Circling the Raft: Cinematic Themes in Aguirre's Final Scene
By Catherine Willard, with comments by Kelsey Cannon and Eddie Strumfels
[1] Aguirre, the Wrath of God, directed by Werner Herzog depicts the doomed expedition of Don Lope de Aguirre and his men in sixteenth-century South America. The problems that Aguirre and his men face arrive early and occur often throughout the film. They battle through a difficult environment, physical ailments, and strife within the ranks up until the very last scene. The cinematography, staging of characters, and symbolism in the final scene effectively draw Don Lope de Aguirre’s story to a close in Herzog’s film. Through these cinematic elements, the movie elicits emotions of sadness and sympathy from the viewer. A deeper look into the Herzog’s final scene reveals more than just a woeful ending to a damned journey; it questions the morals of the human race when they are overcome by greed, gluttony, wrath, sloth, and the rest of the seven deadly sins.
[2] The cinematography in Aguirre, the Wrath of God is certainly to be commended. The two most notable scenes occur in the beginning and at the end of the film. The beginning is noted for the breathtaking scenery as the camera pans down the Andes as Aguirre and his crew descend the mountains down to the river. As viewers, we are enthralled by the incredible richness of the scene that is unfolding in front of us. The final scene captivates viewers in a similar way, with only slight variations. In the seconds leading up until the ending credits, the camera is moving again. This time, however, it is circling the still raft that is holding captive Aguirre and his men. For the bulk of the time that Aguirre and his men are on the raft, the viewer is on board as well. Rarely does the camera take a step back and give an entire view of it, and the cinematographer certainly never takes a 360-degree rotational shot.
[3] The idea of circling the raft here is significant on many different levels. At this point, the raft appears to be at a standstill. The men are on the cusp of death, if they have not already passed on, and are suffering from delusions and severe hunger. The relentless circling of the camera represents the ongoing struggles of the crew since the beginning of the movie; it is as if this is the director’s final way of driving home his message to the viewers. The camera movement here also represents their journey in the sense that it feels as though these men (and two women) have been travelling in circles—one character even goes so far as to make that very remark. The 360-degree shot also shows the final result of the raft. It appears on the screen lifeless and unmoving as Aguirre stands with his men, either dead or dying, around him. Most of the raft is broken down and has become infested with monkeys. Those who are still alive are delusional and do not wish to continue any further. The camera shot serves as a physical and metaphorical finale for Aguirre’s conquest of El Dorado. This is the end for Aguirre.
[4] As the camera circles the raft, the staging of the characters becomes immediately evident. First and foremost, Aguirre is standing in the center of the raft in a pose that is somewhat triumphant. He has his sword intact, his helmet on and a slight lean to his stance. His look is proud and determined. The pose is reminiscent of that of a famous conquistador’s statue. He is looking onward to the horizon, as if there is something for him to conquer in the distance. Although he is obviously still alive because he is standing, the question arises of why Herzog would not show Aguirre’s imminent death. As viewers, we see him standing as the camera circles the raft, and then the shot immediately cuts to the credits. Perhaps this is an allusion to the real story of Don Lope de Aguirre who does escape this dire situation and lives to tell the tale.
[5] Surrounding Aguirre are some of his men, who are also on the edge of death. It may appear that these men have already passed on because their movements are slight and easily unnoticeable. The idea that these people are teetering on the edge of death is familiar throughout this scene. Earlier in the final scene, Aguirre holds his daughter as she lies dying from an arrow wound. The viewer assumes she is dead from the blood that is on Aguirre’s hand, until her eyes move slightly upward toward him. These people are on their last thread of life, which makes this scene even more bizarre and, for that reason, memorable. When thinking about this film from the bigger picture, the concept may not seem as bizarre. From the very beginning, the viewer could tell that this crew was doomed; the treacherous journey down the mountain, the raft getting caught in the eddy, and the strife within the crew were all foreboding signs that this journey would not end well. The movie as a whole can be looked at as the entire crew’s last thread of life; it is just the final scene on the raft that magnifies it.
[6] The raft is literally and symbolically overcome by hundreds of tiny monkeys in the final scene. Aguirre, the Wrath of God is largely based on the theme of greed and its effect on people. The last scene shows the inhabitants of the raft stripped down to nothing. Aguirre’s greed and malice are no good here. They have no worldly possessions that are of any value on this raft, as they are all starving and sick. These men have been reduced to nothing—stripped down to the basics, if you will. The monkeys are an allusion to this idea. The monkeys themselves are living reminders of Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution, a theory that reminds us that we were once simplistic creatures that focused on survival by any means. There was a reason that Herzog chose monkeys instead of any other animal. He wanted to subconsciously remind the viewer that life still can be lived simplistically, without the distractions of greed, wrath, or gluttony. (see comment by Kelsey Cannon) (see comment by Eddie Strumfels)
[7] The raft, itself, represents a microcosm of society throughout the entire movie. The group of people, both men and women, live, eat, and sleep together on that small raft. There are rules, ethical codes, values, and a class structure. When the raft comes to a standstill in the final scene, the society itself has come to an end. There was no progression throughout the movie, only a slow, inevitable downfall. The monkeys bring an end to this society when they dominate the raft. Nature has literally taken over; the water is still, and the monkeys infest that which once belonged to Aguirre and his crew. The director places an image of the sun before the 360-degree rotational shot of the raft to further the notion that nature has taken over this society. Herzog is questioning the overindulgence of humankind and wants to convey to his viewers the importance of living a simple life.
