Aguirre, der Zorn Gottes (Aguirre, the Wrath of God)

In his most powerful fiction film, Herzog shakes his fist at nature and the forces of destiny with this hypnotic story set in the jungles of Peru. The film opens in 1560 when Pizarro, his men exhausted from their excruciating journey through the dense jungles, decides to send a small party ahead to determine if the expedition should continue. Don Pedro de Ursua is put in charge of the group, which also includes the ambitious Don Lope de Aguirre.

The film is based on a journal written by Brother Gaspar de Carvajal who, in the 16th century, was one of an army of Spaniards on expedition in search of the legendary city of gold, El Dorado.