Mein liebster Feind - Klaus Kinski (1999)

User Rating:

7.8/10   

Director:

Werner Herzog

Writer:

Werner Herzog (writer)

Release Date:

7 October 1999 (Germany)

Genre:

Documentary | Biography

Plot:

In the 1950s, when Werner Herzog was 13, he was sharing an apartment with Klaus Kinski, an ego-maniacal live-wire...

Plot Keywords:

Native American | Insult | Director | Forest | Behind The Scenes

Awards:

1 win & 1 nomination

Cast

Werner Herzog	...	Himself - Narrator / Interviewer (also archive footage)
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Isabelle Adjani	...	Lucy Harker (archive footage)
Claudia Cardinale	...	Herself (also archive footage)
Justo González	...	Himself (also archive footage)
Mick Jagger	...	Himself - Wilbur (archive footage)
Klaus Kinski	...	Himself (archive footage)
Eva Mattes	...	Herself (also archive footage)
Benino Moreno Placido	...	Himself (also archive footage)
Beat Presser	...	Himself (archive footage)
Guillermo Ríos	...	Himself (archive footage)
Jason Robards	...	Fitzcarraldo (archive footage)
Walter Saxer	...	Himself (archive footage)
Maximilian Schell	...	Himself - Deserteur (archive footage)
Andrés Vicente	...	Himself (archive footage)

Also Known As:

25. tunti: Klaus Kinski (Finland) (TV title)
Mein liebster Feind (Germany) (short title)
My Best Fiend (Europe: English title)

Runtime:

95 min

Country:

UK | Germany | Finland | USA

Language:

German | English | Spanish

Color:

Black and White (archive footage) | Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby SR

Certification:

Australia:PG | Finland:K-11 | France:U | Germany:12 (w) | Singapore:PG | Spain:T

Company:

Arte

Quotes:

Kinski: I am not the Jesus of the official church who the police, bankers, judges, hangmen, officers, church bosses and other powerful people tolerate. I am not your Superstar.

Movie Connections:

Features Burden of Dreams (1982)

Keep your enemies closer?

A documentary of the tumultuous relationship between Werner Herzog and Klaus Kinski may sound like a boring, foreign look into the past, for those unaware of such names, but nothing could be further from the truth.

No the film is not exciting, nor is it eye-opening. The film doesn't bring to light what many of us all already know about Herzog or Kinski, but regardless of its shortcomings, My Best Fiend is still a great movie about a friendship that saw ups and plenty of downs.

Director Herzog is a genius; actor Kinski is one as well. Their relationship is one of hate and love, respect and tolerance. The movies they made were acts of attrition, physically, emotionally, and occasionally financially.

Through Herzog's delicate tracings of their career together, it was clear that behind the death threats, the yelling, the arguing, and the disdain, both men had an amazing affinity for one another.

Kinski was the catalyst for such a partnership, as his mad style of acting and living seemed to make life dangerous and interesting all at the same time.

I am amazed Kinski was never honored with a nomination for an Oscar. He must be one of the best character actors in history. Though I'm sure he believed himself to be the best, and would naturally scoff at any awards thrown his way.

Great study on a pair of friends whose love/hate created some of cinema's finest works.