Klaus Kinski Movies

Though he invariably looked sickly and tubercular, Polish/German actor Klaus Kinski rose to fame in roles calling for near-manic aggressiveness. His war career consisted primarily of a year and a half in a British POW camp. After this experience, Kinski took to the theater, where he rapidly built a reputation for on-stage brilliance and off-stage emotional instability. He made his first German film, Morituri, in 1948; three years later, he made his English-language movie debut with a fleeting bit in Decision Before Dawn (1951). Villainy was Kinski's film stock in trade during the 1950s and '60s, with several appearances in Germany's Edgar Wallace second-feature series and in such Italian spaghetti Westerns as For a Few Dollars More (1965). International stardom came Kinski's way via his off-the-beam appearances in the films of director Werner Herzog, notably Aguirre, the Wrath of God (1973), Woyzeck (1978), Nosferatu (1979), and Fitzcarraldo (1982). With 1989's Paganini, Kinski proved to be as colorful and chaotic a director as he was an actor. Kinski was the father of actress Nastassja Kinski, though the two seldom saw each other and were never close. He died in 1991. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
1980  
 
When Dr. Peter Fales's (Klaus Kinski) patients start getting annhilated by an unknown serial killer, he and his daughter Alison (Donna Wilkes) both come under suspicion. Part slasher film and part psychological thriller, Schizoid co-stars Marianna Hill as Julie, a syndicated "Dear Abby"-style columnist who also happens to be in one of Dr. Fales's therapy groups. After she receives several ominous letters she not only wonders if Dr. Fales might be behind the killings, she also starts to suspect her estranged husband. ~ Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide

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Starring:
Klaus KinskiMarianna Hill, (more)
1979  
PG  
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For Werner Herzog's 1979 remake of F.W. Murnau's classic 1922 silent horror-fest Nosferatu, star Klaus Kinski adopts the same makeup style used by Murnau's leading man Max Schreck. Yet in the Herzog version, the crucial difference is that Nosferatu becomes more and more decayed and desiccated as the film progresses. Essentially a retelling of Bram Stoker's Dracula, Nosferatu the Vampyre traces the blood-sucking progress of the count as he takes over a small German village, then attempts to spread his influence and activities to the rest of the world. All that prevents Dracula from continuing his demonic practices is the self-sacrifice of Lucy Harker, played by Isabelle Adjani. Director Werner Herzog used the story to parallel the rise of Nazism. The film was lensed in the Dutch towns of Delft and Scheiberg. Nosferatu the Vampyre was filmed in both an English and a German-speaking version; the latter runs 11 minutes longer. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

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Starring:
Klaus KinskiIsabelle Adjani, (more)
1979  
 
Klaus Kinski plays a motorcycle rider whose bike breaks down in a small French village. He is helped by Madeleine (Maria Schneider), a young woman who is a social outcast from having a child out of wedlock. When news spreads that a little girl was run down by a cyclist, locals focus their blame on Kinski. A lynch mob is formed by a truckdriver (Patrice Melennes) who seeks revenge on the stranger accused of the hit-and-run accident. Kinski does well in an uncharacteristic role evoking sympathy from the viewer. ~ Dan Pavlides, All Movie Guide

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Starring:
Klaus KinskiMaria Schneider, (more)
1979  
R  
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One of the better efforts from prolific cult director Jesus Franco, this Swiss-German horror film stars Klaus Kinski, in his final film for Franco, as the notorious Jack the Ripper. A respected doctor by day, Kinski bloodily dismembers London prostitutes by night, until the local Inspector's girlfriend (Josephine Chaplin) goes undercover to catch him. Full of graphic gore and nudity, the film is likely to appeal to horror buffs more than Kinski's usual fanbase, but his is a mesmerizing and quite effective performance. Herbert Fuchs and Lina Romay are among the Franco regulars in the cast, with Fuchs turning in an amusing cameo as a would-be extortionist. ~ Robert Firsching, All Movie Guide

