ABSTRACT

Looking at his lengthy filmography, it is not hard to see the cult appeal of Klaus Kinski. Indeed, he specialized in genres that traditionally draw devoted, even obsessive, followings: Krimis, Spaghetti Westerns, gialli and horror films. But like a number of other stars with considerable cult followings – Frances Farmer, Timothy Carey, Oliver Reed – the films are only part of the story. There were the angry appearances on TV chat-shows, the tabloid gossip, the live performances, notably the short-lived Jesus Christ Erloser (Jesus Christ Saviour) tour as well as his well-documented rages on set and in press conferences. Then there was the scandalous autobiography – well, autobiographies, given that there were three versions; the hard-to-find Ich bin so wild nach deinem Erdbeermund from 1975, All I Need Is Love (1988) which was withdrawn after copyright disputes and threatened libel actions and the (comparatively) toned-down re-release called – without any apparent irony – Kinski Uncut (1996). And perhaps most important of all, there’s that face, described breathlessly – but not inaccurately – by David Thomson:

Its intensity speaks of desperation and the ordeal of survival; its fierceness comes from a life so threatened that ego, need and will have carried it close to madness. But it is a beautiful face too, especially intriguing because of the way it slips from cruelty to gentleness, from conquistador to visionary.

(Thomson 1984: 71)