Tuesday, November 1, 2011

Aguirre: The Wrath of God- Awesome film. Werner Herzog is really working his prowess on this one. The performances are great (even if they might technically alway be a performance a.k.a. they are freaking out in real life), the cinematography beautiful, and the insanity level high. It's a little slow, and technically goes nowhere, but that's kind of the point. In that way, it reminded me of 'Meeks Cutoff', but it's way better so I wouldn't sell it so far as to refer to that. I especially love the way Herzog put his most surrealistic scenes in a real fashion (a boat stuck in the trees). Seeing what the decide as a mirage from their perspective allows you to see it like it's actually there (since it is actually there) and it's a magnificent sight to look at. Give it a chance if you are in it for the long "analytical" hall, but otherwise, I fear you may be bored to tears.



- Jeff Bassin