Klaus Kinski was an extraordinary method actor. More than that, the camera loved his face. Unfortunately, he was also quite mad, given to manic outbursts, to fits of rage, to outrageous behavior, both on and off the set. This documentary by Werner Herzog, who directed Kinski five times, is, I believe, neither exaggerated nor ironic, as has been suggested elsewhere. It is dead-on honest in its depiction of Kinski's willfulness, like a character conceived by Dostoyevski. But it is too much. Herzog and the wonderful Eva Mattes do recall sometimes sensitive and playful sides to Kinski, and footage from "Aguirre" and "Woyzeck" demonstrate Kinski's ability to fully inhabit his more than edgy characters, but otherwise what we see for 1:39 is the acting out of one unmitigated monster. There are at least two reels too much here. I loved "Fitzcarraldo" and "The Making of Fitzcarraldo," but I found this documentary -- Fitzcarraldo twice removed -- a bit tiresome and repetitive.
Review of My Best Fiend
