Cobra Verde

Starring:Klaus Kinski, King Ampaw, JosÃ© Lewgoy, Salvatore Basile, Peter Berling, Guillermo Coronel, Nana Agyefi Kwame II, Nana Fedu Abodo, Kofi Yerenkyi, Kwesi Fase, Benito Stefanelli, Kofi Bryan, Carlos Mayolo, A. Kwesi Compson, Yolanda GarcÃa, Stella Torgbede, Diobeth Guerra, Santiago GarcÃa (VIII), Marcela Ampudia, Maria Elvira Chavez Mejia
Director: Werner Herzog
Studio: Anchor Bay
Product Type: DVD

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The six-film Herzog/Kinski boxed set is a sleek compilation of a visionary cinematic collaboration. The history of cinema is dotted with great directors who have found an actor whose face, voice, and style capture that director's point of view: Josef Von Sternberg and Marlene Dietrich; John Ford and John Wayne; Martin Scorsese and Robert DeNiro. In 1972, the German director Werner Herzog cast Polish actor Klaus Kinski in Aguirre, the Wrath of God--the result was perhaps the definitive film for both. Kinski had previously made almost 100 films, but his malevolent role--as a Spanish conquistador obsessed with finding gold--shot him into international stardom. Though Herzog and the volatile Kinski were at each other's throats through much of the filming, seven years later the director cast Kinski as the tortured vampire of Nosferatu, Phantom of the Night (a color remake of the silent horror classic) and the title character of Woyzeck, based on the classic expressionistic German play about a jealous, unstable soldier who murders his lover. Both films continued the Herzog-Kinski trademark of intense unflinching emotion and the palpable presence of the raw physical world.

In 1982, Fitzcarraldo carried this ethos to new heights as Kinski portrayed a man who, in order to bring grand opera to the depths of Peru, has a huge steamship hauled over a mountainside using ropes, pulleys, and human endurance. The mad ambition of the film matched that of its hero as Herzog repeatedly placed crew and actors at risk of their lives. Nonetheless, the love-hate relationship between the director and his star carried them into one last film, the uneven but still remarkable Cobra Verde, about a Brazilian bandit sent to Africa to reopen the slave trade. After Kinski's death in 1991, Herzog made a documentary, My Best Fiend, about their decades of collaboration; the result rivals their previous work as a testament to human extremity. --Bret Fetzer

Customer Reviews:

WOW!.......2007-05-18

The quality of the DVDs is among the best. Picture and sound is great. I had only ever seen "Nosferatu" before getting the set. "Fitzcaraldo" has become one of my favorite all time movies since getting the set. The documentary "My Best Fiend" is wonderful.

Good Value.......2007-02-23

I already had two of the films in this set, "Nosferatu" and "Aguirre", so I looked into buying the others separately. Buying the set was less expensive, so that's what I did and gave the duplicates to the local library. I compared the disks before giving them away, and the ones in set were the same as the individual editions. Highly recommended for Herzog and Kinski fans.

BUY THIS!.......2006-03-03

I can't help but add my voice to the chorus of positive reviews for this set. It is without a doubt the most well put together dvd box set I have ever seen. Even the packaging is awesome. Whoever is responsible for the physical look of this collection should win a product design award or something. All the movies (except Woyzeck) have very entertaining and insightful herzog commentary and most of the movies have english tracks aswell. I'm not sure what restoration was done on these movies but they all look great! I would say that if you are thinking of buying any of these movies alone on DVD just go ahead and opt for the box set. Chances are, if you like and understand the Herzog aesthetic, you will love all of these movies! Cobra Verde, which I once thought was the weakest of the Herzog/Kinski efforts, has become my favorite upon multiple viewings. Could not have a higher possible recommendation!

Kinski, One Of The Greatest Actors Of His Generation?.......2006-03-03

I think that he is, his on screen presence is as powerful as any actor I have ever seen. From the dark ferocity, burning evil of Kinskis portrayal of 'Nosferatu'; without question he is the greatest 'vampire' to have ever graced cinema. To the manic depressive/shockingly haunting eyes of his portrayal of 'Woyzeck' his character in the films name-sake; indeed one of the most troubled yet somehow believeable characters seen on film.

Woyzeck versus Travis Bickle?....that would be an interesting answer.

Outstanding.

A Match Made In Hell.......2005-09-14

It is said that all drama stems from conflict and there was certainly no shortage of it between Werner Herzog and Klaus Kinski. Their relationship reminds me of a troubled romance that is doomed to eventually fall apart, but ignites with such passion when the two are together that it's more than worth the grief. One would expect an arrangement of this nature to result in one or two films before the rift became so great between director and actor that they could no longer tolerate one another. Yet, there exists an undeniable sense of brotherhood between these cinematic legends that underlies their artistic struggle.

