Master Virgo wrote:So I'm gonna start an episodic rant about the finest examples of the fantasy genre. Since its not a popular form of cinema around here I doubt many if any at all would care to read them, I'm not gonna get in length since I'm an above average writer with limited vocabulary at best in addition to the fact that I have always lacked the quality of expressing my feelings with words about such an experience oriented medium, but I'm gonna try and do my best in sharing my thoughts on what fascinated me the most about these shiny illustrations of fiction on the silver screen.



Episode I:

Die Nibelungen (1924)



Directed by: Fritz Lang

Written by: Thea von Harbou, Fritz Lang

Cast: Margarete Schön, Hanna Ralph, Theodor Loos, Paul Richter, Hans Adalbert Schlettow, Georg John, Rudolf Klein-Rogge, Gertrud Arnold, Bernhard Goetzke

Music by: Gottfried Huppertz





Fritz Lang's two part, massively underappreciated epic is a true masterclass in the language of the cinema, that part is true, but what's startling is how much emotionally involving it still is to date. Lang is genuinely interested in these characters, all the set pieces and epic elements didn't confuse him to forget what is really required of him concerning the more intimate parts of the story. His creation is cinematic in the true definition of the word not only because it was a silent film and he was forced to tell the story through visuals as much as possible since at no point he actually shies away from employing the intertitles when necessary. He succeeds to find the perfect balance in there somewhere. There is a truly engaging well told story accompanying the orgasmic visual splendour.





The renowned mythic narrative unfolds itself as a simple adventure with a clear contrast between black and white, at first, but the more it moves forward the more you sense the divergence from the familiar path you initially thought you were set upon. Even if you are not versed in the German myth, somewhere in the middle of the first part you will begin to suspect that something is not quite right, not regarding the fate of the characters, rather the moral decisions they are making. It's an unconventional epic more in the vein of Shakespeare tragedies rather than The Lord of the Rings of the silent era as it has been labeled at times. Nevertheless the myth itself might have been a very big influence on Tolkien since he was always fascinated by the idea of a man going against a beast and slaying it only to realize later that it was the easy part of his journey and the biggest challenge will be the morally difficult situations that failing in them will become his undoing.





Another influence might have been the feministic underlyings of the myth. The most interesting characters in Lang's version are women (Her then wife co-wrote the first part's script and in the second part she was the sole writer). A woman with a free spirit that can not live in confinement and never spiritually surrenders was a character that appeared many times in Tolkien's literary texts. In Die Nibelungen just like the myth that character is embodied as Brunhild, a complicated and at times sympathetic antagonist. Hanna Ralph gives possibly the best performance of of the first film in her portrayal of the character.





There is so much to admire about this motion picture, from original music and production design (The film was completely shot on set, which shows what a perfectionist Lang really was) to some of the performances (Not the lead actor of the first part though, Paul Richter is the least impressive of the main cast) and the cinematography (Apparently done by three different cameraman, but feels quite consistent since it was held together by Lang's singular vision), but the German filmmaker's true mastery is his emphasis on the important sections of the story with terrific use of mise en scene and decoupage, particularly in Hagen's betrayal sequence. Some of the best parts of the film are when Lang tries to add a touch of a surrealistic approach to the package with depicting dreams or visions through the eyes of the characters.





There is a remastered version of the film that employs colouration and was released in 2012. Even though I've never been able to put my hands on a B&W copy with an equally impressive quality for the image and sound, I'd still prefer the original version by far. Nevertheless it's hard not to appreciate the great devotion and commitment that has been spent for creating that version and who wouldn't take great joy in watching a far improved image quality for a film that has been first and foremost a feast for the eyes, as distracting and superfluous as the colour tinting might be.





You don't need to be an admirer of fantasy film or silent era to appreciate this magnificent 5 hours masterpiece (About 20 minutes of it is unfortunately missing though). You only need to care deeply for cinema and the options it has unveiled for true artists like Lang to bring forth a portion of its power and immerse audience by awakening the deeply buried feelings inside them that they were never even aware, existed.£

Vader182 wrote: ↑

August 5th, 2018, 10:41 am

it's great although I prefer L'Avventura


-Vader

Vader182 wrote: ↑

August 5th, 2018, 10:41 am

it's great although I prefer L'Avventura


-Vader

Master Virgo wrote: ↑

August 5th, 2018, 10:53 am

Vader182 wrote: ↑

August 5th, 2018, 10:41 am

it's great although I prefer L'Avventura


-Vader

Blow-UP is his best methink.£

Michaelf2225 wrote: ↑

August 5th, 2018, 10:50 am

Vader182 wrote: ↑

August 5th, 2018, 10:41 am

it's great although I prefer L'Avventura


-Vader

oh really?

srsly tho, been meaning to watch this one - been on my Filmstruck watchlist forever

spade wrote: ↑

August 6th, 2018, 2:04 am

Rublev frustrated the hell out of me. Solaris, only one scene. The Tokyo driving sequence, if I remember correctly. Blow-up was "expertly" paced though.