Fitzcarraldo

I can count on one hand the number of films whose introductions startled or entranced me. Citizen Kane, yes, 2001, sure. But one that fascinated me was at a free showing (thanks student ID) during grad school. The film was Aguirre, The Wrath Of God. Besides an interesting title, the opening sequence showed a trail of people traversing a huge, verdant mountain, surrounded in deep, then evaporating fog; conquistadors in heavy breastplates and helmets, indigenous natives impressed into service carrying immense loads, priests, elegant women, horses, donkeys. On the soundtrack, incredible music was describing this journey, as the camera hove into the sight of a blonde helmeted warrior, who seemed to be both frenzied and completely calm. The music was from the West German group Popol Vuh. The half-mad conquistador I recognized slightly from his small roles in many spaghetti Westerns, especially For A Few Dollars More. It was Klaus Kinski. Later, I looked up the director who visualized this and other dream-like scenes in the film --- the German, Werner Herzog.

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