Reviews (4)

BUY THE DVD SET (INCLUDES SIEGFRIED)
Kino has just released a 2 DVD set: the movie "Siegfried" and its sequel, which is entitled "Kriemhild's Revenge." (Lang made both movies together in one 18-month period, nearly 80 years before Peter Jackson repeated the trick with the recent smash hits "The Lords of the Rings," "The Two Towers," and "Return of the King," which have material similar to Lang's two-part epic.)

First, let me remove some misconceptions foisted below. No, Kriemild is NOT seeking revenge against Siegfried because he scorned her. Siegfried did not scorn her; he married her, and it's because Siegfried is murdered that Kriemhild swears to take revenge on his murderer, Trajan. At least get the plot right, would-be reviewers! (The plot is crystal-clear in the movies, but "they are blind that cannot see.")

Also, "Kriemhild's Revenge" is anything BUT boring (for a nearly 100 year old film, that is). Kriemhild's maniacal commitment to avenge her murdered husband Siegfried is breathtakingly drawn; the suspense is almost unendurable: will she get Trajan's head? and how? The movie's climax is drama of a high order, like a very elevated version of a "Law and Order" episode on steroids. You'll have to watch it yourself to see just what I mean.

Secondly, it's no use buying and watching "Kriemhild's Revenge" without seeing "Siegfried" first. The two films really form ONE story. The Kino DVD affords the opportunity to see both films, one epic called "The Nibelungen."

My one quarrel with the Kino DVD set is with the visual quality. Many scenes seem, if not exactly overexposed, then very "contrasty" and overbright, something I don't see on earlier prints, which have a more natural visual tone. Also, while the newly recorded orchestral score is good and very interesting (in "Kriemhild's Revenge," the music sometimes sounds as if Tim Burton stole it for his "Batman" film!), nevertheless other versions have a more appropriate organ score with spooky reminiscences of Wagner tunes. Oh well, never mind - get these films and savor ONE huge two-part epic classic of Germany's cinematic Golden Age!

A classic of early silent German cinema
Fritz Lang's adaptation of Richard Wagner's Rings Of The Niebelung, this episode is the sequel to the more fantastical and visually alluring "Siegfreid," but it's still a great classic silent film. The special effects aren't as dazzling as "Siegfreid," but the plot is much more compelling, as Kriemhild, a woman scorned, seeks her revenge against the carefree Siegfried. Modern viewers might find it hard to get on this film's wavelength, but I think that's largely due to the difference in cinematic vocabularies. For those willing to let go of modern notions of what an action film should be like, this Germanic fairy tale certainly has its charms. Plotwise, some harsh stuff.... and who ever expected themselves to feel sorry for Attila the Hun? (PS - the Kino version, which I saw, does have music on it.)

A very poor version
I recently bought this(elsewhere), and was disapointed to find that this current version does not contain music to go with the film. To me, a "score" in a silent film is essential to the enjoyment of the movie, whether it fits perfectly or not. I've not seen another version, but this one seems to be edited terribly. I may be wrong about this, but I've seen other Lang films from this era and they did not seem to be as choppy as this one.

Don't Expect Metropolis
This is a must-see for students of Fritz Lang, but lacks the overall entertainment that has survived seven decades in "Metropolis" and "Siegfried," Lang's other silent fantasy epics. My draw to these and later Lang films is first the imagery, and secondly the sense of suspense and paranoia Lang infused in his movies of all genres. In "Kriemhild" the most interesting shots are repeats from "Siegfried," of which this film is a sequel. There are a few large sets and a big fire scene, but in general "Kriemhild" is devoid of fantasy and spectacle, as if it had little to do with the magical world of the preceding film. As for suspense, well, since there are no interesting characters the main suspense has to do with waiting for the end of the film to come. ... Read more

Reviews (67)

Did Alfred Hitchcock have a mentor?
If he did it could have been Fritz Lang & his seminal talkie, M, made in 1931 & released in 1933. A deranged child murderer is loose in the city (played broadly & wonderfully by "newcomer," Peter Lorre).
The movie has scenes pitting citizen v. citizen, in accusations & counter accusations, near lynchings & mob hysteria. The police seem helpless & bereft of clues. Organized crimes seeks to find the murderer also. He's bad for business.
Crowd mentality is examined. It is a theme Lang returns to in later movies. His first American movie, Fury , (1936) deals with vigilantism & mob rule. This version, a poor print by the way, has English subtitles so your forced to pay attention. It was Lang's favorite film. It is a prototype, if you will, of the murder mystery genre. Kind of a precursor to Hitchcock's thrillers of the 40's & 50's.

dark; influencial; a classic
This early serial killer movie from Fritz Lang has influenced practically every other serial killer film ever made. Peter Lorre is the bug-eyed, pathetic and vaguely sympathetic child-murderer (the 'vampire of Dusseldorf') being captured and put on trial by the rough inhabitants of the town. Although this very early talkie is far slower paced then the equivalent films of today, it is intelligent and, in its day, seminal.

The transfer to DVD is excellent considering the film's age, definitely superior to the crackly version I used to own on VHS.

This serial killer film is artistic and influencial, although I preferred Fritz Lang's earlier classic sci-fi Metropolis.