[8] The final scene of Aguirre, the Wrath of God signifies the result of a society that has succumbed to the temptation of the seven deadly sins. Throughout the entire movie, there is significant evidence of the seven sins corrupting Aguirre and the members of his crew. Gluttony can be seen as Don Fernando de Guzman gorges himself with excessive amounts of food at every meal. Although the other men are struggling to find food, he blatantly disregards their needs and continues with his behavior. The final scene depicts the men struggling to survive because they are starving. The men are suffering as a result of the leader’s gluttony. Sloth is seen frequently during the course of the movie as the men spend most of their time sitting around the camp or on the raft. Often, they are not productive and, rather, appear lazy and unmotivated. It is ironic to note that Aguirre gives his daughter a small creature named a sloth. Sloths were given their name because they are slow-moving and spend much of their day sleeping. In the final scene, the men are overcome by their environment and dire situation; they have fallen victim to sloth. They physically have no ability to better their situation.
[9] The most notable reference to one of the seven deadly sins throughout the entire movie occurs in the final scene. As Aguirre wanders around the raft, his voiceover portrays his delusional plans for the future. The director makes no effort to differentiate the voiceover from the words that actually come out of his mouth later in the scene; instead, one carries right over to the other. That lack of transition only furthers the viewers understanding of the complete insanity that these men are experiencing. It is here that Aguirre refers to himself aloud as the wrath of God, not once but twice throughout this scene. He truly believes that God has willed him to procreate with his daughter and found the purest dynasty ever to be seen. He believes that El Dorado is in his destiny to be conquered. As a result of his own personal greed, Aguirre’s wrath has been felt amongst the people on the raft. He has pushed the crew to its limits for his own personal gain.
[10] The final scene of Aguirre, the Wrath of God uses several different cinematic elements that serve as the means by which Werner Herzog can finalize his commentary on society. The cinematography that he uses to develop the final scene intentionally brings forth a feeling of hopelessness in the viewer. He ties together all of the greed, gluttony, sloth, and wrath that is evident during the film and shows it in the movie’s final minutes on the raft. It is as if Herzog is saying that this is the result. The microcosm of society that the raft represents has failed, and Aguirre’s journey in the film has come to a gruesome end.
Comments
Willard mentions the small monkeys that overrun Aguirre's raft at the end of the film, claiming they symbolize the theory of evolution, as a message from Herzog--a reminder of the simpler people we were. Perhaps even a reminder that we were once akin to the natives of the land in our practices (I use the terms "we" and "our" in the rhetorical sense) and means for living. I do not disagree with her; however, I think the monkeys may serve an additional purpose, which struck me when Aguirre lifted one up, holding it tightly in his fist, and said to it "I am the wrath of God." His interaction with the monkey can be seen as an attempt to induce fear into the small creatures, in a fit of psychosis and breakdown, to rid them from his raft. I saw this element as symbolic of his intentions to conquer New Spain--which he stated almost immediately beforehand. He wants the purest of kingdoms, a kingdom he plans to start with his daughter (who is now dead--if anything, his monologue is indicative of his mental state); yet, it is overrun by the native elements of the land--the monkeys. He cannot rid the land of what is indigenous to it, and even though he stands in the familiar iconic conquistador pose, he has essentially conquered nothing by conquering so much through the killing of all of his men that he does not even have the force to run harmless monkeys off of his sinking raft.
I disagree with Catherine's characterization of Aguirre as a man driven solely by greed or an overwhelming desire for worldly possessions; Aguirre's constant references to Cortez and his self-proclaimed title of "wrath of God" means to me that Aguirre was driven by pride instead of greed. Wealth truly meant very little to him, it seems, and he was more captured by the idea of being a man destined for greatness, picked by God to do things on Earth other men can only dream of doing. I agree more with Kelsey's assessment of the monkeys, that their presence at the end of the film is more of a mocking of Aguirre's delusions of power. The original ending of the movie backs up my claim, I think. In Herzog's first screenplay for the film, the raft is seen sailing into the ocean and the being pushed back inland because of a counter-current where the Amazon actually runs backwards. During this shot of the raft being brought out to sea then pushed back in, we see a parrot instead of the monkeys, and the only words we hear are the bird screeching "El Dorado." Although the actual final scene is quite different, I believe the message is the same: Aguirre's quest to realize his fantastic destiny ends with the man alone on a raft, drifting back and forth the same stretch of water, being teased by the prospect of his immortality by indifferent nature that screams the most important words in Aguirre's mind without the slightest clue as to what they actually mean. Aguirre believed himself to be better than man, but we last see him totally stymied by land and beast.
