As the pious but ruthlessly ambitious invaders pursue their fantasies of riches and power, they soon fall prey not only to the Amazonian forests, rivers and Indians but to their own ludicrous delusions of recreating European society in an indifferent, wholly alien landscape.

Most extreme in this madness is Don Lope de Aguirre (Klaus Kinski), whose megalomaniac scheming proceeds from the mutinous to the murderous.

At once a stirring but avowedly unsentimental tale of overweening ambition and a remarkably rich and original variation on the adventure film, Herzog’s masterpiece combines a flair for the epic with moments of incisive miniaturist observation.

From 29 March to 18 April, Visions of Europe returns to celebrate the breadth of European cinema. With a handpicked selection of films, we take in the best of European film including previews, festival hits and classics returning to the big screen. This year, all Visions of Europe screenings are Pay What You Can, find out more.