Aguirre, der Zorn Gottes

English title: Aguirre, the Wrath of God

Genre: colonial docudrama   

With: Klaus Kinski (Don Lope de Aguirre), Helena Rojo (Inez), Del Negro (Brother Gaspar de Carvajal), Ruy Guerra (Don Pedro de Ursua), Peter Berling (Don Fernando de Guzman), Cecilia Rivera (Flores), Daniel Ades (Perucho), Edward Roland (Okello)

Director: Werner Herzog

Screenplay: Werner Herzog

Release: 1972

Studio: Werner Herzog Filmproduktion, Hessischer Rundfunk

Rating: -

MBiS score: 8.8/10





I Just Know You’ll Hate This Guy



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Story-line: the setting is Peru in 1560. Having completed their destruction of the Incan empire, Spanish conquerors catch gold fever when they hear about El Dorado, a mineral-rich region on the other side of the Peruvian mountains. Pizarro and a large contingent, including Ursua, Aguirre and Guzman, set out to claim the area for the King of Spain; Gaspar, a monk, will accompany them and document their quest for untold riches.  

Pluses: credible acting by a committed cast but especially by a dour-faced Klaus Kinski (as the ultimate megalomaniac), strong direction and editing, a compact and spellbinding screenplay supplying heavy drama and a few unintentional laughs (mainly at poor Okello’s expense), spectacular cinematography and outdoor settings, Popol Vuh’s haunting musical score (reminiscent of early Pink Floyd) and appropriate production values.

Minuses: none really.

Comments: the brutal and very original AGUIRRE, THE WRATH OF GOD takes place in the Amazon but it might as well be on Mars, so uncommon are its looks and subject matter. Leading hundreds of men and hauling heavy gear into the jungle was a monumental – if not suicidal – enterprise centuries ago but, even in the 1970s, Werner Herzog’s project must have been a huge technical challenge. As for the cold-blooded Aguirre, he may claim to be an agent of God but you’re certainly entitled to think otherwise.          





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De rouille et d’os

English title: Rust and Bone

Genre: personal drama  

With: Marion Cotillard (Stéphanie), Matthias Schoenaerts (Alain van Versch), Armand Verdure (Sam), Céline Sallette (Louise), Corinne Masiero (Anna, Alain’s sister), Jean-Michel Correia (Richard, Anna’s husband), Bouli Lanners (Martial), Mourad Frarema (Foued), Yannick Choirat (Simon)

Director: Jacques Audiard

Screenplay: Jacques Audiard and Thomas Bidegain, from a story by Craig Davidson

Release: 2012

Studio: Why Not Productions, Page 114, France 2 Cinéma et al.

Rating: 18 A

MBiS score: 8.1/10





A Human Being, No Matter What





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Story-line: Alain, a lone parent with a young son and no permanent home, is put up by his sister and finds a job as a bouncer in a local disco. One night, he is called upon to rescue Stéphanie, who has been bullied on the dance floor, and drives her home. The encounter doesn’t go so well (he blames her for being ‟dressed like a whore”) but you just know these two will meet again before long…

Pluses: a gritty turn by Marion Cotillard – oozing star power as always – and the impressive Matthias Schoenaerts, a raw, schematic screenplay that mixes interesting themes (parenting, marine parks, boxing, physical disability) and deftly uses silences to further its story, impressionistic cinematography by Stéphane Fontaine (some scenes are truly wondrous) and competent direction by Jacques Audiard (DE BATTRE MON COEUR S’EST ARRÊTÉ).

Minuses: none I can think of.

Comments: this very watchable film features impatient and imperfect characters who struggle to patch up their broken lives and find happiness or, at least, some level of contentment. They may be rough here and there, they do make mistakes but they’re also survivors… and that’s what makes DE ROUILLE ET D’OS a compelling choice for movie buffs.  





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