Please Kill Mr. Kinski

This is a short 9-minute filmed made by a horror director who looks back on his experience when he made a film with international star Klaus Kinski. The film was called 'Crawlspace', and it was yet another junk film Kinski made for the sake of making money. The director is trying hard to be funny, but the film isn't that funny. It is a little interesting to see how Kinski acted behind the camera. He was well-known for being very hard to work with. His ego is prevalent within the first minute of the film when he talks about how "allergic" he is with other directors. Enough though he was a talented actor, did Kinski really need to act like this? He looks exactly like one of those stereotypical snobby actors who walks with his nose in the air. Maybe that is not important. We the audience should only care of what is the final product on the screen.

A short and humorous look at one (of many) director's travails of working with the difficult Klaus Kinski. Schmoeller speaks directly to camera about his experiences on the film Crawlspace and intercuts his commentary with clips of Kinski in full nutter mode. Being a huge Kinski fan myself, I thoroughly enjoyed this little portrait of his insanity. However, it should be enjoyable to most film fans as it is succinct, witty and, best of all, true.

Please Kill Mr. Kinski (1999)

*** 1/2 (out of 4)

How many director's wanted to kill him?

Funny short film from director David Schmoeller about his one film with Klaus Kinski. Kinski was known to hate directors and Schmoeller talks about them two making the horror film Crawlspace and how his crew was personally asking him to kill the actor. There's some very funny footage of Kinski being interviewed and venting about directors.

If you're a fan of Kinski then this is a must see.

Available on DVD through Troma.

Scmoeller's first film was "Tourist Trap," a bit of hackwork for producer Charlie Band, starring Chuck "The Rifleman" Connors, made in 1978.

Over the last 30 years, the only seconds of Schmoeller film I have seen that have not been a total waste of my time, are the few minutes Kinski spent on-screen in the course of "Crawlspace." Schmoeller has no gift for directing actors, as clearly demonstrated by any of his films. That the abundantly talented Kinski should resent that his gift would be filtered through Schmoeller's myopic directorial vision is no surprise.

That Schmoeller should elect to assassinate Kinski 8 years after his death, and 13 years after making "Crawlspace," is unfathomable, except as an act of Lilliputian spite against an artistic giant. Perhaps the filmmaker realized that his films without Kinski were monumentally uninteresting. hence this vanity piece as an attempt to jump-start his stalled career.

Herzog had no less difficulty with Kinski. But he was always grateful for the opportunity to capture Kinski's living fire on film. Schmoeller seems oblivious to this gift.

Here, Schmoeller comes off as a raging queen -- not that it matters whether he is gay, but he seems totally unaware that he comes off as a stereotype that even most gays find annoying. Perhaps this lack of self-awareness is a key to what he lacks as a filmmaker?