Die Nibelungen (Masters Of Cinema) Review

Die Nibelungen came out in 1924 and was directed by the master of German Expressionism Fritz Lang. It’s really 2 long films put together which is turn comes around to 4 hours and 40 minutes. It was made in-between his first Dr. Mabuse film and his Magnum opus Metropolis. It in a way is a stepping-stone to what would become Metropolis and like that his later ex-wife Thea von Harbou co-wrote the film.

The film tells the epic saga of Siegfried of Norse Mythology. He is the son of King Siegmund of Xanten. He forges his own sword. He hears stories of the kingdom of Burgundy and Kriemhild the Princess. He announces when he leaves Xanten he wants to win her hand in marriage. The swordsmith Mime who’s shop he forged his sword, tells him of a shortcut to Burgundy but it reality it leads him to a dragon which he slays and baths in it’s blood but missed a shot so he gets a Achilles’ heal. He goes on numerous adventures on his way to Burgundy. There is a part 2 of the film but it would spoil the film too much.

The film isn’t one of Fritz Lang’s best films. It’s very baggy, it’s about 4 hour and 40 minutes and every scene is dragged out to excruciating levels as times. It is a film from the 20s so obviously the pacing is very different to modern films but there are 20 minutes scenes that should be half the length.  However film is basically an early mini-series, each segment and both films has a title card.  The plus sides of the film are the imagery is hallucinatory at times and utterly fantastical. The 1st half of the film is most visually arresting which ends brilliantly. The 2nd half has an astonishing climax though. The story is truly epic in scope, which can be expected when it comes from mythology.  It’s worth watching simply for the imagery.

Overall, It’s a good piece of early sword and sorcery cinema. It’s not gonna be for most people but if your interesting in Frit Lang and early cinema it’s worth seeing.

Ian Schultz

★★★★☆

Rating:PG
DVD/BD Re-Release Date: 29th October 2012 (UK)
Directed By: Fritz Lang
Cast: Paul Richter, Margarete Schön , Theodor Loos
Buy Die Nibelungen: BLU-RAY/ DVD

The Ingenious Fritz Lang's DIE NIBELUNGEN To Get Masters Of Cinema Release

Renowned for its ingenious special visual effects and breathtaking set design, DIE NIBELUNGEN [THE NIBELUNGEN] is to be released in the UK on Blu-ray & DVD as part of Eureka Entertainment’s MASTERS OF CINEMA Series on 29 October 2012

Perhaps the most stately of Fritz Lang's two-part epics, the five-hour Die Nibelungen is a courageous and hallucinatory work. Its extraordinary set-pieces, archetypal themes, and unrestrained ambition have proved an inspiration for nearly every fantasy cycle that has emerged on-screen since – from Star Wars to The Lord of the Rings.

In Part One, Siegfried, the film's eponymous hero acquires the power of invincibility after slaying a dragon and bathing in the creature's blood. Later, an alliance through marriage between the hero and the royal clan of the Nibelungen turns treacherous, with Siegfried's sole weakness exploited. In Part Two, Kriemhilds Rache [Kriemhild's Revenge], Siegfried's widow travels to the remote land of the Huns to wed the monstrous Attila, and thereby enlist his forces in an act of vengeance that culminates in massacre, conflagration, and, under the auspices of Lang, one of the most exhilarating and terrifying end-sequences in all of cinema.

Adapted from the myth that was also the basis for Wagner's Ring cycle of operas, Lang's epic offers its own startling expressionistic power – a summit of the director's artistry. The Masters of Cinema Series is proud to present Die Nibelungen in a spectacular new HD restoration, released as a 2 x DVD set & a 2 x Blu-ray set in the UK on 29 October 2012. 

SPECIAL FEATURES:

• Long-awaited expert HD restoration by the Friedrich-Wilhelm-Murnau-Stiftung, Germany
• Immaculately presented in the film's original frame rates and aspect ratio, in 1080p on the Blu-ray
• Newly translated optional English subtitles for the original German intertitles
• An hour-long documentary: The Heritage of Die Nibelungen
• Illustrated booklet featuring the words of Lang, rare archival imagery, and more
• Further details to be announced nearer the release date! Pre-Order/Buy: DIE NIBELUNGEN (Masters of Cinema) BLU-RAY [1924]