Charles’s Words of Wisdom: Aguirre, the Wrath of God
To help celebrate our 50th Anniversary, our new series, 5 Films/5 Decades/5 Critics, digs through our 50-year history to present bold arthouse and independent gems that we’ve discovered and championed over the years. Curated by Film Program Director, Charles Coleman, the series kicks off with Werner Herzog’s 1970s epic, Aguirre, the Wrath of God, with Newcity critic, Ray Pride.
But before we go into the cinema, let’s hear what Charles has to say about Aguirre, Herzog, and FACETS’ legacy:
In Aguiree, the Wrath of God, Herzog takes a page out of history. It’s the 16th century, a colonial Spanish expedition seeks the fabled lost city of El Dorado, when the advance party exploring a tributary of the Amazon River suddenly vanishes without a trace. In Herzog’s hands, this somewhat obscure historical episode is transformed into Aguirre, a chilling portrayal of imperialism as it spirals into madness.
In Herzog’s retelling, the expedition falls under the control of Don Lope de Aguirre, a power-hungry madman bent on conquering an entire continent. Klaus Kinski’s performance as Aguirre is nothing short of extraordinary, blending dark humor and terrifying menace, creating a character who is part Richard III and part Attila the Hun. Filmed in the perilous terrain of Peru, Aguirre, the Wrath of God immerses the audience in a harrowing journey that is stunningly photographed in hazardous locations in Peru. This bold film takes the viewer on a mad voyage as frightening and entertaining as one of Edgar Allan Poe’s maelstrom epics of demented discovery, featuring a seething, controlled performance from Klaus Kinski, who delivers an unforgettable portrait of madness and lust for power.
FACETS has always been a cultural explorer and one of these discoveries was the work of German filmmaker Werner Herzog, a key part of the New German Cinema (1962-1982) whose members believed in the D.I.Y. aesthetic and were undaunted by the challenges of making original films with modest budgets. Their themes were about life in contemporary German society (the economic miracle) after WWII, and they were young radical filmmakers whose bold ambitions sought to reinvigorate the artistic and political challenges as Germany was rebuilding itself. They were experimenting with evocative subject matter and the extraordinary work of provocative filmmaker Werner Herzog, was recognized very early by Milos Stehlik, founder of FACETS, and we were the first exhibition venue to bring his early work to the attention it deserved, which was justifiably celebrated as his career became more successful.
Roger Ebert described Herzog as “the most interesting director of the 1970s” when he moderated Herzog’s first master class at FACETS in 1979. As artistic director, Milos Stehlik once said: “More than a filmmaker, Werner Herzog has been an empowering life force, giving other filmmakers and all of us the courage to reach beyond our limits, to embrace the mysterious, and to understand the inexplicable. The images in his films resonate to the far reaches of our world but also to our cells, underscoring the terror, beauty and fragility of our bodies and our planet.”
About FACETS
Established in 1975, FACETS began operating out of a North Side Chicago church. Founder Milos Stehlik (1949-2019) ran a borrowed 16mm projector from the choir loft, with patrons sitting down below on hardwood pews. The then-banned Italian-Algerian anti-war film, THE BATTLE OF ALGIERS (1966), was a hallmark screening during FACETS’ early years, and solidified the organization as one of Chicago’s first art house cinemas and one of the only places audiences could regularly experience international films. For 50 years, FACETS has been a haven for bold cinematic exploration, fearlessly championing the power of great films to expand perspectives, inspire brave conversations, and to affirm the shared humanity of all people. One of FACETS’ newer initiatives is to spearhead the Chicago Alliance of Film Festivals, formed in 2023, to support the local, independent film festival sector. FACETS’ lead institutional support includes Seabury Foundation, Stuart R. Abelson Foundation, Driehaus Foundation, National Endowment for the Arts, Illinois Arts Council, City of Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs and Special Events CityArts grant and Comer Family Foundation.