Aguirre, the Wrath of God

"What else is a throne but a plank and some velvet, Your Majesty?"

"That man is a head taller than me. That may change."

"I am the great traitor. There must be no other. Anyone who even thinks about deserting this mission will be cut up into 98 pieces. Those pieces will be stamped on until what is left can be used only to paint the walls. Whoever takes one grain of corn or one drop of water more than his ration will be locked up for 155 years. If I, Aguirre, want the birds to drop dead from the trees, then the birds will drop dead from the trees. I am the Wrath of God. The earth I pass will see me and tremble. Whoever follows me and the river, will win untold riches. Whoever deserts..."

"These men measure riches in gold. It's more. It's power and fame. I despise them for it."

"[On a monkey-infested raft among his dead crew] When we reach the sea, we'll build a bigger boat, and with it we'll sail north and take Trinidad away from the Spanish Crown. From there we'll go on and take Mexico from Cortés. What a great betrayal that will be! We will then control all of New Spain and we will stage history as others stage plays. I, the Wrath of God, will marry my own daughter and with her found the purest dynasty ever known to man. Together we will rule the whole of this continent. I am the Wrath… the Wrath of God. [picks up a monkey] Who else is with me?"

"I was a prince in this land, and my people had to look to the ground, and no one was allowed to look into my eyes. My people are in chains just like me, and I must look to the ground."

"[Reading Aguirre's letter of treason] We rebel to the death, and we solemnly so declare, and our hands shall be torn off and our tongues dry up if this is not so. The House of Habsburg devoid of all its rights, and you King of Castille dethroned, by dint of this declaration be you annihilated. In your place we proclaim the noble knight from the city of Seville, Don Fernando de Guzman, Emperor of El Dorado. Flee! Flee from hence, O King, and may God take your soul."

"[Hallucinating] That's not a boat. That's not a tree. [Arrow hits him] This is no arrow. We only see arrows because we're afraid of them."

"A breathtaking journey into the heart of darkness."

"On this river, God never finished his creation."

"Klaus Kinski - Don Lope de Aguirre"

"Helena Rojo - Inez de Atienza"

"Ruy Guerra - Don Pedro de Ursúa"

"Del Negro - Brother Gaspar de Carvajal"

"Peter Berling - Don Fernando de Guzman"

"Cecilia Rivera - Florés de Aguirre"

"Daniel Ades - Perucho"

"Edward Roland - Okello"

"Armando Polanah - Armando"

"Alejandro Repullés - Gonzalo Pizarro"