“It’s Not Normally What A Director Has To Do”: Werner Herzog Confirms He Traded His Shoes To Feed His Crew During His Infamously Troubled Jungle-Set Historical Drama

Werner Herzog confirms the extreme lengths he went to be able 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.