Murderous Molester Meets Mob Mentality...
While watching this story unfold, I found myself on quite a rollercoaster ride of emotion. First, I hated Beckert (Peter Lorre's character) for luring innocent little girls to their hideous deaths. Beckert is scary due to his ordinariness, his gentle face and small stature. He's the opposite of what we tend to expect (even today) a child molester / killer to look like. I really wanted this guy caught! I cheered for the cops to nail this maniac at all cost. Then, I wanted the underworld types to nab him and dole out their version of justice (regardless of their selfish, criminal motives). The scenes of the crooks surrounding / hunting Beckert in a deserted office building are paranoic and intensely claustrophobic. I could feel the terror in Beckert's head. No longer the predator, he was now the prey. Once caught, he is taken to a deserted brewery and put on "trial" by the crime bosses. Beckert must plead for his life before a mob that's not all that interested in his side of the story. He delivers one of the most desperate pleas for mercy in movie history to an audience concerned only with his destruction. Just as the mob leaps at him to tear him apart, the cops arrive, becoming Beckert's (temporary) salvation. In the end, we are left with the words of one of the victims' mother. She sadly states that while Beckert may die for his crimes, this will not bring her baby back to her. Such is the great paradox of justice. Fritz Lang gives us quite a lot to think about in this legendary tale. Buy it and see what I mean...

Film as Allegory
"M", Fritz Lang's ingenious story of the hunt for a child molester, is a remarkable snapshot of civilized German society at the moment predating its collapse. The child murderer Beckert (who would later be used in Nazi propaganda films as a prototype of Jewish/sexual deviance) is presented as an enemy of motherhood and the people, and therefore all of Germany. The authorities are hapless in their investigation, causing a gathering of vigilante forces - crooks, killers, pimps, and prostitutes - who capture Beckert, and try to bring him to justic before being stopped by police. Lang's working of cinematography provokes a sense of outrage at police attempts to enforce law: there are prosecutors, defense attorneys and judges in the underground kangaroo court of the criminals, but no jury -the audience is intended to be. With lawlessness everywhere, 1931 Berlin crowds cheered approvingly of the near assasination of Beckert by the underground. The austere judges of the actual law who sentence Beckert (likely to an asylum from which he will eventually be released) are shown as overlords on high, unresponsive to the three mothers of murdered children who weep and warn, "We must all take better care of our children." Whether Lang intended it or not, taking better care of the children seemed a system entirely unlike the Weimar Republic - what would eventually become Nazism. Lang was no Facist, but this is one of the classic films heralding is birth.

an excellent film, poor print. wait until late 2004 to buy
This review is for the Criterion Collection (1st edition) of the film.

This movie is Fritz Lang's first "talkie" and an excellent film about a serial child murderer. The police are so obsessed with catching him and are everywhere. This prevents the other criminals like pickpocketers and burgalrs from doing their criminal activity so they team up and enlist the help of beggars and the "underworld" to find and apprehend the murderer.

This Criterion DVD, now temoraraily out of print, has bad picture quality but still is a good film.

Later this year the DVD will be rereleased with far better picture quality and special features which this version does not have. This edition has no special features of any kind. I will put up a new review when the new version is released. ... Read more

Reviews (67)

Did Alfred Hitchcock have a mentor?
If he did it could have been Fritz Lang & his seminal talkie, M, made in 1931 & released in 1933. A deranged child murderer is loose in the city (played broadly & wonderfully by "newcomer," Peter Lorre).
The movie has scenes pitting citizen v. citizen, in accusations & counter accusations, near lynchings & mob hysteria. The police seem helpless & bereft of clues. Organized crimes seeks to find the murderer also. He's bad for business.
Crowd mentality is examined. It is a theme Lang returns to in later movies. His first American movie, Fury , (1936) deals with vigilantism & mob rule. This version, a poor print by the way, has English subtitles so your forced to pay attention. It was Lang's favorite film. It is a prototype, if you will, of the murder mystery genre. Kind of a precursor to Hitchcock's thrillers of the 40's & 50's.

dark; influencial; a classic
This early serial killer movie from Fritz Lang has influenced practically every other serial killer film ever made. Peter Lorre is the bug-eyed, pathetic and vaguely sympathetic child-murderer (the 'vampire of Dusseldorf') being captured and put on trial by the rough inhabitants of the town. Although this very early talkie is far slower paced then the equivalent films of today, it is intelligent and, in its day, seminal.

The transfer to DVD is excellent considering the film's age, definitely superior to the crackly version I used to own on VHS.

This serial killer film is artistic and influencial, although I preferred Fritz Lang's earlier classic sci-fi Metropolis.

Murderous Molester Meets Mob Mentality...
While watching this story unfold, I found myself on quite a rollercoaster ride of emotion. First, I hated Beckert (Peter Lorre's character) for luring innocent little girls to their hideous deaths. Beckert is scary due to his ordinariness, his gentle face and small stature. He's the opposite of what we tend to expect (even today) a child molester / killer to look like. I really wanted this guy caught! I cheered for the cops to nail this maniac at all cost. Then, I wanted the underworld types to nab him and dole out their version of justice (regardless of their selfish, criminal motives). The scenes of the crooks surrounding / hunting Beckert in a deserted office building are paranoic and intensely claustrophobic. I could feel the terror in Beckert's head. No longer the predator, he was now the prey. Once caught, he is taken to a deserted brewery and put on "trial" by the crime bosses. Beckert must plead for his life before a mob that's not all that interested in his side of the story. He delivers one of the most desperate pleas for mercy in movie history to an audience concerned only with his destruction. Just as the mob leaps at him to tear him apart, the cops arrive, becoming Beckert's (temporary) salvation. In the end, we are left with the words of one of the victims' mother. She sadly states that while Beckert may die for his crimes, this will not bring her baby back to her. Such is the great paradox of justice. Fritz Lang gives us quite a lot to think about in this legendary tale. Buy it and see what I mean...

