.0 with optional English, English HoH subtitles "The Unprecedented Defence of the Fortress Deutschkreuz" ("Die beispiellose Verteidigung der Festung Deutschkreutz") 1967 short by Werner Herzog (15:30) Four young men go to a rural abandoned castle which was a site where German and Russian troops battled during WWII. There they find some discarded military uniforms which they wear and pretend to be in battle in a playful manner. This short film by Herzog does not flow with dialogue as it was shot silently, and instead relies on a narrator as well as music and effects. The story of a group of people that slowly start to hallucinate and lose focus on reality does have some similar qualities to "Aguirre", but it is an altogether quite different film in feel. The original negative is considered lost, though the best surviving 35mm print is held in the Werner Herzog Film archive, and that was the source of this restoration. Scanned at 2K resolution by Alpha-Omega Digital GmbH in Germany, the black and white image looks quite strong, with very good black and white contrast. It is quite grainy due to the source, though there are no major damage marks to speak of. The audio track is incorrectly flagged as "English", though it plays with the original German audio. in 1080p AVC MPEG-4, in 1.33:1, in German DTS 2.0 mono with optional English subtitles "Last Words" ("Letzte Worte") 1968 short by Werner Herzog (13:15) From 1904 to 1957, the small Greek island of Spinalonga was a leper colony, where people suffering from leprosy were sent and exiled. After the Greek government started to remove the survivors off the island to nearby Crete for treatment and to close off the infamous island, there was one who refused to move. This documentary short has interviews with people from Crete talking about the lone reclusive man, musician Antonis Papadakis and his eventual relocation. It also features words and music from Papadakis himself, describing his time and his outlook in this fascinating and sometimes humorous short. The transfer comes from the original 35mm negative which was scanned at 2K resolution and remastered by Alpha Omega Digital GmbH in Germany. The black and white image is very sharp, with excellent greyscale and having very little if any damage. Like the previous short, the audio track is mistakenly flagged as "English", though it plays in its original Greek language. in 1080p AVC MPEG-4, in 1.33:1, in Greek DTS 2.0 mono with optional English subtitles "Precautions Against Fanatics" ("Massnahmen gegen Fanatiker") 1969 short by Werner Herzog (11:05) This short looks at horse trainers and their horses at a German horse racing track, though it is devoid of footage of races. Focusing on the people who are taking care of the horses, there is an older man who continuously tries to disrupt the interviews as he states he is the authority but without credentials. A humorous short that is not to be taken too seriously, it was Herzog's first film shot in color. Like the previous short, the transfer comes from the original 35mm negative which was scanned at 2K resolution and remastered by Alpha Omega Digital GmbH in Germany. The colors look fantastic and sharpness is also great. Damage is minimal and sound is also clear throughout. in 1080p AVC MPEG-4, in 1.33:1, in German DTS 2.0 mono with optional English subtitles "Fata Morgana" (1971) (with optional 2001 commentary by director Werner Herzog, Crispin Glover and Norman Hill) (76:18) Herzog shot this feature all across the continent of Africa in barren desert areas where the heat and the sunlight causes mirages to form through the distortions of the camera lenses. Technically it could be called a documentary as it features the people of the area and their unscripted stories are heard, though there is disconnected narration also provided to bring an abstract narrative. Herzog filmed the footage with cinematographer Jörg Schmidt-Reitwein over the course of two years from 1968 and 1969, which was not the easiest shoot. From weather issues to wrongful imprisonment, there was tremendous difficulty with the production which was shot without a set intent on what it would be. The footage was connected with narration by Lotte Eisner in German, and had a non-linear structure in parts that was quite unconventional, though it would become an arthouse hit through the aid of younger people and psychedelics, even though the film was not particularly a psychedelic one in tone. The optional commentary is again moderated by Norman Hill of Anchor Bay, though this time they are joined by actor and filmmaker Crispin Glover. Glover had nothing to do with the production so it is a surprise that he appears here on this track, but as a genuine fan of Herzog's work, he acts as a second moderator asking questions about Herzog's approaches. Discussed are how the original idea was making a science fiction story told through the eyes of aliens landing in the desert, about narrator Lotte Eisner, creating the English narration, his religious background influencing the story, about the people interviewed and shown in the film, behind