Les araignées - Le cargo d'esclaves

This second part of Fritz Lang's "The Spiders" is a solid follow-up to the first part. This segment is not quite up to the level of the opening episode, but it is also entertaining, and it features some new and interesting material. As with the first part, the story has many far-fetched elements, and neither the plot nor the characters should be taken too seriously.

This part opens with a somber, determined Hoog determined to bring down Lio Sha and "The Spiders", and it then proceeds through a variety of adventures as the adversaries continue trying to outwit each other. Some of the settings are again imaginative and interesting, particularly the underground Chinese city, and these are the main strength of the movie.

Ressel Orla is again good as the villainness, but this time the story does not give her quite as many opportunities. Carl de Vogt has to carry more of the load this time, and while he is adequate in the action scenes, he does not have enough charisma to get the most out of the material. There was an opportunity for some real sparks between him and Orla, but they don't materialize.

Several of the sequences are quite good in themselves, and there is again lots of action. This story of "The Diamond Ship" does not fit together quite as tightly as did the first story of "The Golden Sea", and that, plus the absence of Lil Dagover, are the main things that make this one a cut below the first episode. It's still worth seeing, though.

This "Spiders" sequel, "The Diamond Ship", is just as ridiculous and sensational as the series's first part. The rich adventurer continues in his pursuit of the criminal gang, the Spiders, who are after a diamond that's linked with Asian independence, leading the protagonist into a world of espionage, kidnapping and to a subterranean Chinatown.

Fritz Lang continues to copy other filmmakers, including Louis Feuillade. An early scene in this film is, I think, evident of Fritz Lang's poor direction at this early point in his career: the overhead shot of a bank robbery, with no ceiling, was done better by Maurice Tourneur in "Alias Jimmy Valentine" (1915). With Tourneur, it was an innovative, well-photographed scene, but with Lang, it's derivative and poorly done. It's the same with the rest of this two-part series; there's some technical skill, but it's all inferior duplication of other films and serials. Lang would become a great director, but that didn't begin here. And, German silent cinema would be one of the greatest periods in film history, but "The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari" (1920) is still the beginning of that. "The Spiders" is merely what everyone else had already been doing... often better.

In San Francisco, the sportsman Kay Hoog (Carl de Vogt) follows Lio Sha (Ressel Orla) in a subterranean Chinatown and discloses that her organization is seeking a Buddha-head diamond that will release Asia from tyranny. He is captured, but he escapes and chases The Spiders, embarking as a stowaway in the Storm Bird. The ship heads to London, with the criminals trying to find the diamond in the mansion of the millionaire Terry Landon (Rudolph Lettinger). They do not succeed and abduct Terry's daughter Ellen (Thea Zander) asking the diamond as ransom. However, Terry does not have the stone, and Kay Hoog discovers that it is in the Malvinas Island. He goes to the island, where he faces The Spiders.

The sequel of "Die Spinnen, 1, Teil - Der Goldene See" is also a flawed movie, with a messy and silly screenplay. The great merit of this film is the hero Kay Hoof, certainly the source of inspiration of Indiana Jones. My vote is six.

Title (Brazil): "As Aranhas Parte 2 – O Navio dos Diamantes" ("The Spiders Part 2 – The Ship of the Diamonds")

This episode is a worthy continuation in the series. As in the first part there is a lot of action. The search is on for the Buddha shaped diamond. This is the sort of film that inspired Raiders of the Lost Ark.

Die Spinnen 2.Teil:Das Brillantenschiff/Spiders part 2:The Diamond Ship(1920) is an entertaining sequel with much intrigue, suspense, and cliff hangers. I enjoyed this movie more than Part One because of the climatic confrontation between the hero of the film and Lio Sha. Lio Sha is a villain much like the famous Irma Vep of Les Vampires. Fritz Lang was still developing his style when he directed Spider Part(1920) so the genius of Lang is not evident yet. Another film that is a collector's item for fans of Fritz Lang and old silent pictures. Precusor to the director's Dr. Mabuse films and his World War 2 themed features.