Die Nibelungen: Siegfried (1924)

So much average

Plenty to Like, Plenty to Dislike

If you don't like this, we can't be friends.

Story: It's very simple but honestly that is fine.

"Die Nibelungen: Siegfried" from over 90 years ago is the first of 2 Nibelungen film directed by Fritz Lang and written by him as well with Thea von Harbou, a truly prolific and successful duo. I will not go a lot into detail about the story as it is so extremely famous. I myself have always preferred Siegfried's story about Krimhild's revenge, the second installment, in terms of Lang and also in terms of Reinl. Lang's work here is still a silent film as usual and black-and-white of course, although you could also make a case for black and gold.Lead actor Paul Richter will certainly be recognized by fans of German silent movies. And most of the other actors have played in many other films as well. But back to this one: It was the second or third time I watched it and it is still worth seeing. My favorite scene is definitely Siegfried's encounter with the dragon very early on. The dragon just looks superb and the falling-leaf scene is just too memorable. Unfortunately, the film is not packed with these extraordinary scenes from start to finish. Occasionally it drags, although it's almost an impossible achievement for a movie of 150 minutes to be edge-of-seat stuff from start to finish. This one does not succeed. However, it brings fairly decent entertainment value and a couple more scenes who are almost as memorable as the one with the dragon that I just mentioned. It is certainly not a film for everybody, but silent film lovers will probably have a good time with this one. Thumbs up.

Upon completing his epic crime film "Dr Mabuse", Fritz Lang embarked on a quest to bring Germanic legend Das Niebelungenlied to the screen. So colossal was the undertaking that it required two films, of which "Siegfried" is the first.Young heroic Siegfried kills a dragon and bathes in its blood, gaining immortality (save for a fatal weak spot). His quests make him into a powerful figure and allow him to court the beautiful princess Kriemhield. But her weakling brother only approves the lovers' union if Siegfried agrees to help him deceive the beautiful Valkyrie Brunhield into falling in love with him. When she eventually discovers this treachery, the humiliated amazon vows sets forth a cycle of revenge that will create tragedy on an epic scale.There's no way to avoid comparisons: "Die Niebelungen" is the Lord of the Rings of its day, and easily one of the most staggering epics in the history of movies. The scale, extras and the pioneering dragon-slaying scene all make for enduring cinema. Fritz Lang's alluring visuals push it even further: his awesome depiction of the rigid codes of honor that are the undoing of his characters imbues the film with a mood and atmosphere whose influences are incalculable. "Die Niebelungen" can also be read as one chooses, tribute to German heroism or to the trappings and tragedy of "honor". Hitler for one was so impressed with the film that he used an alternate edit of the film as propaganda, playing to Wagner's Niebelungen opera (which Lang actually loathed!). To be fair, though the original score can not hope to reach the mythical heights of Wagner's opera, it is still a considerable achievement.Though he would revisit the crime genre with the slick "Spies" and practically invent modern science-fiction with "Metropolis", none of Lang's silent films would reach this level of excellence. "Siegfried" of course can only fairly be judged when seen right before the second half of the saga: "Kriemhield's Revenge", in which formality makes way for chaos and petty jealousy and revenge turn to violence on a biblical scale.Anyone with even a passing interest in the silent era or film as a whole should avidly seek this out. Kino on Video have a very decent double DVD edition. I wholeheartedly recommend it.Edit (October 2010): As I add these words, Eureka have released a stellar BluRay of this saga which is just mind-blowing (reviewed by dvdbeaver, for the curious). If you've never seen this film yet, lucky you. Go straight to HD!

For those of you who don't know about it, "The Nibelungenlied" is to German literature what "Beowulf" is to English literature. The story of Siegfried, a warrior who must help a prince win a princess, was made into an ultra-cool movie by Fritz Lang. Most people might imagine 1920's cinema as primitive by today's standards, but this was a very good technical production. Whether it's Siegfried (Paul Richter) slaying a dragon, or becoming invisible to help the prince win a contest, every part of the movie has something neat.A strange irony to this movie was what it almost did for Fritz Lang. Adolf Hitler loved the movie and used "The Nibelungenlied" to represent a "strong Germany". Joseph Goebbels asked Fritz Lang if he would like to make propaganda films for the Nazis. Fritz Lang said that he would think about it and quickly fled the country (in the United States, he continued turning out famous movies). Lang's wife, Thea Von Harbou, stayed in Germany and worked for the Nazi propaganda machine.No matter. It's a great movie.

essential viewing (and listening)...the newly-restored Munich Film Archives dvd of this film is simply wonderful. the G. Huppertz score is a marvel (lovingly restored by Erich Heller making use of the widow's piano score). Kurosawa's tribute to this classic can be seen in his handling of the "siege of the third fire tower" in RAN)...and, of course, Kriemhild's vindictive widow was the model for the Wicked Witch in SNOW WHITE... a landmark of international cinema: not to be missed.