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1978  
 
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Controversial German director Werner Herzog helmed this cinematization of Woyzeck, playwright Georg Büchner's anti-military tale of depersonalization run amok. Utilizing the more grotesque elements of German expressionism, combined with his own sense of the outrageous, Herzog plunges us directly into the middle of his story of a soldier (Klaus Kinski) who is conditioned to be an unthinking killing machine through lab experimentation. His one vestige of humanity is his love for the beautiful Marie (Eva Mattes), but even this is corrupted when he is goaded into murdering the girl. An earlier film version of Woyzeck, filmed in 1947, was released in the U.S. in 1981. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

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Starring:
Klaus KinskiEva Mattes, (more)
1978  
R  
Roland des Roncesvalles is a legendary knight from the age of chivalry in France. In the 11th-century epic La Chanson de Roland, he is depicted as a key figure in halting the advance of the Arabs into France. In this story, the 10th-century legend is staged by a group of 12th-century pilgrims using the 11th-century poem. Their acting is interrupted by a violent peasant uprising, which kills many of their number. However, one of the survivors, who was playing Roland (Klaus Kinski), is converted to the peasant cause and later speaks out in favor of more just treatment for the downtrodden. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide

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Starring:
Klaus KinskiDominique Sanda, (more)
1977  
 
Xavier Marechal (Alain Delon) is a businessman whose long-time business partner and friend is Philippe Dubaye (Maurice Ronet) a member of the French parliamentary assembly. In the film, Philippe has just killed Cerrano, a fellow assemblyman who threatened to disclose Philippe's involvement in political corruption. After killing the man, he steals his notebook which contains blackmail information implicating many members of the government. Philippe comes to Xavier afterward for help but only has time to tell him where the notebook is hidden before he is killed. Xavier and Philippe's girlfriend Valerie (Ornella Muti) become the objects of a manhunt by the worried politicians and their henchmen. Mort d'Un Pourri was basically an Alain Delon project; he funded the production of this action thriller, lent his name to it, and invited well-known action- and comedy-director Georges Lautner to direct it. This virtually guaranteed enough money for a polished production, with an all-star cast. Alain Delon here remains faithful to his image as a lone wolf, proud warrior and "samurai" devoted to friendship. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide

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Starring:
Alain DelonOrnella Muti, (more)
1977  
 
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This thrill-packed fact-based action-adventure from Israel chronicles the daring rescue of 104 passengers from a hijacked plane in Entebbe, Uganda, on July 4, 1976. The film is also known as Entebbe: Operation Thunderbolt. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

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Starring:
Yehoram GaonOri Levy, (more)
1977  
PG  
In this actioner, a priest-turned terrorist abducts a U.N. dignitary and nearly causes an unmendable rift between the U.S. and Greece. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

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1977  
 
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Klaus Kinski is the leading man of The Liberators. But, Kinski being Kinski, we'd hesitate to call him the hero. He's a crooked World War 2 soldier with no friends at all. He butts heads with the Germans, the Americans and his own partners in crime. The film's title, need we add, is meant to be ironic. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

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1976  
 
In this crime thriller, Morelli (Mel Ferrer) is a writer whose books no longer sell well, at least in part because of his slavish worship of "the classics." His response to this insult to his pride is to kill young women in a horrific manner; he calls it "revolutionary disgust." Bossi (Klaus Kinski) is a newspaper reporter who convinces Morelli to write his memoirs, and he engineers certain of his own affairs to coincide with those of the murdering writer. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide

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Starring:
Mel FerrerKlaus Kinski, (more)
1976  
 
