Aguirre the Wrath of God reflects both the16th century Spanish society as well as hints at 20th century German society. The movie takes place in the 16th century, and is about a group of Spanish explorers searching for El Dorado. It gives the viewer a good idea of what society was like in 16th century Spain. There is slavery, racism, sexism, and a heavy presence of the Catholic Church. Euro-centrism is seen throughout the movie for example the Spanish feel that they can divide up the land amongst themselves without consulting anybody. Herzog hints at Nazi regime through Aguirre, the main character. Throughout the movie he gets progressively more insane which is driven by his desire for power and fame. Aguirre leads his men into one bad situation after the next and ultimately leads them to their demise. Aguirre wants to conquer and establish his own empire. He wants to create a supreme pure race by marrying his daughter. The Nazi’s lead by Adolf Hitler wanted to conquer the world and establish their own “supreme” race of Aryans. Aguirre the Wrath of God gives its viewer a direct sense of the 16th century as well as an Herzogs’ indirect view of the Nazi’s.
Orson Wells’ Citizen Kane depicts a society where the power of the press and the newspaper are emerging. Orson Wells play Charles Kane, who starts out as a poor boy in Colorado and becomes a huge media tycoon who retires to his fantasy world Xanadu. The movie demonstrates the power of the press and the newspaper. Charles Kane turns his wife into an opera star. His wife is not a good singer however his paper gives her good reviews and he builds her an opera house. It demonstrates how powerful the opinion of the newspaper is. The movie also has a moral which is meant to speak to the society of the time. The movie shows that fame, power, and wealth are not the most important parts of life. In fact Charles Kane regrets the fact that he did not have a real childhood and that he did not have a real family.