Film as Allegory
"M", Fritz Lang's ingenious story of the hunt for a child molester, is a remarkable snapshot of civilized German society at the moment predating its collapse. The child murderer Beckert (who would later be used in Nazi propaganda films as a prototype of Jewish/sexual deviance) is presented as an enemy of motherhood and the people, and therefore all of Germany. The authorities are hapless in their investigation, causing a gathering of vigilante forces - crooks, killers, pimps, and prostitutes - who capture Beckert, and try to bring him to justic before being stopped by police. Lang's working of cinematography provokes a sense of outrage at police attempts to enforce law: there are prosecutors, defense attorneys and judges in the underground kangaroo court of the criminals, but no jury -the audience is intended to be. With lawlessness everywhere, 1931 Berlin crowds cheered approvingly of the near assasination of Beckert by the underground. The austere judges of the actual law who sentence Beckert (likely to an asylum from which he will eventually be released) are shown as overlords on high, unresponsive to the three mothers of murdered children who weep and warn, "We must all take better care of our children." Whether Lang intended it or not, taking better care of the children seemed a system entirely unlike the Weimar Republic - what would eventually become Nazism. Lang was no Facist, but this is one of the classic films heralding is birth.

an excellent film, poor print. wait until late 2004 to buy
This review is for the Criterion Collection (1st edition) of the film.

This movie is Fritz Lang's first "talkie" and an excellent film about a serial child murderer. The police are so obsessed with catching him and are everywhere. This prevents the other criminals like pickpocketers and burgalrs from doing their criminal activity so they team up and enlist the help of beggars and the "underworld" to find and apprehend the murderer.

This Criterion DVD, now temoraraily out of print, has bad picture quality but still is a good film.

Later this year the DVD will be rereleased with far better picture quality and special features which this version does not have. This edition has no special features of any kind. I will put up a new review when the new version is released. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Western Union is nominally one of those epic celebrations of great pioneer achievements, and its official heroes are an Eastern-bred, Harvard-trained engineer named Blake (Robert Young) and a visionary named Creighton (Dean Jagger), who dreams of a transcontinental telegraph system to unite a divided nation in the first year of the Civil War. But the film really belongs to Randolph Scott's Vance Shaw, a reformed outlaw trying to make good as a member of the team stringing "the singing wire" across the plains. His past--which Creighton knows something of--keeps reaching out for him, so that the brightly colored fable of westward progress is almost eclipsed by the darker, personal drama of embattled character and divided loyalties.

Although this theme faintly recalls director Fritz Lang's towering 1937 fable of injustice, You Only Live Once, we shouldn't make too much of the affinity. Western Union was merely a studio assignment, and Lang--a passionate explorer and student of the American West--mostly concentrated on serving up lashings of period detail and atmosphere and devising spectacular set pieces. The latter include a mini-götterdämmerung of a forest fire, two strikingly composed encounters with Indians, and a climactic barbershop shootout that's studded with Lang "touches." The scenery is magnificent (albeit a mite mountainous for Nebraska!), the Technicolor blazes as Technicolor should, and the costuming and art direction are so evocative that the German émigr&eacute proudly received a commendation from an old timers' association praising the accuracy of his frontier re-creation. --Richard T. Jameson ... Read more

Amazon.com essential video

There's a satisfying sense of closure to the definitive noir kick achieved in The Big Heat: its director, Fritz Lang, had forged early links from German expressionism to the emergence of film noir, so it's entirely logical that the expatriate director would help codify the genre with this brutal 1953 film. Visually, his scenes exemplify the bold contrasts, deep shadows, and heightened compositions that define the look of noir, and he matches that success with the darkly pessimistic themes of this revenge melodrama.

The story coheres around the suicide of a crooked cop, and the subsequent struggle of an honest detective, Dave Bannion (Glenn Ford), to navigate between a corrupt city government and a ruthless mobster to uncover the truth. Initially, the violence here seems almost timid by comparison to the more explicit carnage now commonplace in films, yet the story accelerates as its plot arcs toward Bannion's showdown with kingpin Lagana (Alexander Scourby) and his psychotic henchman, the sadistic Vince Stone, given an indelible nastiness by Lee Marvin. When Bannion's wife is killed by a car bomb intended for the detective, both the hero and the story go ballistic: suspended from the force, he embarks on a crusade of revenge that suggests a template for Charles Bronson's Death Wish films, each step pushing Lagana and Stone toward a showdown. Bodies drop, dominoes tumbled by the escalating war between the obsessed Bannion and his increasingly vicious adversaries.

