Werner Herzog confirms the extreme lengths he went to in order to afford operations on the set of Aguirre, the Wrath of God. Herzog’s 1972 jungle adventure film tells the story of a ruthless and ambitious explorer named Don Lope de Aguirre (Klaus Kinski) who leads Spain on a search for El Dorado. In addition to Kinski, the movie featured a leading cast including Ruy Guerra, Helena Rojo, Del Negro, Peter Berling, and Cecilia Rivera. Though Aguirre, the Wrath of God is regarded as one of Herzog’s most important films, the on-set experience was not without its problems.

Speaking with 60 Minutes, Herzog elaborates on his fraught experience on the Aguirre, the Wrath of God set. Interviewer Anderson Cooper discusses that he had heard the director “sold [his] shoes in order to get some fish to feed the crew.” Herzog confirms this to be true, and notes that he would trade things like his “wristwatch” and “give away everything” to get things he needed for the film. The director also references how important filmmaking was to him, noting that any money he gets, he invests in his next film. Check out the full quote from Herzog below:

Anderson Cooper: I read that you sold your shoes in order to get some fish to feed the crew.

Werner Herzog: Well it’s not normally what a director has to do. It’s good to have some good boots, and you can barter it for a load of fish. Or my wristwatch, I would give away. I would give away everything.

Cooper: And it’s worth it?

Herzog: Of course. Of course it’s worth it. I get away with the loot. I have a film.

Cooper: That’s the loot though, you’re not talking about making millions and millions of dollars, the loot for you is the film.

Herzog: Yeah. And of course, I make money sometimes, and I invest it in the next film.

What This Meant For Aguirre, The Wrath Of God

The Set Had Other Problems

Aguirre, the Wrath of God was not Herzog’s first feature, but it became the movie that introduced him to the world. In order to get this clout, Herzog would go to extreme lengths to make the film, which was sH๏τ on-location in the Peruvian rainforest on the Amazon River. With this on-location shoot came some undoubtedly difficult conditions, as the cast and crew had to use rafts for transport and climb through mountains for the shoot. The set experience was infamously challenging, testing the limits of the camera and the crew that supported them as they experienced real-life flood destruction and more.

If these on-site conditions were not evidence enough for how much making Aguirre, the Wrath of God meant to Herzog, this most recent statement cements his love for the craft even more. Herzog was willing to sacrifice his own belongings to make the movie, but he was not looking for “millions and millions of dollars” as a result of his filmmaking. Instead, the “loot,” aka the big gain he sees from the process is getting to have a film at the end of it.

Our Take On Herzog’s Aguirre, the Wrath Of God Experience

Herzog’s Filmmaking Perspective Is Refreshing

Of course, Herzog may not have been entirely wise to put his Aguirre, the Wrath of God team in such consistently perilous and hunger-inducing situations. However, it is still inspiring to see how pᴀssionate a person like Herzog is about his work. Though he has a series of accolades to his name, looking at Herzog’s career — which extends to both narrative and documentary features — it is clear, as he references, that Herzog is much more concerned about telling good stories than making money. In a world inundated with mindless sequels, this is a refreshing perspective on filmmaking.

Source: 60 Minutes