I can't tell you how pleased I am to have this set after all these years. Including "My Best Fiend" in this set is absolutely essential for a complete appreciation of the unique relationship Herzog and Kinski shared. As has been mentioned before regarding the documentary, there is a sense of one-sided storytelling as Herzog lays out Kinski's many flaws. And, yes, one has to wonder just which man had the larger ego after hearing some of Herzog's rather polished explanations. While it would have been nice to have Kinski there to argue his side of the story, it's still a unique and fascinating look into the creative lives of two very different sort of men.

Of the films themselves, I'm most fond of Nosferatu and Woyzeck, but Aguirre, the Wrath of God and Fitzcarraldo are truly magnificent epics. I just have to find myself in a particular mood to watch the latter, where the former always hold my attention. In my opinion, Woyzeck is the most overlooked of the Herzog/Kinski collaborations. Certainly Cobra Verde is an inferior film, but it at least has a reputation. Considering Woyzeck was finished in just 18 days with only 27 cuts, I like to think of it as a little miracle.

I've seen Kinski in other films and I've seen works by Herzog without Kinski and it's clear to me that, with a few exceptions, their best work came when they worked together. So, do yourself a favor and pick up this set, then settle in for some intense viewing. And, whatever you do, don't pass on the documentary!

Average customer rating:

"I can not hear what you are saying, for the thunder that you are."
In My Country I was a Snake Myself
A fascinating look at some African cultures.
The final Herzog/Kinski collaboration
Haunting...

Cobra Verde
Starring: Klaus Kinski , King Ampaw , José Lewgoy , Salvatore Basile , and Peter Berling
Director: Werner Herzog
Manufacturer: Anchor Bay
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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Similar Items:

Fitzcarraldo
Aguirre, the Wrath of God
Woyzeck
The White Diamond
Nosferatu: The Vampyre/Phantom Der Nacht

ASIN: 6305972796
Release Date: 2000-10-24

Amazon.com

In their last film together, director Werner Herzog drew from actor Klaus Kinski a performance that grounds Kinski's volcanic passions with a new gravity--perhaps age was bringing Kinski down to earth. He plays Cobra Verde, a notorious Brazilian bandit, whom a plantation owner hires to keep his slaves in line. After Cobra Verde impregnates all his daughters, the owner and the authorities conspire to send the bandit to Africa to reopen the slave trade. They expect him to be killed, but through a mixture of his own cunning and the volatile politics of West Africa, Cobra Verde ends up leading an army of women to overthrow the king. Cobra Verde is disjointed, but that doesn't mean it isn't worth watching. Kinski is magnetic in scene after remarkable scene, and though the whole isn't satisfying, the parts certainly are. --Bret Fetzer

Customer Reviews:

"I can not hear what you are saying, for the thunder that you are.".......2007-06-08

The last and least of his volatile collaborations with Werner Herzog, Cobra Verde is possibly the one movie where Klaus Kinski isn't the maddest person on screen - he's out-madded by not one but two African kings who make him look a model of logic and reason: when even Werner Herzog describes one actor as a "very odd man," you'd better believe it. After a hypnotic opening the first third is sluggish at best, but once Kinski's South American barefoot bandit ("I don't trust shoes") reaches Africa to reopen the slave trade - more in his employers' hope that he'll be killed than any belief he might succeed - it's a rollicking yarn and the most spectacular of Herzog's films, ending with an image that's almost Fitzcarraldo in microsm as Kinski struggles to pull a longboat into the sea while a native cripple watches him. It's a mad film in many ways, with Kinski finding himself leading an army of Amazons because the men simply aren't good enough warriors, but like all Herzog films it has its rewards, including some striking and haunting imagery, not least a shot of Kinski in the sea watching the sky.

Sadly, this has the least satisfying transfer of any of Anchor Bay's Herzog films - acceptable, but with niggling image problems, particularly in the early scenes. Extras are limited, though Herzog's audio commentary is, as always, captivating.

In My Country I was a Snake Myself.......2007-04-08

Klaus Kinski, always on crazy duty, here shows up as Cobra Verde, a slave leader who seriously ticks off his master by going on an impregnation spree and is thus sent to Africa on a suicide mission. His stated goal is to revive the slave trade but everybody involved knows that he is being sent there to die. Verde is only too excited to get dressed up in his Christopher Columbus get up and sail the ocean blue, not bothered in the least by the fact that nobody ever expects to see him again. Once there he has some initial luck with the natives until it runs out and he is kidnapped for being white. Quickly thereafter he is rescued by a man who feels as though the throne is his and wants Verde to help him seize it. So just like Emilio Estevez did with those darned Ducks, Verde takes a group of losers and transforms them into winners, only instead of being good at hockey these guys are turned into a maniacal killing machine.