Lang's disciplined visual design and the performances (especially those of Ford, Marvin, Jeanette Nolan as the dead cop's scheming widow, and Gloria Grahame as Marvin's girlfriend) enable the film to transcend formula, as do several memorable action scenes--when an enraged Marvin hurls scalding coffee at the feisty Debby (Grahame), we're both shattered by the violence of his attack, and aware that he's shifted the balance of power. --Sam Sutherland ... Read more

Reviews (22)

The Most Powerful Crime Movie Ever Made
In spite of the low profile it got at its initial release in the 50's, in spite of the modest budget and production value, THE BIG HEAT, with his already highly acclaimed M, is Fritz Lang's greatest film, and one of the highest achievement of cinema. The stunning opening sequence, depicting a police officer's suicide and its aftermath, is a great example of efficiency cinematic narrative, so are the 85 minutes that follow. Lang fills this film with powerful shots and speedy editing, never afraid to show heightened violence when the story needs to. Many heated action sequences are handled with impressive masterly. Unlike in the movies in which Lang used famous Hollywood star (and the majority of them could not cope with the severeness of his direction), Glenn Ford and Gloria Grahame show powerful, convincing performances fused with emotion. Also featured are Lee Marvin and Janet Nolan, as the "bad guys" and are equally great. But what makes THE BIG HEAT such a great film is the fact that it is a profoundly humanist and moral film. As many of Lang's American films does, THE BIG HEAT depicts the corruption of the modern society. In fact, he never been as good as this in showing the system of how our society functions: a newspaper headline, or even a telephone call may be more powerful than guns and bullets, punches and tortures. The sophisticated syndicate functions not with violence, but with the information of violence. At the same time, Lang chose the protagonist of the film to be a truly good human being, not a perfect super hero, but a cop who is convinced to do an honest job, and ready to fight for this cause in spite of all the corruptions that surround him. At one point of the story, he is almost convinced that he is set alone against the entire world which is corrupted. He comes very close to be obsessed by hatred towards other men. But then he finds out that he can believe in people, that in spite of the harsh reality of the world which obliges them to lie, to play D-and-D, to be corrupted to save their own neck and wealthy life, in most people there are also a desire to be a good human being. THE BIG HEAT marks the almost only occasion that Lang, the master of pessimistic visions of 20th century, is himself not at all a pessimist, but a believer in human kind.

If you like detective mysteries ,you'll love "The Big Heat"
Columbia Pictures under the Direction of Fritz Lang produced a great Good Cop with a Hero Image Against the Rotten Corrupt World of a 1953 City. Thats Hollywood stile film making.

Glenn Ford portrays the only honest hardnose City Police Detective who sacrifices everything to maintain his morale integrity.

He investigates what seems to be a routine policemans suicide but uncovers a complex corruption ring which includes, gangsters, politicians and his own police precinct. Quickly finds himself on the outside with everyone trying to squash his investigation, life threatened he begins to battle the odds alone.

This 1953 Black & White Standard Format (Full Screen) is beautifully digitally transferred. The picture & sound quality is awesome. A great story, an outstanding cast with Glenn Ford as the hero Detective, Lee Marvin as a Gangster Stooge and a delightful Gloria Grahame as his girlfriend.

This is a must see movie for Sam Spade & Phillip Marlowe admirers.

Special features include only an original theatrical trailer.

Enjoy.

"I could go through life sideways."
The Big Heat is similar to some of Fritz Lang's German films, like M and the Doctor Mabuse series. It links crime and politics (or, more accurately, criminals and a politicians), and shows the future as concentration camp, where even those who imagine themselves on the outside of the barbed wire are trapped inside.

But is Lang retelling the story of what happened in Germany, or is he warning his adopted country what could happen if people didn't challenge authority (here the police department, including the commissioner) that had been corrupted by a criminal leader? Maybe both.

The Big Heat is violent even compared to today's films and more believable than most. However one thing that jars today is the effeminacy of the crime boss, Mike Lagana, used as shorthand to show his corruption.

We first see Lagana in bed in silk pajamas with his bodyguard (in his robe) standing over Lagana, handing him the phone, lighting his cigarette. When Dave Bannion (Glenn Ford), the homicide detective who won't follow orders and leave Lagana alone, barges into Lagana's mansion to confront him about a cop's suicide, Lagana is under a huge portrait of his dead mother ("We lived together in this house"). Even from beyond the grave you can feel the mother's unhealthy influence on her son. Lagana mentions his daughter but never his wife.

For the most part you can tell the criminals from the decent people because the criminals dress better. Gloria Grahame's Debby Marsh, girlfriend of the vicious killer Vince Stone (Lee Marvin), tells the blackmailing wife of a policeman who was on the take, "We're sisters under the mink."

Debby and the cop's wife are just one pair of doubles in the movie. There's also Debby and Katie, Dave Bannion's wife. (Katie playfully suggests Dave tell his friends she's an heiress. Later, trying to explain why she's with Vince, Debby asks Bannion, "You think I was born an heiress?") Another set of doubles is Lagana's gang and the group of veterans Bannion's brother-in-law gets to protect Bannion's little girl. One vet (described as a poet by one of his friends) shows Bannion his gun and says anyone who comes through the door for the girl is dead. The poet transformed by war (definitely a non-WASP) says he's seen things you can only see from a tank, and starts to say he was one of the first into - - What? Auschwitz? Vince and the hoods playing poker in his penthouse enjoy violence for its own sake. The vets will only use violence if necessary to protect the innocent. But the vets are playing poker too, and seem to relish the prospect of taking revenge on Bannion's enemies, who haven't done anything to them. Between good and evil there are differences but also similarities.