This Hallmark Hall of Fame adaptation of the classic fairy tale Beauty and the Beast stars George C. Scott and his wife Trish Van Devere in the title roles -- and it should not take a rocket scientist to determine who plays what role. It all begins when Edward Beaumont (Bernard Lee) makes the fatal error of offending a bestial nobleman (Scott), whose ugly, boarlike countenance seemingly reflects a malevolent personality. To save her father from harm, Edward's gorgeous daughter, Belle (Van Devere), agrees to live as a permanent guest in the beast's huge, forboding mansion. Although he has all the resources of magic and mysticism at his beck and call, the Beast comes to the melancholy conclusion that the otherwise dutiful Belle will never consent to become his bride. But miracles do happen, and the virtuous Belle is able to burrow through the Beast's hideous façade and reveal the kindly, fragile soul within -- and in so doing, she herself grows and matures as a human being. Filmed in England, this production originally aired December 3, 1976, on NBC. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

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Starring:
George C. ScottTrish VanDevere, (more)
1976  
 
After his family tries to kill him and he has been pronounced dead, Michel (Klaus Kinski) returns to vex them. He presents each one with a voodoo doll, warning of their fate. Wandering over the streets of Paris, Michel is the haunted and hunted, as he himself hunts his villainous kin. ~ Clarke Fountain, All Movie Guide

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Starring:
Bernard BlierKlaus Kinski, (more)
1975  
 
After one of his peers apparently commits suicide, a doctor (Hiram Keller) discovers that the dead man had developed a drug which halts the aging process. ~ Jason Ankeny, All Movie Guide

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Starring:
Hiram KellerKlaus Kinski, (more)
1975  
 
Freelance photographer Servais (Fabio Testi) meets luckless Nadine Chevalier (Romy Schneider) an aging, world-weary, would-be movie star who thus far has only been able to find work in cheap exploitation movies. Trying to win her affection, Servais borrows the money from his underworld employers to launch a theatrical production of Richard III starring Nadine as Lady Anne. Though cold and skeptical at first, Nadine gradually falls in love with Servais, and eventually finds herself torn between him and her husband Jacques (Jacques Dutronc), to whom she feels morally obligated. Set in a world of losers and futile talents, this dark and moody drama depicts love as the only source of salvation. Memorable performances and skillful direction make this film a powerful experience. ~ Yuri German, All Movie Guide

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Starring:
Romy SchneiderFabio Testi, (more)
1975  
 
An amiable con man sets out to land a big score from a man even less honorable than himself in this comic spaghetti western. Joe Thanks (Terence Hill) is a swindler and quick-draw artist who wanders into a dusty little town after literally falling out of a stagecoach while asleep. After besting card-sharp Doc Foster (Klaus Kinski) in a public shootout, Joe reconnects with his old friend Steam Engine Bill (Robert Charlebois), who is traveling with his beautiful but dizzy-headed girlfriend Lucy (Miou-Miou). Joe has learned that Major Cabot (Patrick McGoohan), an officer in the U.S. Cavalry, is escorting a $300,000 fortune that's been earmarked for Indian relief efforts; however, Cabot has no intention of actually delivering the cash, so Joe hatches a scheme to take it for himself. Bill, who bears a slight resemblance to Cabot, will pose as the officer and intercept the money, but when Bill and Lucy are found out and jailed, Joe must come to their rescue. While his name does not appear in the credits, Sergio Leone is said to have co-produced Un Genio, Due Compari, Un Pollo (aka A Genius, Two Partners, and a Dupe) and directed the pre-credit sequence, with Damiano Damiani helming the rest of the picture and receiving screen credit. In Germany, the film was released as Nobody ist der Grosste (aka Nobody is the Greatest) and marketed as an unofficial sequel to Il Mio Nome e Nessuno (aka My Name Is Nobody). ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

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Starring:
Miou-MiouRobert Charlebois, (more)
1974  
 
In this sci-fi chiller, a young woman's peace is shattered when she begins hearing loud screams in her head. They are the agonized wailings of an astronaut deliberately marooned upon the moon by a double-crossing experimenter. Soon the woman becomes possessed by the astronaut. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