Since this is a Werner Herzog movie we know that the focus will be on the uncaring ways of this Earth of ours. Both leaders, the plantation owner in Brazil and the king in Africa, are shown to be the same despite the color of their skin. They both lack morals and believe their own hype. But Herzog isn't interested in building these guys up as evil doers; his films don't need pre-packaged villains because to him we are all villains. When the plantation owner bemoans the fact that he has yet to impregnate every mulatto girl in his fields it is not with the intention of painting him a racist or a rapist. Rather the point is that all men in power are the same. They always want more and will stop at nothing to get it. Verde is an interesting character because throughout the film he is constantly in a position of power, always lording over a large number of blacks, and yet appears to be uncorrupted by it. We never learn his motivations, whatever they may be. The final shot is very telling however; as Verde runs away from a cripple he is unable to make his getaway because he can't move a boat from the beach to the water. Here is a man who overthrew a king, but only because of those he ruled over. Without them he can't even escape the hell he created.

The charge of racism has been leveled against Herzog on more than one occasion and this film couldn't have helped. Dozens of extremely dark blacks fill the landscape as slaves who live under the boot of a white man. A white man who spends his days teaching them how to fight like savages. That said, and let me be very clear; this film is an ugly glimpse into the primitive nature of humanity not an attempt to proclaim white superiority. If the roles of the races look stereotypical it is because stereotypes are based on facts. There is all the difference in the world ever between being racist and reflecting a racist world. In the film the whites view the blacks as nothing more than slaves and sex toys, and the blacks view the whites as the devil. I would say that that is a fair assessment of race relations circa 1850. I liked "Cobra Verde" but in no way did I love it. The first 30 minutes are dull but after that the plot gets rolling. There are also some awesome shots of the African countryside which become even more impressive when Herzog fills them with the sheer number of extras he had on hand. Not one of Herzog's greatest films, but a strong, unblinking look into our past. ***1/4

A fascinating look at some African cultures. .......2005-11-13

'Cobra Verde' is at times a confusing and awkward story about a bandit who finds himself trapped within the slave trade business. What begins as a story of a feared outlaw turns out to be a story examining African cultures and the issue of slavery itself. What makes this movie more interesting than other American films about slavery is that the viewer gets to see the other side of the story; the story told from an African viewpoint.
International star Klaus Kinski stars a Cobra Verde. He is a feared bandit whom many people fear. When he appears in a small town, all the people runs inside their houses becasue they are scared to death of him. Many things are missing from Cobra Verde's past. How did he become such a feared bandit? The movie does not answer that question. Through a series of odd circumstances, he is eventually put into the slavery trade business by a group of rich aristocrats.
He is sent to Africa, where it is hoped he will be killed because of the slave trade conflicts going on there. What happens is th exact opposite. He gains the trust of the African villagers and eventually trains an army to kill and enemy foe. All the while the viewers are treated to an inside look at some African customs, religions, superstitions, and society. A beautifully made film that is a little marred by changes in the sequences of the story and many things missing from the plot. Even though 'Cobra Verde' contains flaws here and there, it has one of the most memorable death scenes I've ever seen. Bravo to Klaus Kinski.

The final Herzog/Kinski collaboration.......2004-12-15

Klaus Kinski, the mercurial actor and star of hundreds of films both big and small, attained his grandest stature when working with German director Werner Herzog. They collaborated on several films together, including "Aguirre, the Wrath of God," "Fitzcarraldo," "Woyzeck," "Nosferatu," and "Cobra Verde." I've seen three of these films now, and the formula is the same in all three. Kinski plays a driven personality who attempts to perform some grand feat that no one else can achieve. In "Aguirre" he set out with a contingent of Spanish soldiers to find the fabled city of gold. "Fitzcarraldo" saw Kinski playing a wealthy rubber baron in Brazil in search of finding a way to build an opera house on the banks of the Amazon. "Cobra Verde" continues the tradition with Kinski starring as a former South American plantation owner and bandit leader in search of a way to restart the African slave trade against crushing odds. There's something magnetic about Kinski in these Herzog movies that makes you believe no other actor could play the character. Perhaps it is his volcanic personality shining through onscreen, a personality that Herzog had great difficulties in restraining. Whatever the case, film fans could do worse than spend an evening with a Herzog/Kinski collaboration.

In "Cobra Verde" Kinski plays Francisco Manoel da Silva, a man ruined when family catastrophes and a bad drought cost him his plantation. In an attempt to recover his property and put his life back together, he takes a grinding job with a mining company. When the owners try to shortchange him after a hard day's work, he stomps off in a rage and begins a career as the notorious bandit Cobra Verde. While we don't see his subsequent career as a robber and killer, we do learn that all of Brazil--indeed, all of South America--has at least heard of his great exploits. Fortunately for Kinski's character, the wealthy sugar baron Don Octavio Coutinho (Jose Lewgoy) doesn't recognize him when Cobra Verde somehow calms a dangerous runaway slave. Impressed by the man's talents, Coutinho hires da Silva to work as an overseer on his enormous estates. Everything seems to go gangbusters until da Silva impregnates every single one of Don Coutinho's mulatto daughters. The sugar baron goes ballistic, and gets even angrier when he discovers he is dealing with the great Cobra Verde. Coutinho and his fellow kingpins devise a plan to rid themselves of this potentially dangerous force. They decide to send him to Africa.