Bannion goes to Victory auto repair, looking for a "mechanic," an explosives expert. The owner says he can't help ("I got a wife and kids, too") but a crippled woman who works as a secretary tells Bannion what he needs to know. Bannion stands outside the auto yard, talking through the fence. Inside the compound the limping woman is just another of the unfit, the "life undeserving of life" tortured and exterminated in other camps, and in camps that exist today.

When Bannion tells the crooked cop's wife, "The city's being strangled by a gang of thieves," she smiles and says, "The coming years are going to be just fine." Just the way things looked in the thirties if you weren't one of those inside the camps.

"Thief" is the strongest epithet Bannion uses. Not "killer" or "murderer." The criminals and the politicians who go along with them are stealing his city. Though people don't like hearing what Bannion has to say, they're lucky he won't quit fighting the murderers among us.

Over-rated. Over-the-top. Cliched.
I can't believe anyone would rate this movie highly. The plot is predictable from the start. The writing is cliched to the max. At times I found myself saying, "they'd never do that, or say that." Fritz Lang's overuse of melodrama was irritating. The performances by the actors were uneven.

In my mind, the Maltese Falcon, The Third Man, and Touch of Evil are the standards against which any other noir film should be measured. More recently Memento and Croupier are symbols of great film making in this genre. The story here falls way short of those benchmarks. (I'll spare you a rehash. Read the other reviews.) Glen Ford and Lee Marvin offer some good moments, but when they are bad, they stink the joint out. Same with the rest of the cast.

Unless you enjoy bad films because they are really bad, don't waste your money. Go buy the Touch of Evil, or the others I mentioned, if you want noir that grabs you and pulls you in.

sets the awesome tone
This film set the tone for dozens who tried to imitate; be it Clint Eastwood, Steven Segal, et al. The timing, the sparse and direct dialogue, the brutality and violence (some off camera) are what will rivet you to the screen. Watch this to find out how all the others learned their trade. ... Read more

Reviews (139)

A new perspective on the release debate..
Metropolis is a brilliant piece of work. I'll say this up front to get it out of the way: I haven't seen the DVD, but I understand the arguments; I have a slightly different opinion. Most people absolutely adore the Moroder release of Metropolis, with the tinted scenes and the modern (for the 80's) soundtrack... but I personally found it atrocious. The quality was great, don't get me wrong.. but when I think of the imagery in this film, I don't think of Bonnie Tyler and Queen. I do, however, admire the effort. I definitely agree with putting modern scores with silent films, this one just didn't work for me.

That said, I've noticed a lot of people dissatisfied with the music on several releases.. I'm a bit of a fan of the silent films.. I have yet to see one with a decent soundtrack. If I see one more 'Nosferatu' with a blaring organ score I swear I'll vomit; and don't even get me started on the 1990 version of Phantom of the Opera with score by Rick Wakeman. But I am a big fan of the films, so this is how I've managed to get past the horrible music without watching them silently. Find a CD that reflects the ideas and atmosphere you feel to be present in Metropolis, and let it play while you watch the film.

I have one of the many 115-minute versions, and the image quality is a bit rough, but that doesn't really bother me.. I've always seen Metropolis as an Industrial film anyway. The rough quality just adds to it for me (granted, I have seen versions of this too rough to watch). For that reason, I chose Nine Inch Nails' "The Fragile" as the score for Metropolis.. it works very well with my release.. some memorable moments (if you try this, you may not get these exact moments with the different releases) are the "Moloch" scene when Freder sees the machine explode .. the workers gather their injured and dead as Trent Reznor screams the lyrics "Now you know - this is what it feels like" - and the first scene between Freder and Maria .. Freder kneeling at her feet, in a sort of rapture.. while Trent sings "I will take my place in the great below" .. that song (and the first disc of "The Fragile") ends as Freder kisses Maria's hand and walks away.. But I won't give away all the quirks. Anyway, that's the score that works for me.. both discs of the Fragile and the first two tracks of "Further Down The Spiral" at the end, since The Fragile isn't quite 115 minutes long.

But anyway, having said all that, if you saw Metropolis and didn't like it because of the quality or soundtrack or just because it was boring, try again, and make your own score. Most people who think they don't like silent films simply don't like the music, or the silence. This is understandable.. in silent films the score is 75% of the atmosphere. Use music that you know, that you like.. music that will set the mood for horror if you're watching "Phantom" or "Nosferatu," or for Industrial SciFi if you're watching "Metropolis." I think you'll get a lot more out of the genre that way.

Film History. A masterpiece of cinema.
Metropolis is a landmark of all the films produced in history. Not only is the silent film entertaining, it provides an insight on prejudice and the division of different societies. Just think, this bias was still going on in the movie, set way after Martin Luther King passed away. Parts of the film may be disturbing, since it is very realistic, and could occur in the earth's later years.
However, there are many different versions released on this film. I have also heard that the Madacy DVD is terrible. True, the movie is over 75 years old, but Madacy spends so little time in putting a convenient quality transfer to their products. The tinted version by Morodor is supposed to be superior to the Madacy AND Allied Artists Releases. I own two VHS versions, and will not risk hunting for a good quality DVD. One version is a clean, sensational print, and this is Kino Video. BUY THIS VERSION AT ALL COSTS! Title cards were even inserted into the missing scenes to tell what is happening. The other VHS version is-- well, it could use some shaping up. This version is by Timeless Video Classics, and is much shorter than the Kino release. The quality is mediocre, and the print is very dirty and washed out in many areas. There are also several master tape dropouts. The title of the film reads "METROPOLI". All the other copies released besides the Kino version probably contain this shabby print.
To appreciate Metropolis and it's action in full glory, buy the Kino video or, better yet, the DVD. Since this is an excellent movie to be watched by critics and moviegoers alike, get the very BEST movie version on the market, and enjoy!

