August Caminito planned a sequel to Werner Herzog's Nosferatu the Vampyre. Step one: Get Kalus Kinski. That wasn't so hard, as Kinski had already spoken to the writer of the film, Carlo Alberto Alfieri. Kinski signed a two movie deal with Caminito, finally getting to make his passion project Paganini.
Step two: Get a director. Not as simple. Originally, Maurizio Lucidi (The Designated Victim) was going to direct and even shot some scenes that are in the movie but Caminito thought that this should have a higher budget and a more well-considered director. He hired Pasquale Squitieri (Vengeance Is a Dish Best Served Cold) but Squitieri changed the script so much that he was let go. Mario Caiano (Nightmare Castle) was next, but he couldn't get along with Kinski.
That's because Kinski refused to wear fangs or shave his head. He argued with Caiano and would not listen to the director saying cut before locking himself into his trailer, as he thought that he was directing the film. In response, Caiano ran into Kinski's trailer and shouted, "Now you're directing the movie!"
It was decided that Caminito would direct the film. He'd only directed two other movies, Maschi e femmine and Grandi cacciatori, which also had Kinski. He had help from Luigi Cozzi, who shot second unit. But Kinski remained, well, Klaus Kinski. He kept changing where he would act from, causing lighting set-ups to be redone and he would never do a second take. It got so bad that the entire crew quit and would not come back until Kinski apologized.
If that's not bad enough, Kinski fired Amanda Sandrelli and replaced her with actor Yorgo Voyagis' girlfriend Anne Knecht, who was visiting the set.
After six weeks of shooting, Caminito gave up and tried to edit it together.
A seance awakens Nosferantu (Kisnki) from two hundred years sleep and throws Princess Catalano (Maria Cumani Quasimodo) out a window before stalking her daughter Henrietta (Barbara De Rossi), seducing her while her sister Maria (Knecht) watches.
The monster then easily defeats Professor Paris Catalano (Christopher Plummer), Father Alvise (Donald Pleasence) and Dr. Barneval (Voyagis) before taking Henrietta. Catalano then shouts that only a pure woman willing to give Nosferatu her true love can destroy him before he kills himself by jumping into a canal.
Maria tries to save her sister and catches the vampire's eye when she climbs to a tower and jumps to her death. He catches her and informs her that he wants to die, but he needs a virgin to love him. They become a couple and wipe out most of the rest of the cast before Dr. Barneval shoots Maria. As she dies, she begs for the undead beast to turn her. He tells her that that is a punishment that he can never give. They wander into the fog without a resolution.
I think I made this sound a little more cohesive than it really ends up.
Characters show up and we have no idea who they are and then disappear. Some of that is because Kinski was a lunatic. He sexually assaulted actresses Elvire Audray and Barbara De Rossi. With Audray, he physically beat her, tore off her clothes and bit her between the thighs, while he was brutally rough in his lovemaking scene with De Rossi.
Every time I write about Kinski, it's more about how insane he was than how great he is in movies.
Step two: Get a director. Not as simple. Originally, Maurizio Lucidi (The Designated Victim) was going to direct and even shot some scenes that are in the movie but Caminito thought that this should have a higher budget and a more well-considered director. He hired Pasquale Squitieri (Vengeance Is a Dish Best Served Cold) but Squitieri changed the script so much that he was let go. Mario Caiano (Nightmare Castle) was next, but he couldn't get along with Kinski.
That's because Kinski refused to wear fangs or shave his head. He argued with Caiano and would not listen to the director saying cut before locking himself into his trailer, as he thought that he was directing the film. In response, Caiano ran into Kinski's trailer and shouted, "Now you're directing the movie!"
It was decided that Caminito would direct the film. He'd only directed two other movies, Maschi e femmine and Grandi cacciatori, which also had Kinski. He had help from Luigi Cozzi, who shot second unit. But Kinski remained, well, Klaus Kinski. He kept changing where he would act from, causing lighting set-ups to be redone and he would never do a second take. It got so bad that the entire crew quit and would not come back until Kinski apologized.
If that's not bad enough, Kinski fired Amanda Sandrelli and replaced her with actor Yorgo Voyagis' girlfriend Anne Knecht, who was visiting the set.
After six weeks of shooting, Caminito gave up and tried to edit it together.
A seance awakens Nosferantu (Kisnki) from two hundred years sleep and throws Princess Catalano (Maria Cumani Quasimodo) out a window before stalking her daughter Henrietta (Barbara De Rossi), seducing her while her sister Maria (Knecht) watches.
The monster then easily defeats Professor Paris Catalano (Christopher Plummer), Father Alvise (Donald Pleasence) and Dr. Barneval (Voyagis) before taking Henrietta. Catalano then shouts that only a pure woman willing to give Nosferatu her true love can destroy him before he kills himself by jumping into a canal.
Maria tries to save her sister and catches the vampire's eye when she climbs to a tower and jumps to her death. He catches her and informs her that he wants to die, but he needs a virgin to love him. They become a couple and wipe out most of the rest of the cast before Dr. Barneval shoots Maria. As she dies, she begs for the undead beast to turn her. He tells her that that is a punishment that he can never give. They wander into the fog without a resolution.
I think I made this sound a little more cohesive than it really ends up.
Characters show up and we have no idea who they are and then disappear. Some of that is because Kinski was a lunatic. He sexually assaulted actresses Elvire Audray and Barbara De Rossi. With Audray, he physically beat her, tore off her clothes and bit her between the thighs, while he was brutally rough in his lovemaking scene with De Rossi.
Every time I write about Kinski, it's more about how insane he was than how great he is in movies.