Aguirre, der Zorn Gottes also known as Aguirre, The Wrath of God (Written and Directed by Werner Herzog, 1972) - Aguirre, Der Zorn Gottes is a beautifully filmed, unforgettable account of power hungry Don Lope de Aguirre's (Klaus Kinski) search for the mythical city of El Dorado. Klaus Kinski's riveting performance as a man who believes he is invincible and slowly descends into madness when he realizes he has taken on more then he can handle, is one of his best. The opening shot of the conquistadors perilously trekking down the cloud misted mountains has to be seen to be believed, and the last shot(s) which I will not reveal here, is arguably one of the strongest images ever committed to celluloid.
The film is in German and is subtitled in English. Herzog would continue the man versus nature theme he establishes here in later films, including Fitzcarraldo. The cinematography is breathtaking with amazing shots of the Andean highlands and the music composed by Popol Vuh, which was also used in Herzog's Great Ecstasy of Woodcarver Steiner is used to tremendous effect. If you enjoy this film, other Herzog titles that are highly recommended are Stroszek and the aforementioned Fitzcarraldo. You may be able to find these films in your video store but they are currently out of print and not available for purchase. I know however that Anchor Bay Entertainment will be releasing a good chunk of Herzog's films on DVD within the next year.