A Great film,BEWARE OF PUBLIC DOMAIN VERSIONS!
"Metropolis",Fritz Lang's 1927 silent masterpiece,is one of the most important films ever made and also a great one! But over the years,this film has been reedited,recut,and shortened which ruins the exact vision of an extrordinary filmmaker.Since its stay on the Public Domain shelf,the prints and image quality have over the years been poor.I DO NOT recommend the following versions:1.the Goodtimes Video release has poor image quality and even worse,NO MUSICAL SCORE! 2.The now-notorious Madacy DVD, which is about 5 times as worse as the Goodtimes video release,contains horrible,blurry image quality,freeze-frame opening titles,and an annoying musical score! Just recently,TCM (Turner Classic Movies) has broadcast the brand-new,beautifully restored 2002 restoration of "Metropolis" which I taped off of and trust me,it's well worth it! Buy the Kino restored version on either VHS or DVD,but DO NOT buy the horrible Public Domain versions which can definitely rip you off! A Terrific film and thanks to Kino for making this restored version a definite must-see! I also recommend the 1984 rerelease by Giorgio Moroder (which is now unfortunately out-of-print)and buy the soundtrack to go with it!

Historical Masterpiece, Terrible DVD
I never saw Metropolis except for small sections referenced by other films. It always appealed to me and I finally took a risk buying this used for cheap. Even at an inexpensive price I'd strongly advise to skip this version.

As others have noted the trasfer is terrible, the music is good but sound quality is terrible too. Having watched this version of Metropolis I was able to get some kind of plot out of it and even with the poor film transfer the imagry is at times stunning.

Here's my advice; if you just have to see Metropolis and do not want to pay the substantially high price of the Kino version buy this copy, but understand...and please take my word on this as I'm one of the people that made a similar decision, know that you are getting poor quality all around.

Whether this will ruin the film's experience for you has more to do with your aesthetics. Metropolis has major historical importance and watching it I could see where other favorite dystopian films liberally borrowed ideas. In the end it was acceptable for the price I paid. I would not buy this new and would cough up the extra money and get the Kino version if buying it new. I will be purchasing the latest DVD eventually just to be able to enjoy the superior quality.

5 stars for the film being wonderful 0 stars for the quality. The average would be 2.5 and although it's a great film Metropolis is gutted by this poor DVD. When reading reviews it is easy to take it personal, that a poor review of the DVD (a product) in some way says something negative towards the film on it. In this review the quality of the film is the only reason more than one star was given.

My last parting shot...
The reason I even bothered with the Mandacy product was because so many negative reviews on Amazon have been baseless or inane one line insults I have become numb to them. Take it from a usually easy to please reviewer. Stay away from this DVD.

GREAT Movie - Poor DVD!
METROPOLIS is in simple words a classic long in the making, and probably a major inspiration for George Lucas' STAR WARS films, and many other major science-fiction films to be decades later from its' initial release in 1926. Film also works as a major triumph of human relations with the idea of slavery workers, and rebelling against greater authority. Plus what can go wrong when power falls into the wrong hands. Rudolf Klein-Rogge's Rotwang is an unforgettable character, and the creation of the robot scene is still an eye-filler even long before CG effects technology some 60 years later.

The DVD quality is poor however, as the color contrast is lacking from the color contrast from the original negatives seen on VHS releases. The trivia sections are nice, but what is missing is an audio commentary, or any existence history of the making of the film which should prove very interesting. I'm sure it won't be long before such a version comes to be.

TRIVIA: Brigitte Helm was one of James Whale's choices to play the Monster's Mate in BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN before Elsa Lanchester got the part. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Fritz Lang invited Bertolt Brecht to Hollywood to write the screenplay of this 1943 propaganda film, based on the events surrounding the assassination of Richard Heydrich, the despised chief of the Nazi occupying forces in Prague. Brecht and Lang's partnership ended bitterly when Lang was forced to cut over half of Brecht's lengthy treatment, and Brecht himself was cheated of his screenplay credit by cowriter John Wexley (the credits now attribute the original story to Lang and "Bert Brecht"). But seen today, the film is much better than its reputation suggests. The structure--the Nazis' search for the assassin, a doctor played by Brian Donlevy--suggests Lang's 1930 film M in reverse, with the gangsters transformed into the police, the honest citizens turned into criminals, and the persecuted murderer become a hero of the Resistance. Walter Brennan, as a university professor taken as a Nazi hostage, delivers some surprisingly effective patriotic speeches that clearly bear Brecht's signature; Lang's hand is more than visible in the stark, modern compositions and the perversely sympathetic villain, a traitorous beer brewer played by Gene Lockhart. --Dave Kehr ... Read more

Reviews (5)

Good Lang, but a mixed bag.
Restorations of a number of great German Lang films have recently been released on DVD (Metropolis, Niebelungen, Mabuse). Given the enormous stature of these early works, one is tempted to search carefully through his numerous Hollywood projects to find the forgotten classic even more accessible to the modern viewer. The idea of a collaboration with Bertolt Brecht would seem to hold considerable promise at capturing the best from two masters of Weimar expressionism.
There is a lot of good stuff going for "Hangmen", with its dark, shadowy vision and rapidly evolving storyline. However, the plot is plagued by war-era propoganda, which only weakens what should already be the compellingly tense situation of the Nazi occupation of Prague. Such sentimentallity is, of course, understandable, and was easily overcome by at least a few other contemporary Hollywood pictures.
Unfortunately, this film was consigned grade-B status by the studio, and it is the lack of acting talent (save a very effective job by Walter Brennan) that really hobbles the film. It is a bit disconcerting when the actors playing the Nazis exhibit much more personality than the wooden faced Czechs who we're supposed to be rooting for.
Not bad, there is so much interesting stuff that it deserves a viewing. But it's no masterpiece.

