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"Like all of Herzog's films, be they fiction or documentaries, Cobra
Verde devotes its energies to presenting the viewer with images they've never
seen, or even dreamt of. Herzog based Cobra Verde on the novel The Viceroy of
Ouidah, by Bruce Chatwin, but as he admitted later on, he changed the
structure and the story to make the world of the film his own. The result is a
surreal, hypnotic journey into morally ambiguous territory, led by an
increasingly dubious tour guide."
"This was one of Kinski's last films--four years later, he would die of a
heart attack--and you can see him unraveling slowly in front of the camera. His
intensity is unsettling, and in the moments when Herzog has him face directly
into the camera, you start to wonder if he isn't going to lunge out of the
screen and try to throttle you. Herzog populates the film with a wealth of
fascinating actors with memorable faces, but it is Kinski, who, as usual,
commands your attention, even when he's in the background. It's a one-of-a-kind
performance that goes beyond Oscar consideration.
Filmed on location in West Africa (and in Columbia, for the first act), the
movie brilliantly creates a sense of physical and temporal space, often plunging
kilometers into the background, thanks to Viktor Ruzicka's magnificently
textured cinematography (another sign of Kinski's insanity: the original
cinematographer, Thomas Mauch, was forced to leave after only a few days of
shooting because of Kinski's ceaseless verbal abuse)."
The problems with Herzog´s "Best Fiend" became bigger and bigger. Kinski´s
rages made it impossible to work with him. After "Cobra Verde" was
finally finished, Herzog and Kinski split forever. Kinski told Herzog: "We
can not go gurther. I am no more."
Herzog on...
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