Cobra Verde Blu-ray - Klaus Kinski

directed by Werner Herzog
West Germany 1987

The final collaboration of Werner Herzog and Klaus Kinski yielded mixed results. Kinski, who would die in 1991, was still able to convey explosive emotional outbursts very effectively. At the same time he comes across as hollow and unfocused in his performance. Herzog tried very hard to work what he saw as his frequent muse's fading focus into the narrative but for some reason the whole thing never quite gels.

Yet, I find this film highly watchable. The overall beauty of the cinematography and the undeniable raw emotional power of the individual scenes add up to a unique movie watching experience. To me, it’s almost as if Terrence Malick tried to remake a Sergio Leone spaghetti western. Not a very wise idea, perhaps, but an intriguing one nonetheless.

Excerpt from Danel Griffin's Film as Art site located HERE

Posters and Publicity Still

Theatrical Release: West Germany, December 3, 1987

Reviews More Reviews DVD Reviews

Comparison:

Anchor Bay Entertainment - Region 1 - NTSC vs BFI (Werner Herzog Collection - 8-Disc Blu-ray Box Set) - Region 'B' - Blu-ray

Big thanks to Gregg Ferencz for the DVD Review!

1) Anchor Bay - Region 1 - NTSC LEFT
2) BFI - Region 'B' - Blu-ray RIGHT

Box Covers
Distribution	Anchor Bay Entertainment Region 1 - NTSC	BFI Region 'B' - Blu-ray
Runtime	110 min	1:50:12.833
Video	1.77:1 Aspect Ratio 16X9 enhanced Average Bitrate: 7.9 mb/s NTSC 720x480 29.97 f/s	1080P Dual-layered Blu-ray Disc Size: 43,842,859,890 bytes Feature: 32,095,647,552 bytes Video Bitrate: 27.99 Mbps Codec: MPEG-4 AVC Video
	NOTE: The Vertical axis represents the bits transferred per second. The Horizontal is the time in minutes.
Bitrate
Bitrate Blu-ray
Audio	German (Dolby Digital 5.1) , German and English (Dolby Surround 2.0)	LPCM Audio English 2304 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 2304 kbps / 24-bit LPCM Audio German 2304 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 2304 kbps / 24-bit DTS-HD Master Audio German 3960 kbps 5.1 / 48 kHz / 3960 kbps / 24-bit (DTS Core: 5.1 / 48 kHz / 1509 kbps / 24-bit) Dolby Digital Audio English 192 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 192 kbps
Subtitles	English, None	English, None
Features	Release Information: Studio: Anchor Bay Entertainment Aspect Ratio: Widescreen anamorphic - 1.77:1 Edition Details: • Audio Commentary by Director Werner Herzog • Theatrical Trailer in German and English with optional English subtitles • Talent Bios DVD Release Date: October 24, 2000 Keepcase Chapters 28	Release Information: Studio: BFI 1080P Dual-layered Blu-ray Disc Size: 43,842,859,890 bytes Feature: 32,095,647,552 bytes Video Bitrate: 27.99 Mbps Codec: MPEG-4 AVC Video Edition Details: • Audio Commentary with Werner Herzog and Norman Hill • God's Angry Men (45:32) Guardian lecture: Werner Herzog in conversation with Neil Norman (1:22:22 - audio only) • German Theatrical Trailer (3:19) • English Theatrical Trailer (3:19) • Stills Gallery (3:54) Blu-ray Release Date: August 25th, 2014 Standard Blu-ray Case Chapters: 12

Comments

NOTE: These Blu-ray captures were taken directly from the Blu-ray disc.

ADDITION: BFI - Region 'B' - Blu-ray (August 14'): The 1080P image has some softness - that may be, to some extent, inherent in the source - or restoration. I'd like to get the US "Herzog: The Collection" version from Shout! Factory to compare. I'd like to reserve judgment on the image until I know more and review more of this collection. It does look to have some weakness but is still superior to the SD visuals.

***

ON THE DVD: The transfer is simply amazing. Colors are accurate and vivid, fine detail is well rendered and the overall image is very sharp. You can see some fine film grain and a few dust specks on the print from time to time but this in no way detracts from the visual appeal of the DVD. The anamorphic image fills the screen entirely signifying definite cropping from the original 1.85:1 image but the framing is well centered. Werner Herzog's commentary never veers off its subject thanks to interviewer Norman Hill and thus does not lag. The only other extra is a theatrical trailer in German or English with optional subtitles.

- Gregg Ferencz

Menus

1) Anchor Bay - Region 1 - NTSC LEFT
2) BFI - Region 'B' - Blu-ray RIGHT

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Screen Captures

Subtitle Sample

1) Anchor Bay - Region 1 - NTSC TOP
2) BFI - Region 'B' - Blu-ray BOTTOM

More Blu-ray Captures

Recommended Reading (CLICK COVERS or TITLES for more information)


Herzog on Herzog by Paul Cronin (Editor), Werner Herzog	Werner Herzog (Arte Edition) by Arte Deutschland TV	Kinski Uncut: The Autobiography of Klaus Kinski by Klaus Kinski, Joachim Neugroschel	Fitzcarraldo: The Original Story by Werner Herzog	The Dark Mirror: German Cinema between Hitler and Hollywood by Lutz Koepnick	German National Cinema (National Cinemas) by Sabine Hake	Wim Wenders: On Film: Essays and Conversations by Wenders Wim, Michael Hofmann	Haunted Screen Expressionism in the German Cinema by Lotte Eisner

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