The motivation for this documentary was that, quite simply, Kinski was a madman, and working with him during shooting could be an exhausting, irritating affair, complete with scenes like this:
“My Best Fiend” feels a little hollow, as if it was missing spools of footage, and a more complete analysis of Kinski’s life. Perhaps – but Herzog seemed to have made this film, not for audiences, but for himself and his reconciliation with the legendary actor.
Though it stumbles as a documentary, on this level of personal apology, it excels… Herzog shies away from the really juicy stories, instead choosing to remember Kinski, not for his outbursts, which could reach sun-flare temperatures, but for his moments of kindness and touching humanity. Two of his co-stars, Eva Mattes and Claudia Cardinale, both remember him fondly, nostalgic about moments of sensitivity.
My own fascination with Klaus Kinski comes from the stories about his life contrasted with his roles in the five famous Herzog films: “Aguirre, Wrath of God”, “Nosferatu”, “Woyzeck”, “Fitzcarraldo” and “Cobra Verde”. Each film seems to be less of a role for Kinski, but a strange union between the director and the leading man. Many reviewers have noted that, though Kinski was mad, he only acted out Herzog’s own buried meglomania.
“My Best Fiend” is not a movie that most people would enjoy, as it seems to talk about things that seem unfamiliar; instead, I recommend doing what I did watch all five Herzog/Kinski films, love them, find fascination in Kinski’s expressive, self-loathing face, then dive into the documentary, savouring every moment.
I say: Fascinating Herzog’s film seems like a fond farewell and an apology to the actor that he threatened to shoot with a gun on set.
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