Why? Because the land barons in South America want more slaves in order to work more land. There are obstacles to the mission, including a ban on the importation of slaves and a hostile African king who kills all of the European mediators. Da Silva knows none of this, or very little of it, before agreeing to go to Africa. He doesn't have much of a choice since the sugar barons will kill him if he refuses. His ship sets him ashore at Elmina, a gigantic barracoon on the coast of present day Ghana. Cobra Verde discovers that an attack on the fortress wiped out all but one man, a chatty free African who agrees to help da Silva negotiate with the King of Dahomey for more slaves. And it works, at first, when da Silva convinces the representatives from Dahomey to trade slaves for new rifles. Then problems set in. The king brings Kinski's character before him and threatens him with death. Da Silva escapes and makes an alliance with a prince who wishes to take over the throne. Thanks to Cobra Verde's manic military training of thousands of African women, the prince captures the throne and allows the slave trade to continue. Once again, the situation deteriorates after a time, forcing Cobra Verde to flee from Elmina with nowhere to go. The last shot we see of him is one of the more memorable scenes I've had the pleasure to see in a film. It stays with you.

The plot of "Cobra Verde" isn't nearly as interesting as Herzog's visuals and Kinski's performance. As always, Kinski captures emotional extremes extraordinarily well. He's subdued when Don Coutinho shows him the brutality of the plantation or when he converses with the Don's daughters. When training the prince's army, he's practically frothing at the mouth. Kinski is never anything but entirely believable in both situations. Of course, it takes a performer of Kinski's caliber to stand out in films where the visuals are often more important than the human elements. Such is the case with "Cobra Verde." I have two favorite scenes in the film, but there are many just as memorable. The first situation takes place when da Silva refuses to visit the king because he says he must stay where he has one foot in the ocean. When the king's men tie da Silva up, they take a jug, fill it with seawater, and tie it around his foot for the long trip inland. There's your one foot in the water! The second scene involves sending messages from Elmina to the new prince. A line of Africans extending for miles along the coast, each man separated by a few feet, send codes by waving enormous red flags. Herzog's camera lingers on this incredible imagery for minutes at a time.

Included on the disc are a trailer and a commentary track with Herzog. The director discusses his tempestuous relationship with Kinski (always a fan favorite), his experiences with Bruce Chatwin and how he convinced this author to let him use "The Viceroy of Ouidah" as source material for the film, and the difficulties of shooting in so many harsh environments. While I liked "Cobra Verde," and think it is obligatory for Klaus Kinski fans, I much prefer "Aguirre" and "Fitzcarraldo" to this film. Still, this one will make you think long after that last, lingering shot on the beach.

Haunting..........2003-02-21

COBRA VERDE marked the fiinal collaboration (not counting the director's elegiac documentary MEIN LIEBSTER FEIND) between Werner Herzog and actor Klaus Kinski. It's one of their most haunting works, quietly epic in its scope, fueled by gorgeous cinematography and and an enigmatic lead performance. Herzog's commentary is wonderful. COBRA VERDE is one of those films I find myself rewatching in bits, if only to recapture for a moment the funereal magic of a lost world.

Werner Herzog Box Set 1(6 DVD Edition) [PAL, Region 2, Import]

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Werner Herzog Box Set 1(6 DVD Edition) [PAL, Region 2, Import]

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Region 2, PAL (Europe, Japan, South Africa and the Middle East including Egypt)
Requires multi-region DVD player for the US.

ASIN: 8388056379

Product Description

Featuring: 'Aguirre' which finds a band of Spanish conquistadors searching for gold in the Amazon. 'Nosferatu The Vampire' finds one of the most terrifying of all Dracula stories, set in Germany. Johnathan Harker arrives at a large gloomy castle, and is confronted by Count Dracula... 'Woyzeck' finds an abused soldier going mad and committing murder; based on a powerful adaptation of a play by Georg Buchner. 'Fitzcarraldo' finds a man obsessed with the dream of building an opera house in the Peruvian jungle. 'Cobra Verde' finds a man sent to Africa as a slave trader, as punishment for seducing his employer's young daughters. 'My Best Friend' is Herzog's tribute to his friend Klaus Kinski.

Cobra Verde [Non-US Format, PAL, Region 2, Import]

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Cobra Verde [Non-US Format, PAL, Region 2, Import]

ProductGroup: DVD
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ASIN: 8389200414

Product Description

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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