My Best Fiend

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Dave S Sep 25 Anyone who has read an interview with German filmmaker Werner Herzog will be familiar with his fractious relationship with the unpredictable and volatile Klaus Kinski, an actor he somehow managed to work with on five films, most notably Aguirre: The Wrath of God. While the interviews are perversely entertaining, nothing compares to live footage of the odd partnership between the two. Herzog’s My Best Fiend, made several years after Kinski’s death, is nothing if not incendiary, featuring some Kinski tantrums that need to be seen to be believed. While My Best Fiend doesn’t do much to delve into why the mercurial actor was the way he was, it does help to explain why the serene (except when he considered murdering Kinski) and introspective Herzog chose to subject himself to Kinski’s abuse for the sake of art. It is a fascinating look into both interpersonal relations and the creative process. See more Kevin L @Lakeman 02/06/2023 Bipolar much, Klaus? What a pairing. It's consistently clear that Herzog was very likely the ONLY director that could've tolerated Kinski's extremes of personality and behavior. Both men claiming plans to murder the other due to the mania of Kinski, but also the eccentric aspects of Herzog as a director, thankfully neither of them followed through. What resulted is a body of work together that made for some of the extraordinary, compelling cinema of not only the 70's & 80's, but ever. I'm reminded of a quote by Patti Smith where so spoke of the passion between the murderer and the victim. The documentary uses extensive scenes from Herzog and Kinski's films together along with then present-day interviews with cast/crew members from the films. We get further insight into Kinski not only as the raving madman, but also as the 'warm', 'sweet', cooperative actor who played the lead in such great films as "Aguirre: The Wrath of God", "Fitzcarraldo", and "Nosferatu the Vampyre". Fascinating stuff for sure. 3.8 stars See more mueler k 11/25/2022 Klaus Kinski is represented as being almost unbelievably awful. A talented egomaniac prone to fits of rage, madness and cruelty. Kinski was already dead when the movie came out and so was not around to provide his version of events. See more georgan g 07/24/2022 Too long and seemed one-sided. Interesting to see both positive and negative sides of Herzog & Kinski. Needed more of Kinski's thoughts on their relationship. See more david f 08/25/2020 A great documentary about Werner Herzog's personal and professional relationship with Klaus Kinski, a maniac German actor. See more 08/05/2017 An engaging documentary about cinema's most intriguing love & hate relationship the friendship & collaboration of Werner Herzog (Internationally acclaimed German Director & Documentarian) & Klaus Kinski (Powerhouse German Theatre & Screen Actor). They made 6-7 films together but both made such an imprint on Arthouse & Commercial Cinema. Kinski famous for a 48 hour rant destroyed a whole bathroom was electrifying on screen. Captures there cataclysmic fights & the end material which was extraordinary. A must see doco on the infamous pair. See more Read all reviews

My Best Fiend

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