David O'Connell
Cobra Verde
September 14th 2008 23:41
While "Fitzcarraldo" featured Kinski as a surrogate for Herzog's madness, "Cobra Verde" is an excavation into the actor Kinski, with little separating him from the camera.
Many reviewers find this film to be one of Herzog's weakness and, certainly, it doesn't have the narrative exuberance that is evident in "Aguirre, Wrath of God" or "Fitzcarraldo". In fact, the film flounders throughout, leaving the viewer confused as to why anything happens at all.
Da Silva gets sent to Africa, to start up the failing slave trade. The Portuguese have lost their control in one of the West African territories, the native tribes rebelling against them, led by an insane king. Da Silva gets by successfully, leading a revolution of 400 fearsome, topless female warriors in a revolt against the men.
He send hundreds of slaves back to Brazil, and has ruthless carnal relations with the female slaves, fathering over 60 children.
Through it all, da Silva mutters about a feeling of ennui, as if he's only stirred to action when things are going wrong; indeed, when the Portuguese return to Africa to tell da Silva that the slave trade has been outlawed, he gets a hungry look in his eyes and snaps 'finally things are happening!'
This is what "Cobra Verde" is meant to show us - the heat and intensity of the darkest of emotions: anger. Herzog's film gives us unsettling images of slavery, but there's opposition in the film against the trade.
I applaud Herzog for his choice - a lesser filmmaker would have preached to the audience about the evils of slavery, chastising the European history. The same filmmaker would have given us deep, well-written characters among the slaves to cheer for and sympathize with.
Herzog is decidedly neutral on this point... "Cobra Verde" depicts the slave trade as it was, without any real judgement, and all of the characters in the film are unashamedly one dimensional.
Except for Klaus Kinski, who was, to Herzog, the most fascinating and, simultaneously, the most odious person on the planet. Kinski gives the camera everything, exploding into rage, silently simmering in rage, looking bleakly at his life, and staring into the camera as if he blames us, the audience for his fate.
The film ends with a momentous image of Kinski futilely attempting to pull a heavy boat into the sea, straining and grunting with the effort, the boat not even moving an inch. An actor would have needed several takes, and pieced the shot in editing, as he would act like the insane bandit, Cobra Verde. Kinski, on the other hand, seems to be in the full force of madness, pulling at the boat with all his might, as if he could actually pull it into the sea and sail away from Herzog and the rest of his hatred for humanity.
"Cobra Verde" is part of the increasingly ecstatic 6-DVD Herzog/Kinski collection from Umbrella Entertainment.
I say: Brilliant, awe-inspiring images make this film absolutely spectacular, even if the story does ring hollow.
See it for: Herzog found a young girl's choir to perform a traditional song, and as they sing, brazenly naked and without shame, I felt a longing for times when there was nothing between the sun and my skin.
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Comment by KylieW
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Every one of these movies has been fantastic, though. I'd really recommend watching one of the Herzog/Kinski films, perhaps well after Harold and Kumar, after the urge for silly humour has faded.
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