1989: Paganini

KK’s first movie as a director, KK’s last movie as a living being, playing the infamous devilish Italian violinist - one of his alter ego-obsessions along with Jesus, Villon and Van Gogh. Just like it began, “how ironic”. They say he hated directors; quite appropriately, he only directed (and wrote and starred) this Von Trier-esque epic commercial fail, a showreel of sex and virtuosism whose opening credits recite “Klaus Kinski”, “Debora Kinski” and “Nicolai Kinski” (how about making a biopic titled “Kinski Kinski”?). After all, as he used to say, how could directors ask him to “die” the right way? Had they died before so they knew it? Now he knows, as he had always known it. And that was his gift, the gift tattooed on the very flesh of his face.