Showtimes
Sunday, April 13
3:00pm
Ticketing
$12 /Single Ticket
$45 /Series Pass
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Werner Herzog might be the most well-known arthouse director of all time. But did you know FACETS played an important role in introducing him to U.S. audiences? Come watch his 1970s epic Aguirre, the Wrath of God, and talk about it with Newcity critic Ray Pride.
It’s almost impossible to tell the story of FACETS without Werner Herzog. In the late 1970s, Herzog came to our humble cinema on Fullerton Ave for a masterclass hosted by Roger Ebert. Documented in the now out-of-print book Images at the Horizon, this event helped solidify Herzog as a favorite of U.S. cinephiles. As Ebert noted at the 1979 masterclass, Herzog’s films, including Aguirre, had longer theatrical runs in Chicago than in Germany, Herzog’s home country.
In 2019, 35 years later, Herzog returned to FACETS for another masterclass, where he professed that Milos Stehlik, our late founder, “is a National Treasure.” We’d say the same for Herzog, which is why we are excited to present his 1972 epic, Aguirre, The Wrath of God to kick of our new 50th Anniversary series: 5 Films/5 Decades/5 Critics.
Join us for a screening of Aguirre and a riveting post-screening discussion with Newcity critic Ray Pride and FACETS Film Program Director Charles Coleman – learn more about FACETS’ connection to Herzog on our blog: Charles’s Words of Wisdom: Aguirre, the Wrath of God.
FILM SYNOPSIS
In the 16th century, a Spanish expedition, seeking the fabled lost city of El Dorado, sent out an advance party to explore a tributary of the Amazon River, only for them to vanish without a trace. Herzog takes this obscure historical episode and transforms it into Aguirre, the Wrath of God, a chilling portrayal of imperialism spiraling into madness.
In German, Quechua, and Spanish with English subtitles.
Werner Herzog, West Germany/Mexico, 1972, DCP, 95 mins.
IN CONVERSATON
After the screening, Newcity critic Ray Pride and FACETS Film Program Director Charles Coleman will discuss the historical and cultural impact of Aguirre, with a brief audience Q&A.
Ray Pride – Critic
Ray Pride is longtime film critic and senior editor of Chicago’s Newcity arts magazine and writes their weekday “Today in Culture” column. He is also a photographer and is completing a book on “Chicago Ghost Signs.”
Charles Coleman – Host
Charles Coleman is FACETS Film Program Director and has more than twenty years of experience in programming. He has taught film courses at the University of Chicago and given lectures at the Chicago Public Library and the Art Institute. He is responsible for bringing to Chicago rare, one-of-a-kind screenings that range from retrospectives of acclaimed filmmakers to the most recent films by up-and-coming directors.
5 FILMS/5 DECADES/5 CRITICS
A new FACETS’ 50th Anniversary series curated by Charles Coleman and hosted by local film critics, “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.