the scenes of the production, and more. The transfer is excellent for this bonus film as well, with a 2K restoration from the original 35mm negative by Alpha Omega Digital GmbH in Germany. The original German audio is labeled "German" though there are some portions with non-German dialogue which is sometimes left unsubtitled. This also goes for the English dub which has voiceover for the Lotte narration, but leaves some dialogue as is without narration. There is an odd choice with the audio, and that is the film itself has lossy DTS audio for both German and English while the commentary is in uncompressed LPCM 1.0. Usually the lossless/uncompressed audio is given for the main feature and the commentaries have lossy audio, but it is the opposite for this particular feature. in 1080p AVC MPEG-4, in 1.33:1, in German DTS 2.0 mono with optional English subtitles / English DTS 2.0 mono with optional English subtitles (for some non-English portions) Theatrical Trailer (with optional German or English audio) (3:19) The original trailer is presented here, which looks and sounds excellent throughout. It is viewable with the German audio with optional English subtitles or with the English audio without subtitles, selectable by the menu options or by switching audio and subtitles by remote during playback. The German trailer with English subtitles has been embedded below, courtesy of the BFI. in 1080p AVC MPEG-4, in 1.33:1, in German DTS 2.0 mono with optional English subtitles / English DTS 2.0 mono Image Gallery (2:08) Presented here is an automated slideshow gallery of behind the scenes stills from the film in black and white and in color, with background music from the film’s soundtrack. in 1080p AVC MPEG-4, Music DTS 2.0 mono Booklet A 32 page booklet is included with the first pressing. First is an essay on the film by critic Geoff Andrew which is an in depth look at the film's production, themes and reception. Next is "The Fatally Seductive Search for El Dorado" by Laurie Johnson, an associate professor of German at the University of Illinois and author of "Forgotten Dreams: The Cinema of Werner Herzog and a New Romanticism", looking at Herzog's early career and the themes explored in "Aguirre, the Wrath of God". This is followed by "Loops Along the River" by Kim Heaney, focusing on the music used in the film. There is also a reprint of a review of the film from Monthly Film Bulletin January 1975 written by Richard Combs. There are also full film credits, special features information, transfer information, acknowledgements, and stills. The film was released on DVD, Blu-ray, and also on 4K UHD by various companies worldwide. The BFI first released the film on DVD and Blu-ray as part of their "Werner Herzog Collection" in 2014, then subsequently on its own separately. The DVD and Blu-ray included the 2000 commentary, the bonus films "The Unprecedented Defence of the Fortress Deutschkreuz", "Last Words", "Precautions Against Fanatics", and "Fata Morgana" with its 20001 commentary, plus the trailer and gallery. This UHD adds the Wassell visual essay plus the Kermode introduction as exclusives. Note that the BFI has also re-issued the film on standard Blu-ray alongside this UHD the same day, though the reissue does not include those two new extras. It is a new disc altogether, though it has the exact same extras that are found on the 2014 standard Blu-ray release. The film was first released on 4K UHD in North America by Shout! Studios, upgrading from their standard Blu-ray boxset and standalone releases. This has an additional German language commentary by Herzog recorded for the 2007 German DVD release. A notable extra missing from this as well as other releases of the film is Herzog's 1999 documentary "Wings of Hope", about Juliane Koepcke, the sole survivor of a plane crash in 1971 in which Herzog was originally scheduled to take while location scouting for "Aguirre, the Wrath of God". He mentions the film in the commentary, though it may be due to rights issues of it not being included here. Other notable clips: The trailer with introduction and commentary by filmmaker John Sayles for "Trailers from Hell!" New York Times critic A.O. Scott on the film 2018 clip from The Coolidge Award ceremony in his honor Herzog in conversation with Conan O'Brien about his working relationship with Kinski Trailer for "My Best Fiend" by Herzog, chronicling his tumultuous working relationship with Kinski.
Overall
"Aguirre, the Wrath of God" still stands as a monumental and dangerous achievement in filmmaking, taking its cast and crew on a ride through mental and physical anguish through exploration, placing the audience at the center to experience. Kinski's performance is stellar, and Herzog pushed to the limits with his direction to craft a low budget masterwork. The BFI's 4K release has an excellent transfer of the 4K restoration plus a great selection of extras. Highly recommended. Amazon UK link (4K UltraHD Blu-ray) Amazon UK link (standard Blu-ray) (note it lacks two extras found on the 4K release above)
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