German film written and directed by Werner Herzog. Klaus Kinski stars in the title role.

The story follows the travels of Lope de Aguirre, who leads a group of conquistadores down the Amazon River in South America in search of a lost city of gold (El Dorado).

The film opens with a haunting combination of sound and image (a Herzog trademark - see Fitzcarraldo and The Enigma of Kaspar Hauser). Employing a sparse story and dialogue and utilising the mesmeric presence of Kinski, the film creates a compelling vision of madness and folly, counterpointed by the lush but unforgiving Amazonian jungle.

The soundtrack is composed and performed by Popol Vuh, a German progressive/ethno band, that also contributed to other Herzog films.

Herzog has acknowledged that the story line is a work of his imagination, notwithstanding the fact that several of the film's lead characters - such as Aguirre and Francisco Pizarro - were historical figures.

External link

• IMDb entry (http://imdb.com/title/tt0068182/)