My Best Fiend

“When the actor Klaus Kinski wrote his autobiography, he referred to Werner Herzog as ‘the vermin,’ ‘this blowhard,’ and ‘a miserable, hateful, malevolent, avaricious, money-hungry, nasty, sadistic, treacherous, cowardly creep.’ And those were some of the nicer things he had to say. Now Mr. Herzog has a chance to return the favor with My Best Fiend, an account of their unbelievably turbulent collaboration and how each man tormented and goaded the other into doing his best work… Mr. Herzog uses the documentary not only to summon amazing Kinski stories but also to contemplate the actor’s authentic (if erratic) genius… My Best Fiend switches gears easily among from Mr. Herzog’s nostalgic observations, film clips of the finished work and documentary scenes that chronicle behind-the-scenes turmoil.” — Janet Maslin, The New York Times

“My Best Fiend is, in the end, Herzog’s affectionate tribute to the only person on Earth who could claim to share his insane level of dedication.” — Scott Tobias, The A.V. Club

Film Details

Country: Germany
Languages: German, English, French
Year: 1999
Running time: 95 min
Format: DCP

Director: Werner Herzog

Producer: Lucki Stipetic

Cinematographer: Peter Zeitlinger

Editor: Joe Bini
Print Source: Werner Herzog Filmproduktion

Films and schedules may be subject to change.

Modern Cinema’s Founding Supporters are Carla Emil and Rich Silverstein. Generous support is provided by Nion T. McEvoy and the Susan Wildberg Morgenstein Fund. Additional support is provided by Becky Draper.