Die Nibelungen (1924)

Siegfried (Paul Richter), the son of a King, is determined to win the hand of Kriemhild (Margarete Schon), the sister of King Gunther (Theodor Loos). But to do so, he must defeat the warrior Brunhild (Hanna Ralph) who Gunther wants for his bride. Thus begins an epic tale of heroism, deceit, betrayal and revenge. Fritz Lang's astonishing 4 1/2 hour epic really needs to be seen to be believed. It's really two separate films, the first part SIEGFRIED and the second film is KRIEMHILD'S REVENGE. The imagery is stunning as befits one of the great directors of the silent era. It's an increasingly crazy masterwork that starts off like a mythical Arthurian romantic legend and ends up as vengeful and bloody as a Shakespeare tragedy. The word epic is tossed around too often and used to describe films that aren't really epic at all. THIS is the genuine article! You're transported in a way that nothing but cinema can achieve. Visually, I'd say it's even more impressive than Lang's own METROPOLIS. Lang dedicates the film to the German people and at first that seems noble. Yet it's disturbing that the German "Nibelungen" are deemed heroes for their loyalty and standing by their own even with death staring them in the face. However, the person they are protecting is the murderer (Hans Adalbert Schlettow) of a hero whose only fault was trusting a weak king and the same murderer also kills a baby in front of the child's parents! Yet the heroine is deemed evil for seeking justice from the Germans for the murderer of her husband and child? It's unsettling when you realize that Atilla the Hun (Rudolf Klein Rogge) is the most sympathetic character in the film!