Prácticas de representación de lo exótico en “Aguirre, la ira de Dios” (1972): un análisis crítico a la mirada de Werner Herzog

Abstract

This research deals with the theme of the practices of representation of the exotic in the film Aguirre, la ira de Dios (1972) by film director Werner Herzog, based on a critical analysis. The main characteristics of the research are based on the study of the notions of “representation”, “other”, “exotic” and “gaze”. These were the basis for the development of a theoretical apparatus. To examine this theme, a study of cinematographic analysis of the film was carried out, starting from its internal narrative, revealing its representational structures. For this, it was necessary to identify the reflective fields of Cultural Studies, Visual Studies and Artistic Studies through theoretical, practical and creative references of the project from the categories “representation”, “other”, “exotic” and “gaze” and subcategories such as the place of enunciation, cinema of conquest, stereotype, exotic landscape and colonial violence. The research was carried out with the interest of interpreting director W. Herzog's gaze as a system of references, representations and discourses that allowed the film to originate. There was an academic interest in deepening the proposed categories and highlighting the need to analyze other frames of reference, starting from the colonial heritages. Likewise, the research arose from a personal interest in making a film study of director W. Herzog and one of his most representative works, Aguirre, la ira de Dios (1972). The thesis is structured as follows: chapter one presents categories such as “place of enunciation”, “cinema of conquest” and “problem fields”. In the second chapter, a theoretical analysis of the proposed categories was carried out. And finally, in the third chapter we studied Herzog’s view of the film Aguirre, la ira de Dios (1972); starting from, categories such as the representation of the “Other”, the landscape of the “exotic” and the character of Aguirre.