Rare, Exceptionally Fine Film
This 1943 "war" film is both rare & exceptionally fine because, aside from its obviously high production quality & performances, (1) it gives a likely unique view of the breath of Walter Brennan's talents. Here he handles a Dramatic role to great credit, the only one I have seen in my years of numerous "old movies."
Also, (2) the film demonstrates, as few others do as well, the pain & struggles endured in occupied countries by anti-Nazi patriots, trying to resist & to survive to fight again.

Lang and Brecht's film on the assassination of Heydrich
The Czech government-in-exile helped director Fritz Lang and his co-author Bertolt Brecht create a story dealing with the assassination of Reinhard "The Hangman" Heydrich, the Reich Protector (i.e., military governor) of Bohemia and Moravia, and the persecution of those Czechoslovakians who were accused of participating in the attack. In reality, no one at the time knew what had happened to the Czech patriot who pumped three bullets into Heydrich on May 27, 1942. Brian Donlevy plays the assassin, Dr. Franticek Svoboda. The name is significant because "Svoboda" means Freedom in the Czech language. Hans Heinrich von Twardowski plays Heydrich and Walter Brennan has an interesting role as Stephan Novotny, a college professor help hostage by the Nazis. Once you get past the heavy-handed propaganda value of the story, Lang's craftsmanship stands out in this film. Besides coming up with an account of the assassination, the film deals with both the activites of the Czech Reistance fighters and the efforts of the Gestapo to catch the assassin while engaging in their brutal occupation of the country. On balance, an above average World War II melodrama, due more to Lang's direction than Donlevy's uneven performance.

Better than I thought it would be
Usually dismissed as propaganda this Fritz Lang epic actually one of the most ambitious films he ever made. Throughout the film there are nods to his german masterpieces M and METROPOLIS as if Lang had intended it to join this illustrious company. Unfortunately, Brian Donlevy couldn't act his way out of a wet paper bag with scissors in his hands, in fact all the heroic Czechs give fairly awful performances mistaking shouting for fervent patriotism. When sharing a screen with Granach and Schunzel (as the gestapo) the difference in ability is more than noticable.

The film starts with a wonderful sequence with Hans Von Twardovski as Heydrich (I know Heydrich was supposed to be camp, but not that camp!) Unfortunately Lang decided to concentrate on the wooden-as-baseball-bat Czechs rather than possibly the most evil man of the 20th Century and his fascinating rise to, and abuse of power.

Dennis "king of the B movie" O'keefe is always welcome in a film noir, as is the amusing cameo from Lionel Stander. You can tell that Lang intended this to be an unconventional propaganda movie, treating the plot as if it were a chessboard scenario, however this also means that it suffers in comparison with contemporary WW2 without the exhilarating climax of EDGE OF DARKNESS or the power of the long forgotten Andre Detoth's NONE SHALL ESCAPE (hint, Kino). Despite many impressive sequences the whole thing seems a bit lumpen and unwieldy and if I hear that patiotic song sung by the Czech hostages again I think I'll scream as if I'd been selected for execution.

The Complexities of Politics
HANGMEN ALSO DIE is probably most infamous as the film for which Bertolt Brecht did *not* receive screenplay credit. In a more than usually petty bout of Hollywood parochialism, the credit was given to his American collaborator (who shall remain nameless here), despite the testimony of director Fritz Lang that Brecht was responsible for every important aspect of the script. Imagine Elizabeth I's chamberlain saying, "Who is this Shakespeare guy, anyway? Let's say Court Favorite wrote it. He can use the credit." and you'll get a sense of the idiocy of this decision. (Lotte Eisner's FRITZ LANG describes these events with effective concision.)

It is not to deny the tremendous contributions of Lang, cinematographer James Wong Howe and a troupe of first rate character actors to suggest that everything that distinguishes HANGMEN results from Brecht's participation. In lesser hands, the events surrounding the assassination of Heydrich might make an entertaining political melodrama. The formula of stalwart, virtuous victims triumphing over a brutal tyranny rarely fails, particularly with American audiences, eager to re-affirm the democratic mythos repeatedly and uncritically.

Such a film might make more effective propaganda, something like Warner Bros.'s CONFESSIONS OF A NAZI SPY. As such, it wouldn't warrant much more than a footnote in Hollywood history. Brecht's contribution comes from his unequaled sense of the contradictions and ironies of history and power. A victim of persecution from both the Nazis and the House Un-American Activities Committee, he had the political sophistication not to make the Germans and their collaborators in this film larger-than-life Evils, but obviously human creatures with more than a shade of appeal.

