Aguirre, the Wrath of God story
Aguirre, the Wrath of God (German: Aguirre, der Zorn Gottes), known in the UK as Aguirre, Wrath of God, is a 1972 epic historical drama film written and directed by Werner Herzog. Klaus Kinski stars in the title role. The soundtrack was composed and performed by West German kosmische band Popol Vuh. The story follows the travels 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.
9 total · 2 choice · 3 major · 4 minor
| Theme | Level | Motivation |
|---|---|---|
| El Dorado | choice | The conquistadors were searching for this fabled land and city of gold. |
| obsession | choice | the obsession with El Dorado lead Aguirre and his people to doom |
| charting unknown territory | major | a group of conquistadors were exploring to them unknown lands in the Amazons |
| duty vs. desire | major | Aguirre eventually lead a mutiny when the expedition leader showed signs of wanting to turn back |
| facing bloodthirsty savages | major | the group was perpetually fighting or fleeing indigenous people in the Amazons, sometimes cannibals |
| coming to terms with one's own death | minor | At the very end we saw the men realize how doomed they were. |
| coping with starvation | minor | we saw the group get very short on food, especially salt |
| engaged couple | minor | Pedro de Ursúa and Doña Inés |
| father and daughter | minor | Aguirre and Florés |