Note: Spoilers for Fitzcarraldo ahead
My Best Fiend looks at Werner Herzog's relationship with the legendarily troubled actor Klaus Kinski, with whom Herzog made five films. Kinski's incredible intensity on screen was dwarfed by his intensity off it, as he constantly stormed into rages whenever something was not the way he wanted it.
I get the sense that Herzog is stretching the truth in this documentary - he seems like that sort of truth-stretching sort. Regardless, there is one moment that captures their relationship - as they are filming the famous scene near the end of Fitzcarraldo where the boat is smashing into the sides of the river, a cameraman gets seriously injured when the boat rams into a bank with great force. Kinski and Herzog are unharmed and recounting how far they flew while this cameraman nurses his bloodied hand - there is little concern for him, as both are more interested in telling their experience of what went on. It is this self-absorbed quality that a great artist must have.
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