Les Nibelungen : La Vengeance de Kriemhild

Like the first movie, The Nibelungs: Siegfried, the second part named Kriemhild's Revenge is a fantastic and epic piece with fantastic settings, imagination and acting. I really like from time to time to drown myself in those old movies, that are most imaginative and an art form and nothing less, and in comparison, most of today's movies are exposed for what they are, products of a soulless and unimaginative mass industry that does not attract genius and talent but mediocrity.

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.

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

"Die Nibelungen: Kriemhild's Revenge" is part of the two-part, five hour long saga from Fritz Lang. The first part, "Die Nibelungen: Siegfried" follows the Germanic hero from various heroic deeds (such as slaying a dragon) to his eventual murder.

When part two begins, his widow, Kriemhild is naturally furious. After all, her husband was murdered and no one has been punished. To make it worse, her family has sworn allegiance to the murderer! The movie consists of her machinations to bring the killer to justice, though through this there are wars, lots of death and an ending where practically everyone expires!

What I didn't love were the English captions added to the film. They were is a VERY stylized Germanic font...and were VERY difficult to read. I also was not fond of an overuse of staring and folks standing at attention instead of ACTING (a problem also in Sergei Eisenstein's "Ivan the Terrible" saga). It also should be noted that in this English version, King Etzel is translated as King Attila (as in, Attila the Hun).

What were exceptional were the costumes, the sets (some of which were pretty simple but others really were amazing) and the wonderful print (it was pristine) I found of it on YouTube.

"Die Nibelungen" (1924), Lang's five-hour, two-part epic is quickly becoming my quintessential experience with Lang. The two films are all-encompassing: the first plays more like a fairytale (that translates well to filmic special effects), the latter more like "Hamlet" and its ilk. Siegfried is necessarily blank as a character, in fact he seems more like a characterization of virtue than flesh and bone; Kriemhild, too, is like white space in the first film, but is transformed by revengeful hate to a driven character of great psychological power. The second film is thus far more internal in its drama.

Not to say it wouldn't have some of the most amazing action sequences ever put to film. In fact, the riding of Etzel (Attila) and his men across the valley, the siege, the ensuing battle and climax are so well-done and full of so much real danger that the effect is dumbfounding. Where in modern cinema can we find risk in this manner? Herzog's "Aguirre, der Zorn Gottes" (1972) or "Fitzcarraldo" (1982) don't really fit the classification.

Indeed, the climatic fire is so visually violent that not even Kurosawa topped it in "Ran" (1985). I was breathless in awe and wonder and fear by witnessing it, sure that a huge rafter would crush the actors.

It's a beauty to behold on Blu-ray. We're lucky to have the restoration on both Region A (Kino) and B (Masters of Cinema series).