Eight by Fritz Lang
Fritz Lang's prolific career took him from Germany to Hollywood, spanning the silent era through the 1960s. Acclaimed as one of the greatest directors of the German Expressionist style, Lang is best known for his epic silent films in a variety of genres, including crime thrillers, fantasy, and science fiction. His shadowy, atmospheric visual style later made him one of the most celebrated directors of Film Noir, and continues to influence the design of many sci-fi and fantasy films today.
Filmatique is now streaming an eight-film retrospective of the German master—crime thrillers, fantasy, and science fiction.
//
Destiny, Fritz Lang (1921)
Destiny, Fritz Lang / Germany, 1921
When her fiancée disappears, a young woman confronts the personification of Death in an effort to save his life. Death weaves three romantic tragedies and offers to unite the girl with her lover if she can prevent the lovers' death in at least one instance. Thus begin three tales of ill-fated romance in Persia, Quattrocento Venice, and ancient China, wherein the woman must somehow reverse the course of destiny.
A lesser-seen Lang classic and Alfred Hitchcock's favorite film, Destiny (Der müde Tod) has screened in retrospectives at Locarno, IFFR - International Film Festival Rotterdam, Vienna, and Shanghai.
Dr. Mabuse, The Gambler, Fritz Lang (1922)
Dr. Mabuse, The Gambler, Fritz Lang / Germany, 1922
Dr. Mabuse is a gambler, hypnotist, and all-around criminal mastermind. This legendary silent film contains many crime genre elements from the time, including characters who slip in and out of disguise, mind control, gambling clubs, exotic women, brutal henchmen and unexpected plot twists. Masterfully coalescing pulp material with social critique of the decadence characterizing 1920s Germany, Fritz Lang affirms his status as one of the true greats of the silent era.
Dr. Mabuse, the Gambler had a major impact on the development of the crime thriller, building upon the work of the pioneering French film serialist Louis Feuillade (Les Vampires). This epic two-part tale was originally released as two separate films, respectively subtitled The Great Gambler and Inferno, and that format is reproduced here.
This authorized version of the 1922 film was mastered from a 2000 restoration conducted by the Friedrich-Wilhelm-Murnau-Stiftung, using existing camera negatives from the Bundesarchiv-Filmarchiv, Berlin, and the Filmmuseum in Stadtmuseum, Munich. Featuring extra footage (which reveals more plot information, close-ups, and a decidedly more provocative and lurid atmosphere), Dr. Mabuse, the Gambler shows not only the longest available version of the film, but the one which most closely represents Lang's original vision.
Die Nibelungen, Fritz Lang (1924)
Die Nibelungen Parts 1 & 2, Fritz Lang / Germany, 1924
One of the greatest artistic and technical achievements of German silent cinema, Die Nibelungen is a passionate retelling of Nordic legend. Scripted by Lang and his wife Thea von Harbou, and originally released as two separate features, the saga begins by constructing an enchanted kingdom populated by dragons, magical trolls, and heroic figures defined by rigid codes of honor. This edition is mastered in HD from the extensive 35mm restoration conducted by the Friedrich-Wilhelm-Murnau-Stiftung, completed in 2012.
Metropolis, Fritz Lang (1927)
Metropolis, Fritz Lang / Germany, 1927
Incorporating more than 25 minutes of newly discovered footage, this 2010 restoration of Metropolis is the definitive edition of Fritz Lang's science fiction masterpiece. Backed by a new recording of Gottfried Huppertz's 1927 score, the film's dazzling visual design and special effects are more striking than ever. The integration of scenes and subplots long considered lost endows Metropolis with even greater tension and emotional resonance, as it dramatizes the conflict between wealthy über-capitalists and rebellious subterranean laborers—orchestrated by a diabolical scientist capable of destroying them both.
Spies, Fritz Lang (1928)
Spies, Fritz Lang / Germany, 1928
Having defined the espionage film with Dr. Mabuse, the Gambler, Fritz Lang returns to the genre with this surprisingly fast-paced thriller. Rudolf Kleine-Rogge stars as Haghi, the head of an elaborate criminal empire, with Willy Fritsch as the undercover agent assigned to topple the diabolical king from his throne. Filled with sexual intrigue and high-tech gadgetry, Spies remains remarkably contemporary more than 85 years after its original release.
Woman in the Moon, Fritz Lang (1929)
Woman in the Moon, Fritz Lang / Germany, 1929
Two years after revolutionizing the science fiction film with Metropolis, Lang revisits the genre with an ambitious spectacle dramatizing the first lunar expedition. Instead of relying on pure fantasy, Lang, screenwriter Thea von Harbou and a group of technical consultants conceived of a modernized trip to the moon grounded in state-of-the-art astrophysics. Spiced with romance and espionage, Woman in the Moon was one of the most influential science fiction films of its era.
Scarlet Street, Fritz Lang (1945)