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Real Depravities: The Films of Klaus Kinski
Genius? Madman? Both? Klaus Kinski, enfant terrible, is as renowned for his extraordinary performances as he is reviled for his off-screen antics. From his early days as a proverbial "starving artist" to his peak period as a star attraction who commanded top dollar from producers around the globe, Kinski attracted a great deal of press-much of it negative. In the 25 years since his death, a lot has been written about him, pro and con, but in the process a lot of his work as an artist has been overlooked.
Troy Howarth, the author of such acclaimed books as Splntered Visions: Lucio Fulci and his Films and the Rondo Award-nominated So Deadly, So Perverse: 50 Years of Italian Giallo Films, seeks to rectify that injustice by examining Kinski's massive filmography in detail. Everything from his early German "krimi" thrillers and international breakthroughs like Doctor Zhivago to grade-Z horror films like Schizoid and artistic triumphs like Agguire, the Wrath of God are catalogued and assessed. Along the way, some myths are debunked and plenty of color is provided by way of testimony from those who worked with Kinski. And for the more visually-oriented, never fear: there are a ton of stills, posters, behind-the-scenes and candid shots to drink in, as well.
Troy Howarth, the author of such acclaimed books as Splntered Visions: Lucio Fulci and his Films and the Rondo Award-nominated So Deadly, So Perverse: 50 Years of Italian Giallo Films, seeks to rectify that injustice by examining Kinski's massive filmography in detail. Everything from his early German "krimi" thrillers and international breakthroughs like Doctor Zhivago to grade-Z horror films like Schizoid and artistic triumphs like Agguire, the Wrath of God are catalogued and assessed. Along the way, some myths are debunked and plenty of color is provided by way of testimony from those who worked with Kinski. And for the more visually-oriented, never fear: there are a ton of stills, posters, behind-the-scenes and candid shots to drink in, as well.
534 pages, Paperback
Published September 23, 2016
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July 4, 2019
I read the massive colour edition, published in two volumes which really is the edition to get if you're even remotely interested in this book.
I have a number of books on Kinski on my shelves. A lot of them are fairly thin, most are quite pretentious and mainly focus on his art house flicks with Werner Herzog & Co and are very dismissive of his vast output of exploitation flicks.
I always felt the definitive book on Kinski and his films has yet to be published, focusing on each of his films with an equal passion for both art and grindhouse and this is pretty much it now. It's borderline perfect with some slight issues arising from the fact that the author is not a German speaker which makes properly evaluating some aspects of Kinski's oeuvre difficult to achieve but overall this is an amazing labour of love and one of my favourite books on film.
I have a number of books on Kinski on my shelves. A lot of them are fairly thin, most are quite pretentious and mainly focus on his art house flicks with Werner Herzog & Co and are very dismissive of his vast output of exploitation flicks.
I always felt the definitive book on Kinski and his films has yet to be published, focusing on each of his films with an equal passion for both art and grindhouse and this is pretty much it now. It's borderline perfect with some slight issues arising from the fact that the author is not a German speaker which makes properly evaluating some aspects of Kinski's oeuvre difficult to achieve but overall this is an amazing labour of love and one of my favourite books on film.
Displaying 1 of 1 review