The Herzog/Kinski Collection

Collaborations between actor and director have created some legendary pairs—think John Ford/John Wayne, Akira Kurosawa/Toshiro Mifune, Sergio Leone/Clint Eastwood. But none was more volatile, even violent, than the creative ferment between Germany’s Werner Herzog and the enfant terrible Klaus Kinski. The two childhood friends made five movies together in the seventies and eighties, including an atmospherically creepy remake of Nosferatu and the sublime Aguirre: The Wrath of God, about a Spanish conquistador’s descent into madness. Kinski’s genius at portraying wild-eyed insanity was matched only by his ability to act insanely in real life. His out-of-control behavior included attacking actors on the Aguirre set with his sword for becoming distracted by bananas (yes, bananas), and wounding others by firing a pistol randomly into the tent where they were sleeping. Still, Herzog claims that the extras were most afraid of him, figuring that anyone who could deal with Kinski so calmly must be the truly crazy one. This limited-edition set collects all five films plus My Best Fiend, Herzog’s documentary on his love-hate relationship with Kinski.