Fritz Lang - The Early Works (1919-1921)

Kino Classics' three DVD set Fritz Lang: The Early Works collects some of the earliest, rarest efforts from the director of such provocative classics as Metropolis (1926), M (1931) and Fury (1936). Probably the most surprising thing about the trio of restored 1919-21 German silents assembled here is that they have very little of the austere, carefully composed visual style that Lang would later be well-known for.

Truth be told, they fall along the lines of typical early silent cinema - melodramatic, stodgy, plain, sentimental. Yes, they are more slickly produced than their American counterparts (there's none of the obvious outdoor-for-indoor stagings found in most Hollywood productions of the era) but still marked by their overwhelming quaintness. For fans of Lang's work, however, the set is worth a look for the occasional glimpses of the virtuosity that was to come.





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Kino Lorber

Before he gained worldwide renown for such films as DIE NIBELUNGEN, METROPOLIS, and M, Fritz Lang crafted a series of feature films that embody many of the thematic and stylistic trademarks that would come to define his work. Virtually unseen in the United States until this release, the three films in this collection were mastered from 35mm elements preserved by the F.W. Murnau Foundation, in association with numerous international archives.

An adaptation of Madame Butterfly, the tragic romance HARAKIRI indulged Lang's fascination with Asian culture and Orientalist design. Filmed on the outskirts of Berlin, Lang strived for authenticity, and obtained sets and costumes from the Hamburg Anthropological Museum.

Rich in symbolic imagery and striking location photography, THE WANDERING SHADOW was the first collaboration of Lang and Thea von Harbou. It follows a woman who, in the wake of a sex scandal, seeks solitude in the Bavarian Alps. There, she is continually haunted by her past, but soon stumbles upon the one thing she never expected to find: the chance of redemption. Anticipating such films as DR. MABUSE: THE GAMBLER and SPIES, FOUR AROUND THE WOMAN involves a society woman who must navigate through a complex web of criminal and emotional intrigues.

O-Take-San (Lil Dagover) is a beautiful young woman pursued by an evil Buddhist monk (Georg John) who wants to make her one of his many geishas. She has an affair with the Danish officer Niels Prien (Olaf J. Anderson) who leaves her alone and pregnant. O-Take-San considers ritualistic suicide when she is abandoned in this tragic melodrama directed by Fritz Lang (Metropolis).





Director: Fritz Lang
Cast: Paul Biensfeldt, Lil Dagover, Georg John, Meinhart Maur, Rudolf Lettinger, Erner Huebsch, Kaete Juster, Niels Prien, Herta Heden, Loni Nest

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After the death of his brother Georg, John Vanderheit expects to inherit his fortune. Unfortunately, just before he died, Georg made a will in which he bequeathed his entire estate to his wife, Irmgard. Unwilling to yield to John, she escapes and undertakes a hazardous journey into the mountains where she meets a kindly hermit who offers her shelter.

John is not far behind, however, and when Imrgard repulses him he causes an avalanche in an attempt to kill her. Trapped in the hermit's shelter, she discovers a truth that will change their lives forever.





Director: Fritz Lang
Cast: Mia May, Hans Marr, Harry Frank, Rudolf Klein-Rogge, Loni Nest

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In search of an expensive present for his wife Florence, wealthy stockbroker Harry Yquem visits a shady jewel market frequented by crooks and other undesirables. Here, he sees a man whom he recognizes from a photograph in his wife's possession. Suspecting that the man, William Krafft, is his wife's lover, Yquem follows him to the hotel where he is staying.

He writes a letter in his wife's handwriting inviting Krafft to his house so that he can confront him and extract a confession. What Yquem does not know is that Krafft has a twin brother, Werner, who has just returned to town with the intention of renewing an old love affair with Florence. Another man, Meunier, knows the truth of Florence's past indiscretions and intends to exploit this for his own gain.





Director: Fritz Lang
Cast: Hermann Bottcher, Anton Edthofer, Robert Forster-Larrinaga, Harry Frank, Ludwig Hartau, Leonhard Haskel, Gottfried Huppertz, Rudolf Klein-Rogge, Hans Lipschutz, Lilli Lohrer, Paul Morgan, Edgar Pauly, Paul Rehkopf, Gerhard Ritterband, Carola Toelle, Erika Unruh, Lisa von Marton

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