Aguirre, Stroszek and Fitzcarraldo
Werner Herzog is a genius at directing movies. He has worked with popular actors such as Nicholas Cage and Christian Bale over the years. He is also popularly known for his unorthodox methods in film production. His friend and actor, Klaus Kinski, acted the main role in two films. The film, Stroszec, was debuted in cinemas in 1977; Aguirre was released in 1972 and Fitzcarraldo was released in 1982. The three films by explore a man’s world, how the society views romanticism, use of metaphors and the experiences of a young woman. The discussion in this essay will explore these aspects and more on the three films: Stroszec, Fitzcarraldo and Aguirre.
The Fitzcarraldo film is about a man, popularly known in his village by the name Fitzcarraldo. This character is played by Klaus Kinski, who is seen to be obsessed with pursuing the establishment of an opera in the middle of nowhere. Fitzcarraldo is in love with Enrico Caruso’s works of opera. Set in the earlt 20th century, the film depicts Brian Sweeney, also known as, Fitzcarraldo’s vision to set up an opera in the newly developed town in the Amazon. He is aware that setting up such an establishment will require a lot of money to accomplish. Therefore he borrows money froma friend to purchase a ship and tries to accomplish the unthinkable. Given his appetite for cash to accomplish his goal, Fitzgerald sets out to seek rubber from trees deep in the amazon. He procures a lease from the government to explore rubber in an inaccessible river. To accomplish this, he employs the help of the local Indian natives to drag his ship up a muddy hill over to the next river in the Amazon basin. This takes a lot of work done by the Indian natives bordering on slavery to get the steam ship across. In the end of it all, he fails in his quest for rubber exploitation. In this film, Fitzcarraldo is portrayed as a lover of opera. His greatest desire is to set it up in this growing town. However, his ambition clouds his judgment: the reason why he indulges in unthinkable activities to achieve his dream. The director, Werner Herzog is also quite overzealous over this project. In fact, the main character reflects the same ambition as the director’s: to achieve their dream. I believe he should have been checked into a psychiatric ward to evaluate his state of mind: actually attempting to pull a steam ship over the mountain. Both also seem to share Aguirre’s obstinate ambition to achieve his dreams. Aguirre, a soldier, sets out to Peru in search of El Dorado: a famous cache of gold hidden in the jungle. He gethers members of his unit, a few native animals, two women (wife and daughter) and sets out without informing anyone of his true goal: just like Fitzgerald did. Hi ambition is so deeply etched that despite his wife’s intervention to quit his mad quest – when she finds out his true goals - he does not budge. Eventually, the soldiers under his command and a member of his family become casualties of the war waged with the locals. Even then, he is depicted declaring ‘he is the wrath of God’ to monkeys. In comparison therefore, though their dreams are differen, the two characters – Aguirre and Fitzgerald – and the director, Herzog, share a common trait of obstinate ambition bordering on insanity.
Herzog has extensively employed the use of visual motifs that depict endless circles or events that go round in circles. Stoszec and his two colleagues, Eva – a street walker – and Scheitz are determined to leave their native country Germany and head out to America, the land of opportunities. Eva saves enough money and the three leave for America without the slightest clue how to speak English. They become frustrated and Eva leaves the two to escape Stoszec’s whining tendencies. Scheitz immerses himself into insane experiments such as his discovery of animal magnetism by use of an ammeter. The two eventually head out to rob a bank which they find closed and opt to rob the barber shop next door of $32. Schietz heads out to spend some of the money in a supermarket where he is arrested and Stoszec sets his vehicle in a continuous loop while he board a ski tram and is continuously conveyed in a loop. Before this event, we are shown a chicken dancing on a circular platform. Stoszec inserted coins into the console, at which point the chicken comes out, pulls the cord for starting the tune and performs a hilarious dance. At the beginning of the movie, Stoszec is also recorded saying ‘It goes in circles.’ The dancing chicken (a chicken has no comprehension for music) depicts the events in the story: metaphorically. They characters were poor in Berlin, moved to America and they still face the similar financial challenges: like a chicken dancing to an unlikely tune every time money is introduced into their ‘space,’ the director also made use of an outsider, Bruce S. to give comments on the most notable eevents in the films as it progresses: a aspect that allows the viewer to relate to the characters.
The animals used in the films explored in this essay have been used to show what the authorship of the films thinks about related human characteristics. Therefore, the director has successfully incorporated the metaphors into the film: open to interpretation of the viewer based on events displayed. For instance, the dancing chicken has been used to accurately depict human character when money is involved. The chicken with no brains or comprehension of money or music is shown dancing to a tune it cannot possibly comprehend when money as introduced into the console. The platform upon which the chicken dances on is circular. This metaphor was employed successfully to give a literal translation of the events in the film.
Herzog has portrayed a woman as hardworking and determined as long as there is a cause they can benefit from. Eva Mattes was a street hooker who was constantly violated by her pimps. She wanted to get away and lurched on the idea of going to America. She works hard to raise money and they arrive in America, barely comprehending the language and without a means to survive. She is depicted as dedicated to Stoszec, but turns away from him because he whines a lot and makes no effort to complement her own. She was portrayed as supportive and a victim of abuse, but is later portrayed as a clever survivor who quickly adapts to deteriorating situation.
Conclusion
The director, Werner Herzog, is a genius at directing films that employ the use of metaphors to show the flaws of blinded ambitions and human intellect at its worst: the dancing chicken. Men have been portrayed as obstinate in their quest and ambitious to fulfill their dreams oblivious of the rest. However, women have been depicted as kind and supportive, willing victims buts also clever to pursue other dreams when one fails. Animals in the three films were used to develop metaphors that depict human tendencies displayed in each film- to the viewer.
Works Cited
A&E Television Networks . Werner Herzog Biography. 9 May Last updated 2016. 9 May 2016. <http://www.biography.com/people/werner-herzog-21239203>.
Canby, Vincent. "Film: Herzog's Pilgrims Hit the U.S. Road." New York Times (1977): 1-3.
