Misinterpreting the "True Word of God"

By Jaclyn Ulman

[1] Werner Herzog’s 1972 film Aguirre, the Wrath of God (Aguirre, der Zorn Gottes), has become a widely acclaimed cult-film about a Spanish expedition on the Amazon River to find the city of gold, El Dorado. Adapted from the accounts of Brother Gaspar de Carvajal from an earlier Amazon expedition, Herzog bases this film loosely on Lope de Aguirre’s expedition, and the madness that ensued. One particularly poignant scene in the film is the first encounter with the natives. The estranged conquistadors under Aguirre’s command are floating down the Amazon as a canoe approaches. The manner in which the natives are treated is one of the first signs that Aguirre may not be the only one who is going mad.

[2] This scene is made up largely of reaction shots. It begins with a low shot that frames the tip of the raft, the river, the lush trees and foliage on the side of the river, and an approaching canoe, that is barely in sight. A good portion of this scene consists of waiting for the canoe and the raft to meet, alternating shots of the canoe coming closer with those on the raft gazing out at the river and the forthcoming canoe. Herzog intentionally draws out this part of the scene, so that the audience can feel the suspense as the “savages” in the canoe approach the raft. He further emphasizes the suspense with a lack of nondiegetic music. There is only dialogue, and the sounds of nature, which serves to convey the raft passengers’ confusion as to why this canoe is approaching.

[3] During the reaction shots, the dialogue is mostly made up of voiceovers, as the confused passengers on the raft question why the “savages” are coming closer, and if they are trustworthy. Additionally, there is a voiceover of Brother Gaspar de Carvajal reading an excerpt from his diary: “January twenty fourth. For the first time, we saw two of the savages. They seemed to be trusting.” At this point, the shot immediately changes to that of the “savages,” who are now in plain view for the first time. Despite the fact that the savages looked “trusting” to Carvajal, those on the raft pull the canoe close and grab the man and woman on board. Herzog throws in his subtle humor as someone on the raft inspecting the canoe says “Look, a fish!” and ferociously bites into it, much like a savage would.

[4] There is nothing particularly exceptional about the appearance of both of the “savages.” The male, who speaks calmly, and looks unafraid of those on the raft, is topless and wears a headdress. The headdress is simple, with colors of reddish/orange and yellow on top, with a straw wig attached. He also wears a necklace with a gold icon. As the male continues to speak, there is a close up of the woman. She has a blank expression on her face, and her eyes wander, but there is a hint of sadness, fear, and confusion in her eyes. These emotions can be detected as she stares directly into the camera, breaking the fourth wall as many other characters in this film do sporadically. This close-up of her face shows the braided straw wig that she is wearing, much like her male counterpart. The shot then changes to a medium-close up, which shows the upper-half of her body. She is wearing a straw skirt and is topless, as well. Although Herzog’s intentions are uncertain, he chose a woman with breasts that are vastly different sizes; the contrast is so great that the purpose comes into question, but the answer is unclear.

[5] The contrast between the appearance of the two aboriginal men, the “savage” from the canoe and the interpreter, is important in this shot as well. The interpreter is wearing a multi-colored cloth throw-over,and exposes a full head of hair. The difference between the interpreter and the topless, headdress-wearing savage is somewhat of a glimpse into the savage and his people’s future. The interpreter, an Incan who has already been conquered, has maintained his traditional appearance but is under Aguirre’s rule. This is what the savage and his people can look forward to.

[6] This scene displays multiple cultures aboard on the raft. To emphasize this, the camera focuses on the two native men speaking and moves focus onto Aguirre, who is ironclad, much unlike the simple outfits of the native men. Confused, Aguirre asks the interpreter, “What did he say?” and the interpreter translates:

He says he’s from the Yagua Tribe. He knows from his ancestors that one day, the Sons of the Sun would arrive from afar, through great perils. The strangers would come with thunder from tubes. They’ve waited a long time for the coming of the Sons of the Sun. For here on this river, God never finished His Creation.

What the interpreter has just said is very profound. This means that the savages that arrived on the canoe came in peace and are delivering a message that their people are willing to accept the “Sons of the Sun,” those on the raft. However, this important statement that the savage makes falls on deaf ears as Don Fernando de Guzman notices the gold emblem on the man’s neck, violently ripping it off and asking where it came from. Instead of becoming upset, the male remains calm while Brother Gaspar de Carvajal asks the same question.

[7] Brother Gaspar de Carvajal, wide-eyed, continues to asks the savage if he knows where El Dorado, the city of gold, is. Furthermore, he asks, “Has this savage ever heard of our savior Jesus Christ? And of our mission and the True Word of God?” It is at this point that the savage begins to look annoyed, and understandably so. He had been talking about something very important -- the destiny of his people and the Sons of the Sun -- only to be cut off and interrogated about gold. Carvajal persists, “This is the Bible. It contains the Word of God that we preach to bring light into the darkness of their world. Does he understand at all that this book contains the Word of God? Take it in your hand, my son.” The priest, whose eyes have been wild with excitement, places the Bible in the man’s hand. The savage, confused by the literal interpretation, puts the Bible up to his ear and claims that “it doesn’t talk.” Carvajal then decides that he must be killed “for this blasphemy.” Everyone on the raft lunges onto the savage as the priest kills him and his wife with a sword. The camera moves to Aguirre, who looks irritated and unmoved by what has just happened. There is a voiceover from Carvajal’s diary, “It is a tough business, these savages are hard to convert,” -- an ironic statement, since he did not try very hard to convert them or spare their lives. The scene ends with the priest, Carvajal, blessing the bodies.

[8] This film focuses largely on the madness of Aguirre and the disparity between his goals and that of the other conquistadors. However, this section of the film clearly displays how crazy the other characters are becoming. Even Carvajal, the representative of religion on the expedition, has become obsessed with gold and has lost sight of the “True Word of God” by unjustly killing the two savages. The rest of the members of the raft allow this murder to take place and act like savages themselves throughout the scene. The loss of sanity throughout this film is a gradual process, but one that begins to come to a head in this scene.