Von Sternberg and Dietrich. Hitchcock and Stewart. Ford and Wayne. Scorsese and De Niro. To this list of legendary director-actor collaborations must be added Werner Herzog and Klaus Kinski. This magnificent six-disc DVD boxed set contains the five (mostly) brilliant films they made together, as well as an illuminating documentary that charts their tempestuous (to say the least) professional and personal relationship. As the accompanying booklet points out, "these two warriors of German cinema would challenge, inspire, and torture each other into creating some of the most enduring and unique experiences of modern film." Included are such masterpieces as the visually stunning conquistador epic Aguirre, The Wrath of God (1973), the production-problem-plagued Fitzcarraldo (1982) and the atmospheric remake of F.W. Murnau's silent classic Nosferatu (1979), as well as Herzog's moving adaptation of Georg Büchner's play Woyzeck (1979), and their final film together, the lesser-known Cobra Verde (1987), based on the life of a 19th century Brazilian bandit. The award-winning documentary, My Best Fiend (2000) is part tribute and part exorcism. Herzog praises Kinski as a "monumental, epochal actor," but adds that he was also "impulsive, unpredictable, half mad." One revealing anecdote corrects a rumor that Herzog directed Kinski while armed with a loaded rifle. Not true, Herzog insists. What happened, he claims, was that Kinski once threatened to leave the set, and Herzog threatened to shoot him with a rifle loaded with nine bullets; eight for Kinski and the ninth for himself. An instant library of world cinema masterworks, this is highly recommended. Editor's Choice. (K. Lee Benson)
Herzog/Kinski Collection
Anchor Bay, 6 discs, 640 min., not rated, DVD: $89.98 Volume 17, Issue 5
Herzog/Kinski Collection
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