Selling My Books on the Streets of Brooklyn 7/25 - Crazed

Aguirre, Wrath of God (1972) is on Roger Ebert’s all-time Top Ten list. I caught up to it last night, courtesy of Netflix. I wouldn’t place it on my list, but I found it fascinating. It is the story of a late 1500’s expedition down the Amazon to find El Dorado, the lost city of gold. The leader is played by Klaus Kinski, who specialized in oddballs. He looked crazy and, by all accounts, he was. Perhaps he was a living example of the seemingly fine line between genius and madness. He spoke five languages. He played a hunchback blown away by Lee Van Cleef in the spaghetti western classic, For a Few Dollars More (1965), and was one of the prisoners in the pit with John Savage in The Deer Hunter (1978). He has 135 credits listed at IMDb. He was married four times. Only one of his three children attended his funeral. He feuded with his frequent collaborator, Werner Herzog, the director of Aguirre..., with whom he exchanged death threats. In 1944, at the age of 18, Kinski was drafted into the German army and soon captured by the Brits in Holland. Neither of his parents survived the war. His most famous role was in the remake of Nosferatu (1979). Aguirre... is rated 8.0 at IMDB, and a group of its users listed it at #48 in 50 Films To See Before You Die. I rate it 3.5 of five. Its chief assets are location shooting and authenticity. It is geared toward those who don’t mind unconventional cinema. Here is a pic of Mr Kinski, who once said of himself: “I’m like a wild animal who is behind bars. I need air. I need space.”

And here is that aforementioned list:
1. Apocalypse Now (1979) - Obviously influenced by Aguirre, not crazy about it.
2. The Apartment (1960 - Charming, took on sexual hijinks in a conservative era.
3. City of God (2002) - Gut-wrenching, disturbing.
4. Chinatown (1974) - One of my faves.
5. Sexy Beast (2000) - Loved the dread of the characters, otherwise fairly routine.
6. 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) - Needs editing, scenes go on way too long.
7. North by Northwest (1959) - Great fun.
8. Breathless (1960) - Couldn’t stand it, probably should give it another shot.
9. Donnie Darko (2001) - Different, original.
10. Back to the Future (1985) - Fun.
11. Alien (1979) - Love it.
12. Lost in Translation (2003) - Serious American cinema, a rarity.
13. The Shawshank Redemption (1994) - I’m the only one I know who doesn’t like it. Jailhouse bull.
14. Lagaan: Once Upon a Time in India (Hindi - 2001) - Unfamiliar.
15. Pulp Fiction (1994) - Good but over-rated.
16. Touch of Evil (1958) - Bizarre, over the top fun.
17. Walkabout (1971) - Like it.
18. Black Narcissus (1947) - Disappointing.
19. Boyz n the Hood (1991) - Effective.
20. The Player (1992) - Haven’t seen.
21. Come and See (1985) - Haven’t seen.
22. Heavenly Creatures (1994) - Good but disturbing.
23. A Night at the Opera (1935) - “The party of the first part…”
24. Erin Brockovich (2000) - Hate stacked-deck movies.
25. Trainspotting (1996) - Rare drug movie I respect.
26. Hero (1982) - Off by a decade if it's the Dustin Hoffman flick, which is mediocre.
27. The Breakfast Club (1985) - Solid, teens authentic.
28. Fanny and Alexander (1982) - Haven’t seen.
29. Pink Flamingos (1972) - Haven’t seen.
30. All About Eve (1950) - Very good. "Fasten your seat belts..."
31. Scarface (1983) - Great fun.
32. Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991) - Great fun.
33. Three Colors: Blue (1993) - Didn’t get it.
34. The Royal Tenenbaums (2001) - Didn’t like, probably should re-watch.
35. The Ladykillers (1955) - Haven’t seen.
36. Fight Club (1999) - Liked it a lot.
37. The Searchers (1956) - Just can’t get into it.
38. Mulholland Dr. (2001) - Typical Lynch, bizarre.
39. The Ipcress File (1965) - On my list at Netflix.
40. The King of Comedy (1982) - Interesting despite infuriating protagonist.
41. Manhunter (1986) - Last 15 minutes are awesome.
42. Dawn of the Dead (1978) - I’m boycotting zombies, vampires & serial killers.
43. Princess Mononoke (1997) - Haven’t seen. Not a fan of animation.
44. Raising Arizona (1987) - Comedy based on kidnapping? Not for me.
45. Cabaret (1972) - Musical with meaning.
46. This Sporting Life (1963) - Un-glamorizing pro sports.
47. Brazil (1985) - Don’t get, perhaps for smarter people.
48. Aguirre: The Wrath of God (1972)
49. Secrets & Lies (1996) - Powerful.
50. Badlands (1973) - Don’t get what’s so good about it. Film-makers film?




My thanks to Michael, who donated five thrillers in Russian, and to the people who made purchases at the floating book shop on this October-like day.
Vic's 4th Novel: http://tinyurl.com/bszwlxh
Vic's 3rd Novel: http://tinyurl.com/7e9jty3
Vic's Website: http://members.tripod.com/vic_fortezza/Literature/
Vic's Short Story Collection (Print or Kindle): http://www.tiny.cc/Oycgb
Vic's 2nd Novel: http://tinyurl.com/6b86st6
Vic's 1st Novel: http://tiny.cc/94t5h
Vic's Screenplay on Kindle: http://tinyurl.com/cyckn3
Vic’s Short Story on Kindle: http://tinyurl.com/k95k3nx