Cobra Verde (1987)

During the 1800s, paroled Brazilian bandit Cobra Verde is sent to West Africa with a few troops to man an old Portuguese fort and to convince the local African ruler to resume the slave trade with Brazil.

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	...	Kankpé
Benito Stefanelli	...	Captain Pedro Vicente
Kofi Bryan	...	Messenger of Bossa Ahadee
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.

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Plot Keywords:

sugar | tribe | cinema | ship | drummer | 

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Taglines:

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

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Genres:

Adventure | Drama

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Country:

West Germany Ghana

Language:

German Ewe Portuguese

Release Date:

3 December 1987 (West Germany)

Also Known As:

Slave Coast

Filming Locations:

Brazil

Box Office

Budget:

DEM 800,000 (estimated)

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 (Eastmancolor) Color (Agfacolor) Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The fifth and last of the Werner Herzog/Klaus Kinski collaborations, the other four being: Aguirre, the Wrath of God (1972), Nosferatu the Vampyre (1979), Woyzeck (1979) and Fitzcarraldo (1982).

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Goofs

The kingdom of Dahomey, where the African part of the story is allegedly set, was in present day Benin, while Elmina Castle is located in present day Ghana, 500 km to the West.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Poor Singing Musician: That will cost you money. Ladies and gentlemen, you'll have to pay up, If you want me to sing the ballad of Francisco Manoel, The bandit Cobra Verde, The poorest of the poor, The master of the slaves, It was he who became Viceroy, It was he who was the Alonest of the Alone.

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Connections

Featured in My Best Fiend (1999)

User Reviews

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!