Cobra Verde (1987)

Director:

Werner Herzog

Writers:

Bruce Chatwin (novel)
Werner Herzog (writer)

Release Date:

3 December 1987 (USA)

Genre:

Adventure | Drama

Tagline:

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

Plot:

The feared bandit Cobra Verde (Klaus Kinski) is hired by a plantation owner to supervise his slaves...

Plot Keywords:

Slave | Plantation | Africa | Bandit | King

Awards:

2 wins

Cast

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

Also Known As:

Slave Coast

Runtime:

111 min

Country:

West Germany | Ghana

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

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

Certification:

Australia:PG | Spain:13 | Denmark:11 | Portugal:M/12 (video) | Sweden:15 | Italy:T | Finland:K-11 | Norway:16 | West Germany:12

Filming Locations:

Bahia, Brazil

Company:

Werner Herzog Filmproduktion

Trivia:

The fifth and last of the Werner Herzog/Klaus Kinski collaborations, the other four being: Aguirre, der Zorn Gottes (1972), Nosferatu: Phantom der Nacht (1979), Woyzeck (1979) & Fitzcarraldo (1982).

Quotes:

[da silva pours some champagne into their glasses]
Captain Pedro Vincente: To slavery! The greatest misunderstanding in the history of mankind.
Francisco Manoel da Silva: It was no misunderstanding. It was a crime...
Francisco Manoel da Silva: [drinks the champagne, refills the glass] Slavery is an element of the human heart.
Francisco Manoel da Silva: To our ruin!

Movie Connections:

Featured in Bis ans Ende... und dann noch weiter. Die ekstatische Welt des Filmemachers Werner Herzog (1989) (TV)

Hail to the Viceroy

In principle, I would feel tempted to give it only a six. Except that then there are "buts"... But there is Werner Herzog. But there is the sociopathically brilliant Klaus Kinski. But there is that unforgettable final scene. But there is the historic memory behind the story. But there are silent scenes of sheer contemplation. But there is the image of the fortress of Elmina (originally Ajudá, or Ouidah), that lingers long after you have seen the movie. But there is the amazing sensuality of all those female-warriors in beautiful war outfits. But there is that young girl singing near the end, the lavish, teasing, provocative, self-assured look on her face, the expression in her eyes, the crystalline/aggressive sound of her voice. And 'but' there is the music. If you have read Bruce Chatwin's novel, you will be able to add up some details to the story line. The horror of the Kingdom of Daomé, for instance, is far from what BC described himself - and actually far from what history books tell us. In fact, you could build endless stories inside this movie. That's what makes it so good: all the things missing. It could have been a better achievement, but for all it's worth, it's really not the kind of movie you're likely to forget after a few weeks!