Die Nibelungen, Teil 1 - Siegfried

I remember seeing this when it was on release in the UK. I'm sure the UK version was released as "Those Whom the Gods Wish to Destroy" and might have been a combination of both Teil 1 and Teil 2 edited together.

It must have been dubbed as it had an English soundtrack. I think the film poster had the film title carved out of a rock face a bit like the Ben Hur poster.

It was some long time after seeing the film that I found out it was part of a series of traditional German Folklore tales. I can recall the scene where Siegfried kills a somewhat cardboard looking dragon and bathes in its blood. Unfortunately a leaf gets stuck to his back and the only part of him not bathed in dragon blood is where the leaf was stuck. Everywhere he was covered in blood makes him impervious to any weapon. He subsequently walks through a fire and only gets burned where the leaf was stuck, leaving him with a leaf shaped scar on his back. Later on during some subterfuge, someone (his wife I think) sews a patch onto the back of his tunic where the leaf had been stuck and the villain is then able to aim a spear at the only place where he can be wounded and killed.

That happens about halfway through and its that which makes me think the UK release was edited from both films. I'd certainly like to see this again but so far I've not ever seen it available on video.

This movie is really great! Great directing, photography (just watch the scenes in Iceland), sets, score (get the double-cd release of the scores for both films on Cobra Records if you are fond of this score), acting (I can't take my eyes of Karin Dor as Brünhild...) and script (I love the way they changed the story to address some of the ambiguities of the material, like the reason why Siegfried and Brünhild already know each other, but still retain the feeling of the original Nibelungenlied) make this movie together with it's second part "Kriemhilds Rache" a masterpiece. But avoid the version that cut together the two parts "Siegfried" and "Kriemhilds Rache" to "Das Schwert der Nibelungen" aka "Those who carry the seed of destruction" (or something like that), it really doesn't show this masterpiece in all it's glory, and might give you the wrong ideas about this two movies. These are two movies just screaming for a DVD release!

Saw this film when it came out in Mexico city, around Christmass of 1967. the tittle was "Whom the Gods Wishes to Destroy", subtitle "Los Nibelungos" (Spanish for "Die Nibelungen). If the first part was 91 minutes and the second part was 110, that makes 201 minutes. The complete version I saw was 195 minutes. I don't know how nearly 6 minutes of can damages any film, specially in the sixties when a film of tree hours or more was a norm. Also, the film opened at the Cine Manacar, one of those wonderful movie palaces of the era now long go, in a superb 70mm print, with 6 tracks stereophonic sound. and asset that i'm afraid no DVD or the best Home Theatre will cant match today. Yes the film is must for moviegoers. It's a pity not to see it the way was originally shown.

Terrific German medieval tale, legend, as also was King Arthur and the Round Table tales shown by the UK film and Hollywood industry. Terrific production design and acting, settings and story telling, amazing music score. I never get tired of watching this movie, the first opus of a two movies saga; I have already commented the second movie ten years ago. Many characters, but it's rather simple to follow, tense, riveting, rough. The legend of Siegfried and the Nibelungen treasure. Of course it is different from the Fritz Lang's masterpiece but still a film that you can't avoid. And a rare film to purchase. I was lucky enough to have caught it thirty years ago, on a movie program attended by a movie lover - Jean Pierre Dionnet - who, at this time, made the greatest efforts to find very, very rare stuff. Thanks to him. Eternally.

Harald Reinl made a decent movie adaption of the epic of the Nibelung. But if I had to choose (forced by superior dark forces or simply by bad karma) I would, without hesitation, decide to watch Fritz Lang's movies again: despite the fact that his work are silent movies (part one and two) and shot in black and white, but his adaption is just too epic, strong, and the expressionistic approach in acting and producing makes Lang's vision a true piece of art. Anyway, if you don't know Reinl's and Lang's movies, watch them all.