After watching "Fitzcarraldo", be sure to watch "Burden of Dreams".
Another director would have used practical special effects (models) to film dragging the steamship over the mountain and riding it down the rapids. Herzog dragged a real steamship over the actual mountain and he and the film crew rode it down the rapids.
In "Aguirre Wrath of God" the conquistadors war party lose half of their equipment when a flood sweeps one of the rafts away. This was not part of the script, during on location shooting an actual flood swept one of the movie crews rafts away with a lot of the equipment and props.
Another director would have used practical special effects (models) to film dragging the steamship over the mountain and riding it down the rapids. Herzog dragged a real steamship over the actual mountain and he and the film crew rode it down the rapids.
In "Aguirre Wrath of God" the conquistadors war party lose half of their equipment when a flood sweeps one of the rafts away. This was not part of the script, during on location shooting an actual flood swept one of the movie crews rafts away with a lot of the equipment and props.