Cobra Verde (1987)

The feared bandit Cobra Verde (Klaus Kinski) is hired by a plantation owner to supervise his slaves. After the owner suspects Cobra Verde of consorting with his young daughters, the owner ... See full summary »

Director:

Werner Herzog

Writers:

Bruce Chatwin (novel), Werner Herzog

Stars:

Klaus Kinski, King Ampaw, José Lewgoy

2 wins.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Klaus Kinski	...	Francisco Manoel da Silva / Cobra Verde
King Ampaw	...	Taparica
José Lewgoy	...	Don Octavio Coutinho
Salvatore Basile	...	Captain Fraternidade
Peter Berling	...	Bernabé
Guillermo Coronel	...	Euclides
Nana Agyefi Kwame II	...	Bossa Ahadee (as His Royal Highness Nana Agyefi Kwame II of Nsein)
Nana Fedu Abodo	...	Yovogan
Kofi Yerenkyi	...	Bakoko
Kwesi Fase	...	Kankpe
Benito Stefanelli	...	Pedro Vicente
Kofi Bryan
Carlos Mayolo	...	Governor of Bahia
Pedro Oliveira
A. Kwesi Compson

Storyline

The feared bandit Cobra Verde (Klaus Kinski) is hired by a plantation owner to supervise his slaves. After the owner suspects Cobra Verde of consorting with his young daughters, the owner wishes him gone. Rather than kill him,the owner sends Cobra Verde to Africa. The only white man in the area, Cobra Verde finds himself the victim of torture and humiliation. Later, he trains soldiers in a rebel army. Far from home, Cobra Verde is on the edge of madness.

---

Plot Keywords:

slave | bandit | africa | plantation | sugar | 

---

Taglines:

The slaves will sell their masters and grow wings...

---

Genres:

Adventure | Drama

---

Details

Country:

West Germany Ghana

Language:

German Ewe Portuguese

Release Date:

3 December 1987 (West Germany)

Also Known As:

Slave Coast

Filming Locations:

Bahia, Brazil

Company Credits

Production Co:

Werner Herzog Filmproduktion, Zweites Deutsches Fernsehen (ZDF), Ghana Film Industry Corporation

Technical Specs

Runtime:

111 min

Sound Mix:

70 mm 6-Track (70 mm prints) Dolby (35 mm prints)

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Was originally picked up for U.S. theatrical distribution by De Laurentiis Entertainment Group, but the theatrical release intended for the U.S. was cancelled after DEG fell into bankruptcy. It would not get released in the U.S. until the year 2000, when Anchor Bay released it on DVD and VHS for the first time in the U.S.

---

Quotes

Francisco Manoel da Silva: I don't trust shoes.

---

Connections

Referenced in The White Diamond (2004)

User Reviews

Klaus Kinski commanding an army of topless women? Of course this was gonna be gold!

Klaus Kinski commanding an army of topless women? Of course this was gonna be gold! "Cobra Verde" was the last of the five collaborations between the legendary director Werner Herzog and the infamous madman actor Kinski. Its doesn't reach the operatic grandeur of either "Aguirre: The Wrath of God" or "Ftizcarraldo", but it does come close. The only thing that keeps this from being a classic is that the main character has a bit less depth than either the protagonists of the previously mentioned films. Still, this film will hold you in awe. No one fashioned amazon epics better than Herzog. The film is also much more briskly-paced than his other efforts and contains nice moments of surrealism.

What makes this film an absolutely memorable experience is Klaus Kinski however. For fans of Kinski, this is him at his most over-the-top and raving. No one played lunatics more convincingly than Kinski, and this is his most psychotic creation. There are moments when you aren't convinced this is acting, and Kinski often seems so tense hes going to jump out of the screen and attack the audience. He was the perfect choice to play the main character. The film is captivating throughout, and while its not the best collaboration between Herzog and Kinski, fans will eat it up. One of the best epics ever made. (9/10)