Aguirre, the Wrath of God, New Yorker/Photofest, © New Yorker Films
Klaus Kinski’s descent into jungle madness comes to the Norton Simon Museum on Friday, January 30, when Werner Herzog’s 1972 masterpiece “Aguirre, the Wrath of God” screens as part of a film series exploring gold’s power to bewitch and destroy.
The 4:30 p.m. screening continues “All that Glitters,” a series organized by Caltech Professor Brian Jacobson that pairs classic cinema with the museum’s exhibition “Gold: Enduring Power, Sacred Craft.” The exhibition examines 60 works spanning from around 1000 BCE to the 20th century, running through February 16, as part of the museum’s 50th-anniversary programming.
Herzog’s film chronicles a 16th-century Spanish expedition into Peru’s jungle searching for El Dorado. Kinski plays Don Lope de Aguirre, a conquistador who seizes control from his superior, Don Pedro de Ursúa (Ruy Guerra), and grows increasingly volatile as the quest pushes deeper into the Amazon. Accompanied by his daughter Flores (Cecilia Rivera), Aguirre’s obsession with the legendary golden city consumes him entirely.
Jacobson will introduce the film, as he has for earlier screenings including Charlie Chaplin’s “The Gold Rush” on January 9. The series connects filmmakers’ fascination with gold—from the Klondike to medieval Japan to the El Dorado legend—with the exhibition’s themes.
The screening is free with museum admission: $20 for adults, $15 for seniors, and no charge for museum members, students with ID, or visitors 18 and under. Theater doors open at 4 p.m. No reservations are required.
“Aguirre, the Wrath of God” will run on Friday, Jan. 30, at 4:30 p.m. Norton Simon Museum, 411 W. Colorado Blvd., Pasadena. For more information, call (626) 449-6840 or visit https://www.nortonsimon.org/calendar/2026/winter-2026/Aguirre-the-Wrath-of-God-1972-NR-1-30-2026-430PM#2026-01-30. Ticket prices: Free with museum admission; $20 adults, $15 seniors, free for museum members, students with ID and visitors 18 and under.
