Cast:
Lil Dagover (Young Woman / Zobeide / Monna Fiametta / Tiao Tsien), Walter Janssen (Young Man / Franke / Giovan Francesco / Liang), Bernhard Goetzke (Death / Der Tod / El Mot / Bogner / Archer), Hans Sternberg (The Mayor), Carl Rückert (The Reverend), Max Adelbert (The Notary / The Chancellor), Wilhelm Diegelman (The Doctor), Erich Pabst (The Teacher), Karl Platen (The Apothecary), and Hermann Pischa (The Tailor) Directed by Fritz Lang (#333 - M, #500 - Metropolis, and #1365 - Scarlet Street)
Review:
"To begin with, I should say that I am a visual person. I experience with my eyes and never, or only rarely, with my ears—to my constant regret.”
It is easy to say that a film merits coverage because it came from a notable name. But how about one that turns a century old this year? Sure, Fritz Lang had his classics come around with films like Metropolis (1927), but one can't forget his earlier work. Lang did brief study in his native Vienna for civil engineering and art before moving to travelling abroad and later service in World War I for the Austrian army. He did a spell of acting in theater before moving into writing for UFA and other German studios and soon directing. Destiny, known in Germany as Der müde Tod: ein deutsches volkslied in 6 versen [Weary Death: A German Folk Story in Six Verses] (or Behind the Wall for US release), is the eighth feature film directed by Lang, who had begun his career with Halbblut in 1919 (which alongside his second film Der Herr der Liebe is lost). He continued with an assignment for a serial that resulted in two films with The Spiders (1919-20), which would be the first of numerous serials that he would be part of, with two-parters following in Dr. Mabuse, the Gambler (1922) and Die Nibelungen (1924). This was written by Lang and his wife Thea von Harbou, who wrote several films over the course of twelve years. Incidentally, the same year that they married was also the same year that Lang's mother passed away, although his version of Death came from his childhood memories upon having a fever, although it has been argued that he also may have been inspired by the Indian folklore tale Savitri and Satyavan. In any case, the love of Death, composed of horror and affection, was noted by Lang as a key player in his career, alongside fate and fear.
One should expect something interesting from a film opening in "Some Time and Some Place", and they sure do get a curious film. Technically speaking, what we have here is a parable in four parts, since it involves an interlinked narrative that starts and ends with Dagover and Goetzke, while three stories (referred to as "Lights", respectively) are told involving love and death that have certain actors sharing time together each time. Love and death seem to go hand in hand, whether that it is in "The City of the Faithful," or the Carnival in Venice, or during the reign of the Chinese Empire. The result is a film with eerie appeal, filled with numerous interesting shots and images that show what filmmaking could be in the 1920s in its strengths for storytelling and power while also being a useful mediation of death. Dagover was a considerable presence in German cinema, considering his varied career over six decades that led to work with directors like Lang and Robert Wiene to Maximilian Schell. She certainly does well for what is needed, careful in capturing the desperation needed alongside the needed nature for the other roles to play without just being drawn with a plain brush for costume drama. Janssen was in his second ever role of a varied career, and he does well here in the other role across time in star-crossed expression. One could argue this as the most notable film of Goetzke's career, but that would underscore his prolific nature, since he was in over a hundred films in forty years, and he seems to fit the description of what is needed from Lang involving mystery and dread with a pale and weary figure of the beyond. By the time the film moves towards its end at 99 minutes, one seems to be touched by its effectiveness, as it proves to be a key figure in what makes for a moody triumph of German Expressionism, probing the nature of separation and sacrifice that keeps its audience on its toes. It might not be the most memorable film to strike first in Lang's catalogue of work, but it certainly had an influence upon several filmmakers. Luis Bunuel was inspired by the film (specifically with the cemetery sequence) to make films (citing Lang and his films as the biggest influence upon him), while Douglas Fairbanks liked the trick photography effects used for the climax enough to get the rights to the film so they could grab the effects for use in The Thief of Baghdad (1924). At any rate, what we have is a grand curiosity of German Expressionism, dreary yet crisp in its filmmaking that serves as a useful silent feature and gem in Lang's career in terms of its look upon death and separation - and the figures that play their part on the board.
While I doubt I will reach the lengths of 2020 with reviews, there are still plans to do a few theme weeks throughout the year to further the perspective of cinema from various positions. One of these weeks, I'm pleased to announce, will focus on films done by directors never previously covered on Movie Night before. Looking at the catalogue of records of Movie Night show that there have been 958 different directors covered throughout the ten year history of Movie Night, so one can only wonder who is next on the list. A week of World Cinema is tentatively scheduled, along with a special surprise or two. Enjoy!
Overall, I give it 9 out of 10 stars.
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