Die Nibelungen: Kriemhilds Rache

Die Nibelungen : Kriemhild's Revenge (1924) :- Brief Review -

Bow down to the First Greatest Dual Epic of the World Cinema, bow down to Master Fritz Lang. Die Nibelungen: Kriemhild's Revenge follows the story of Kriemhild's insane and uncontrollable Revenge after Sigfried's murder and believe me there's no stopping to the visual extravaganza from the beginning to the end. Unlike its predecessor, this one wastes no time in introduction. It gets to the point right on the beginning note from where you don't get a moment to think about anything else for 2 hours. Fritz Lang had saved a lot of content for this one but the biggest achievement of this film is catching the burning tone of insane self destruction within an acceptable revenge. Revenge stories are nothing new but a fine tit for tat, blood for blood in typical forms but Fritz Lang fetched unethical terms and inappropriate outburst to discover a salvation in realistic fantasy world. Kriemhild's Revenge could possibly be a contender for One Of the Greatest Epic Adventure ever made, not because of its grandeur but because of humanly possible techniques of self-blessedness within cinematic boundaries. Even if you exclude its artistic values, you still have a great explosive money making entertainer in hand and that's what the greatness of this film lies. From performances to screenplay to spectacular visuals to unlimited production designing to the impeccable storytelling, Kriemhild's Revenge tops the list in every aspect. What LOTR and Bahubali achieved in 21st Century, Kriemhild's Revenge did it in 1920s only and that too without the help of advanced technology. Words might fall short to explain the glory of this Fritz Lang Classic in today's time but all i can do is bow down to the Legend and his Legendary Magnus Opus. The Greatest work in Larger Than Life Cinema of its time, that's it!

RATING - 8/10*

By - #samthebestest

This second half of Fritz Lang's epic filming of the Nibelungen Saga has many of the same strengths as the first, with memorable characters and interesting, atmospheric settings. This part of the story continues with many of the same characters, but the story itself is of a much different nature. There is less complexity but more action, with the entire focus being on Kriemhild and her inflexible desire for revenge. This part of the story does not have such interesting relationships amongst the characters as did the first part, but instead provides first and foremost an unforgettable portrait of the obsessed Kriemhild.

She, Gunther, and Hagen are now thoroughly defined characters who have chosen where they stand, and so there is not the kind of dramatic uncertainty and tension that the first part held. Instead, there is a more straightforward battle of wills, but with an added wild card in the person of Attila, portrayed memorably and with great energy by Rudolf Klein-Rogge. Attila and the Huns are depicted in a way that most likely has little basis in history, but it is certainly interesting to see the bizarre fashion in which the Huns and their world are portrayed. As events unfold, the developments are not always fully plausible, but the stakes and the pressure on each side steadily rise, building to an intense climax.

What you remember most after the film is over is the remorseless, implacable Kriemhild. With her costume obscuring almost everything else, Margarete Schön portrays the depth of Kriemhild's emotions and determination using only her face and, especially, her eyes. It is about as memorable a portrait as you will find in cinema of the madness and destructive fury of revenge. While "Kriemhild's Revenge", as a whole, does not have the thematic depth of "Siegfried", it succeeds in establishing this central image in a manner not easily forgotten.

Impressive sets, costumes, and action highlight this 2 hour conclusion. The surprisingly good restoration was available for both parts on Netflix.

In some ways I suspect intentional and not, the movie subtext lays out the cultural flaws of the German/Austrian people following World War 1. The Burgundian oath upheld despite treachery and infanticide to the point of self destruction. An overwhelming need for revenge with no compromise or limit to the cost of obtaining it.

I imagine Fritz Lang and his co-writer wife sought to emphasize these faults following the war, which leads to the mutual destruction of the entire lot of Burgundy characters. Curiously the result ennobles both sides.

The non Germanic characters are grubby, disfigured, inferior animals. Only the extremes of pride, honor and infighting seem to hold the Germanic kingdom back. Within this subtext, one might see omens for the world that would be realized less than 15 years later.

The resulting film shares the same fault of its characters. Excessive pride, honor and nationalism despite the destruction and failure it had wrought. It is a vast epic and well made. But more importantly, a view of the cultural undercurrents that undermined the treaties from the war to end all wars.

I saw this film last night at a special movie theater showing in Nürnberg, and it was superb. I do have to admit that the original music composition of the cello player and percussion/xylophone player influenced the mood of the film, but the film itself also had force in its portrayal of the tragic Nibelungen saga.

If you are interested in silent films or in the Nibelungenlied, I highly recommend this film. The costumes were fantastic and creative, the sets were opulent and exotic, and the acting was dramatic and breathtaking (as is typical of silent film "tragedies") Unfortunately, I have not seen the first part of this film duo that concerns Siegfried. The story of this second film begins after Siegfried's death, when Kremhild (Gudrun in the Norse versions of the story) begins to plan her revenge against her brothers.

Also, I watched this film in German; I am a native English speaker and have a basic German knowledge. It was difficult to read the ?subtitles (what do you call that in silent films?) at first because of the old style German script, so I advise that if you watch it in German that you make sure you can differentiate your "k's", "f's", and "s's" in the old script. :)

Die Nibelungen: Kriemhild's Revenge (1924)

** (out of 4)

Second part of Fritz Lang's Die Nibelungen is a major step down from the previous part. In this segment (as the title says), Kriemhild seeks revenge for the death of her husband. This part of the film runs 146-minutes, which brings the total running time just under five hours and I've gotta wonder why on Earth it would take this long to tell a story. The first part was actually fairly interesting due to a good leading character as well as several memorable scenes including the infamous fight with a dragon and the bathing in its blood. This part just goes on and on and on without any real excitement until the very end of the movie. Another major problem is that the actress (Margarete Schoen) is downright boring and hard to watch. The amazing set design and costumes are on full display again, which makes it worth watching the entire film for.