Die Nibelungen (1924) DVD

• 2.0 Dolby Digital (German)
• Footage of Fritz Lang on the set
• Production design and special effects sketches by Erich Ketttelhut (intercut with scenes from the films)
• Comparison of the dragon-slaying scenes from Siegfried and hte Thief of Bagdad (1924)
• Original 1924 scre by Gottfried Huppertz, performed by the Munich Radio Orchestra
• Essay by film scholar Jan-Christopher Horak
• Optimal image quality: RSDL dual-layer editions
• New and improved english title translation by Ingrid Scheib Rothbart
• Photo gallery, including rare behind-the-scenes images

Margarete Schoen, Paul Richter, Rudolf Rittner, Hanna Ralph, Bernhard Goetzke, Hans Adalbert von Schlettow, Georg August Koch, Theodor Loos, Hardy von Francois, Erwin Biswanger

One of the greatest artistic and technical achievements of the German silent cinema. Fritz Lang's monumental Die Nibelungen is a passionate retelling of Nordic legend, invested with all the resources of the colossal Ufa Studios. Scripted by Lang's wife at the time, Thea von Harbou (Metropolis), Siegfried establishes larger-than-life heroic characters who are defined by tests of valor and rigid codes of honor. In order to win the hand of Kriemhild (Margarete Schoen), Siegfried (Paul Richter) must win a bride for her brother, King Gunther (Theodor Loos). Kriemhild's Revenge begins after the death of Siegfried, and weaves the treacherous tale of his widow's ungodly vengeance upon his murderers. The noble qualities of the first film become liabilities in the second, as the blood oaths and vows of loyalty bring about a maelstrom of violence that results in the slaughter of entire armies (Lang would continue to explore the theme of bloodlust and revenge in such films as Fury, The Big Heat and Rancho Notorious, buy never with such ferocity).

This edition of Die Nibelungen is more than 100 minutes longer than any version previously available in the U.S. and restores Lang's masterwork to its full glory.