Werner Herzog

 Werner Herzog




Aguirre, the Wrath of God (1972)

The Enigma of Kaspar Hauser (1974)



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2. The Enigma of Kaspar Hauser (1974)


It's clear that Werner Herzog uses cinema to strip humanity naked of its modernity, traditions, and social norms to reveal it in its purest form. With his 1974 film "The Enigma of Kaspar Hauser," Herzog strips these things away to reveal the purity of the human spirit through his protagonist, Kaspar Hauser. Based on a true story from the 19th century, the film centers on Kaspar, a young man kept in isolation for the first seventeen years of his life. As the film progresses, he begins to learn to speak and become acquainted with modernity. However, the constant conflict between Kaspar's pure intentions and the confusing, self-righteous, and incoherent logic of modern humanity iterates Herzog's philosophies on these social predilections and how they directly interfere with our natural selves. "The Enigma of Kaspar Hauser" serves as somewhat of a palette cleaner to his previous film, "Aguirre, the Wrath of God," by illustrating the natural virtue that can be found within the human soul.



1. Aguirre, the Wrath of God (1972)


After the creative explosion of global cinema in the 1960s, cinema had so many different places it could go. For Werner Herzog, it was a documentary-style approach to realize his 1972 film "Aguirre, the Wrath of God." Centering on a group of 16th century conquistadors traversing the Amazonian rainforest in search of El Dorado, the film is able to echo its themes through its bare-boned visual style. This style is able to reveal the depraved, vile, and absurd wasteland of humanity underneath the surface of customs and sensibility. Our characters are just as savage as the jungle that surrounds them - especially our titular Aguirre, who unravels into homicidal psychosis in an attempt to lead the group to an unconquered 'golden city.' "Aguirre, the Wrath of God" succinctly identifies the style and themes of its writer/director, allowing for him to unclothe the social aspects of humanity to reveal their unbound savagery. 

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