Cobra Verde

(West Germany/Ghana, 1987, 110 minutes)

In the 19th century, a Brazilian bandit is sent to Africa as a slave trader and ends up getting involved in the local's personal wars. Disappointing exotic melodrama that fails to engage as well as previous collaborations between director and star, mainly through its attempt at providing a more conventional narrative for their flights of fancy.

A Werner Herzog Filmproduktion production, in association with ZDF and Ghana Film Industry Corporation. Starring Klaus Kinski; with King Ampaw, José Lewgoy, Salvatore Basile, Peter Berling, Guillermo Coronel; His Royal Highness Nana Agyefi Kwame II of Nsein. Directed by Werner Herzog; produced by Lucki Stipetic; screenplay by Werner Herzog, inspired by the novel by Bruce Chatwin, The Viceroy of Ouidah; music by Popol Vuh; director of photography (colour), Viktor Ruzicka; art director, Ulrich Bergfelder; costume designer, Gisela Storch; film editor, Maximiliane Mainka.