Klaus in der Klapse

A contentious actor and an impossible human being—this is expressly "not" a tribute marking the centenary of Klaus Kinski, that human whirlwind of rage; at most, it is a wink—the kind permissible only on a "Wild Friday Night." In "The Blue Hand" (Die blaue Hand), he plays a dual role with a positively schizophrenic intensity: Dave, the wrongly convicted man who escapes from an institution, and his twin brother, with whom he seeks refuge—thereby triggering a series of murders. This spirited, rollercoaster-ride of a film captures Kinski’s full range—from the choleric outburst right at the start to his trademark arrogant nonchalance. In the second film, an axe goes swinging through the dormitories of a sanatorium for well-to-do ladies where Dr. Kinski practices medicine. Perhaps he would have been better off as a patient in this pyrotechnic display of unhinged, tasteless excess? (Florian Widegger)

Program:
The Blue Hand (Die blaue Hand)
Director: Alfred Vohrer
Country: West Germany
Year: 1967
Screenplay: Alex Berg (= Herbert Reinecker), based on "The Blue Hand" by Edgar Wallace
Cinematography: Ernst W. Kalinke
Music: Martin Böttcher
Cast: Klaus Kinski, Harald Leipnitz, Carl Lange, Ilse Steppat, Diana Körner, Hermann Lenschau
Format: 35 mm, color
Version: Original German version
Runtime: 87 min


The Castle of the Blue Birds (Das Schloss der blauen Vögel)
Director: Fernando Di Leo
Country: Italy
Year: 1971
Original Title: LA BESTIA UCCIDE A SANGUE FREDDO
Screenplay: Fernando Di Leo, Nino Latino
Cinematography: Franco Villa
Music: Silvano Spadaccino
Cast: Klaus Kinski, Margaret Lee, Rosalba Neri, Jane Garret, John Karlsen
Format: 35 mm, color
Version: German version
Runtime: 84 min