Review of Cobra Verde (1987) by Al M — 04 Aug 2010

Cobra Verde was the final film collabration between Werner Herzog and the brilliantly deranged Klaus Kinski, and it was the third film of the two to feature a historical narrative set (at leasr parly) in South America.

Unfortunately, to me at least, Cobra Verde pales in comparison to Aguirre or Fitzcarraldo. As is to be expected from Herzog, Cobra Verde is shot on location and features a wealth of beautiful, striking, and powerful images.

Cobra Verde is a powerful depiction of slavery, oppression, greed, and the desire to overcome. Indeed, the image of Cobra Verde attempting pull a boat into the ocean while the silhouetted form of a physically deformed individaul follows and watches him.

Cobra Verde is ultimately a film about desire and the vicissitudes of fate that besiege any human attempt to order reality. Cobra Verde's almost nihilistic depiction of human activity in relation to larger forces is somewhat undercut by the film's rambling structure that makes it somewhat boring to watch in parts.

The passionate drive of Herzog's other films gets a little lost in a film that never quite seems sure what it is trying to achieve.