Long before THE LORD OF THE RINGS and THE HOBBIT there was DIE NIBELUNGEN (The Nibelung Saga). This 1924 epic from Fritz Lang is the grandaddy of all fantasy epics and now it can be seen as it was first presented with over 100 minutes of footage restored and with the original music that was composed for it by Gottfried Huppertz. After all the attention that was given to Peter Jackson’s J.R.R. Tolkien films, this is the perfect time to release this film on Blu-Ray giving us the opportunity to see a silent equivalent of Jackson’s cinematic accomplishments. For those of you familiar with the Wagner RING cycle there are some similarities but in fact it’s an entirely different story.
The entire running time is close to five hours and is divided into two separate films SIEGFRIED and KRIEMHILD’S REVENGE. The entire story deals with deeds of valor and codes of honor and what happens when they are carried too far. Along the way there are dwarves, magic, blood oaths, ferocious battles and the devastating consequences when powerful emotions take over and rational compromises are rejected. The parallels to what took place in Nazi Germany a few years later are truly startling. Lang showed the world what would happen there 20 years before it did. It’s ironic but not surprising that DIE NIBLUNGEN was Hitler’s favorite film.
The outstanding restoration work done by the F.W. Murnau Foundation coupled with the powerful new Dolby soundtrack of the original score makes viewing and hearing this masterpiece a thrilling experience. From the stylized barbaric sets and astonishing camera effects through the ultra stylized acting and actions, we see more than German silent cinema at its zenith, we are witness to the rebirth of a truly great work of art. This 2 disc Blu-Ray set (one for each film) comes loaded with a number of special features that give background on the film and the people responsible for it. One minor quibble, I don’t mind the title cards being in Old German but sometimes the subtitles are hard to read.
The Capsule Critic 