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1974  
 
Italian filmmaker Luigi Bazzoni (Giornata Nera per l'Ariete) directed this stylish and surrealistic giallo thriller reminiscent of such paranoid classics of the form as Il Profumo della Signora in Nero and Tutti i Colori del Buio. Florinda Bolkan stars as a translator named Alice Cespi, whose life is falling apart due to strange memories from childhood when she was forced to watch a film called "Footprints on the Moon" involving an unethical experiment in leaving astronauts stranded on the moon's surface. Alice has terrible dreams and begins to become addicted to tranquilizers, desperate to shake surreal visions such as being chased across a beach by fully attired astronauts. The drugs and her deteriorating mental condition cause her to miss work and she is eventually fired, whereupon she travels to a dilapidated former tourist area called Garma after receiving a mysterious postcard. There, she runs into a girl named Paula Burton (Nicoletta Elmi from Profondo Rosso), who tells her that she looks exactly like another woman, Nicole, currently staying at the faded resort. Alice then encounters a series of strange people and circumstances, all leading her closer to unlocking the possibly deadly mystery. Shot by award-winning cinematographer Vittorio Storaro (Apocalypse Now), the film -- based on Mario Fenelli's novel Las Huerras -- uses its haunting settings and Alice's disorienting visions to create an air of sustained dread. Peter McEnery co-stars with Ida Galli (aka Evelyn Stewart), Klaus Kinski, and Lila Kedrova. Various available versions run from 88 to 110 minutes, with substantial variations in tone and effectiveness. ~ Robert Firsching, All Movie Guide

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1973  
 
In this spaghetti Western, Richard Harrison stars as a mercenary who hunts down the gunrunners who raped his wife (Anne Puskin) and killed his brother. ~ Jason Ankeny, All Movie Guide

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1972  
 
Death Smiles on a Murderer (La Morte ha Sorriso All'Assassino) is a grotesque yarn starring the equally grotesque Klaus Kinski. The murderer of the title thinks he's gotten off scott free. But, no, someone has been dabbling in Things Man Was Not Meant to Know, and soon the murder victims have been brought back to life. Ewa Aulin, star of the controversal 1968 comedy Candy, also appears. Death Smiles on a Murderer was directed, written and photographed by the prolific Aristide Massaccesi, also known as Joe D'Amato. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

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1972  
PG  
In this drama, a jealous wife murders her husband, a French antique dealer, after she suspects him of marital infidelity. In reality, the man was frequently gone at night because he was doubling as a secret agent. ~ Sandra Brennan, All Movie Guide

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1972  
 
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The most famed and well-regarded collaboration between New German Cinema director Werner Herzog and his frequent leading man, Klaus Kinski, this epic historical drama was legendary for the arduousness of its on-location filming and the convincing zealous obsession employed by Kinski in playing the title role. Exhausted and near to admitting failure in its quest for riches, the 1650-51 expedition of Spanish conquistador Gonzalo Pizarro (Alejandro Repulles) bogs down in the impenetrable jungles of Peru. As a last-ditch effort to locate treasure, Pizarro orders a party to scout ahead for signs of El Dorado, the fabled seven cities of gold. In command are a trio of nobles, Pedro de Ursua (Ruy Guerra), Fernando de Guzman (Peter Berling), and Lope de Aguirre (Kinski). Traveling by river raft, the explorers are besieged by hostile natives, disease, starvation and treacherous waters. Crazed with greed and mad with power, Aguirre takes over the enterprise, slaughtering any that oppose him. Nature and Aguirre's own unquenchable thirst for glory ultimately render him insane, in charge of nothing but a raft of corpses and chattering monkeys. Aguirre, der Zorn Gottes (1973) was based on the real-life journals of a priest, Brother Gaspar de Carvajal (played in the film by Del Negro), who accompanied Pizarro on his ill-fated mission. ~ Karl Williams, All Movie Guide

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Starring:
Klaus KinskiCecilia Rivera, (more)

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