MY BEST FIEND
“My Best Fiend” is a documentary where Werner Herzog explains his relationship with Kinski. Herzog was a childhood fan of the man, but he quickly learned of the reality that was Germany’s most famous movie star maniac. Much attention is paid to the fact that Herzog met Kinski back when Kinski had been leaving in apartment where he slept on leaves. Most of the footage is behind-the-scenes stuff of Kinski screaming at Herzog. Herzog would fight back within his narration, but everything made Kinski look crazy. But, I guess that wasn’t that hard.
A theatrical trailer is the only special feature for this film. It’s not like you needed much. Herzog didn’t need to do a commentary, unless he felt like should apologize for being so hard on Kinski in the film. I don’t feel that it’s necessary, as the movie exists in this weird vacuum. Too often these movies turn into attempts to portray the subject matter as a Saint. Herzog isn’t interested in anything other than showing the world the Kinski that he knew.
The Blu-Ray Collection represents the first half of an amazing career in film. While there are other Herzog films, what we see here is a man at his peak. I would love to see Shout Factory do similar releases for other cult directors in the future. The amount of love and careful thought shown in this presentation is astounding. Retire your old Anchor Bay DVD sets, kids. This is the only way to experience classic Herzog from now on.
RELEASE DATE: 07/29/2014