The Czechs, on the other hand, are not so much virtuous as wooden and bloodless. Their numerous, long speeches about freedom and humanity are unconvincing and platitudinous. There is, in true Brechtian fashion, no effort to make us "identify" with them, to give us goose bumps of sympathy with the high ideals. Quite the contrary, the film unflinchingly faces the partisans' complicity in the bloody events resulting from the assassination. Events unwind with clockwork precision, deadlier and darker with each step as *both* sides demand ever greater sacrifice from ordinary people.

Precisely because it does not shy away from the complexities of the situation, HANGMEN makes a much stronger statement in favor of political responsibility than a simple melodrama could. For the Germans can be somewhat sympathetic and the Czechs unappealing, and the latter can *still* be seen as ultimately right. Such a level of sophistication is rare in film of any kind. That it comes from Hollywood must be attributed to the presence of an unusually gifted set of émigré talent worthy of the theme. If HANGMEN ALSO DIE is not for everyone, it is definitely for anyone who responds to those rare instancs when a film treats us as intelligent adults. ... Read more

Reviews (17)

It takes a Village.
Greenwich Village, that is, which we learn was home to "hop-heads" and "long-hairs" in 1945 (!) Fritz Lang's masterpiece tells the story of a middle-aged bank clerk (Edward G. Robinson, dependably brilliant) who escapes the dreariness of his job and his marriage to a harpy by spending his Sundays indulging his only hobby: painting. His life gets considerably more exciting when he runs across Joan Bennett, a con-artist and tramp who -- with the help of her pimp, the always-amusing Dan Duryea -- proceeds to slowly drain his financial wherewithal. Of course, the greatest irony is that Robinson has conned the con-artists: they think he's a wealthy artist because, in his attempt to impress Bennett, he neglected to mention that he's a just a lowly bank cashier. The movie shows us a dizzying amount of untruths, scams, cons, misperceptions . . . nothing is what it seems. Truth is relative, baby. While Lang has a lot of fun with all the illusions, he also dedicates himself to the principle that no good -- or bad -- deed goes unpunished, and that great noir principle, the inescapability from Fate, starts weighing more and more heavily on our characters as they perambulate through their sundry fictions and cons. -- For the sake of historical interest, it should be noted that *Scarlet Street* is an American remake of Jean Renoir's excellent *La Chienne*. (This story was based on a French novel; hence the concern with painting. Needless to say, the story migrated easily to Greenwich Village during the budding of the beatnik movement.) Renoir, in his film, spends a considerable amount of time building up the characterizations -- at the expense of the plot, to some degree. Lang, however, correctly understood that these characters are not as inherently interesting as the situation itself, with its myriad variations on the theme of Reality and (or versus) Illusion. As a result, Lang's movie is rather more suspenseful than Renoir's. Also of note: *Scarlet Street* is a follow-up of sorts to Lang's previous movie, *The Woman in the Window*, which featured the same cast (Robinson, Bennett, and Duryea)! It's a masterpiece, too. [A special word of congratulations must go to "Alpha Video": Congratulations on crafting the ugliest-looking and poorest-sounding DVD I have ever seen or heard. It's a great thing, when masterpieces in the Public Domain can be snatched up by any unscrupulous producer. Simply burn an old magnetic-tape version onto a digital disc, press a few thousand copies, and voila! -- Instant profit. Bravo!]

IRONIC FILM NOIR
Fritz Lang directed this American version of Renoir's LA CHIENNE; in the American setting it's a sordid, lowlife melodrama about illicit love, and it never takes root - it's one of Lang's best American movies. This film was originally banned in New York State - that is, denied a license - as "immoral, indecent, corrupt, and tending to incite crime" - a judgement which seemed off the wall even in 1946! Eddie Robinson is a frustrated, grey - haired cashier married to a nag (Rosalind Ivan); his only pleasure is in painting on Sundays. He falls for a tart (Joan Bennett) and sets her up in a Greenwich Village apartment, on stolen money. Bennett happens to be in love with a low-life lout (Dan Duryea), who beats her...........The script, by Dudley Nichols, is rather heavy-handed, and Lang's emphatic style pounds home the ironies and the murder-plot devices. Robinson's paintings were actually done by John Decker. There is a unique twist in this lurid little thriller; it was the first film to show the culprit unpunished for his crime (although he shows remorse).

The sin hurts much more in the memory than in the flesh!
Robinson is a person without collective importance ; a looser , a henpecked man . He has only a hobby: painting . In that world he gives wings to his fantasy , and those dreams become his identity signal . The unhappiness and the loneliness are his real beloved friends . Suddenly this fantasy world will open widely when his alter ego is pulled into world of crime by Joan Bennet and his manipulative boyfriend Duyrea. He falls in love with Joan very soon he'll discover a shock revelation: the first husband of his wife is still alive , so he thinks at last the happiness knocked the door of his destiny but ...
Only the fertile imagination of Fritz Lang could give this melodramatic plot a touch of genius . Once more , we should remember that Lang was one of the greatest directors in the cinema story . Since he left Germany after finnishing The testament of Dr. Mabuse ; he decided to work in United States and he'll find out in the film noir the perfect vehicle to express the dark shadows and the haunting ghosts that will appear unavoidable in the mind .
And being Lang one of the most remarkable sons of the german expressionism , to face that challenge was perfectly adequate to his skills and abilities .
If you're a hard fan of the film noir ; you find in this genre that the hell is in your mind , the guilty has no ending and nobody deserves a bit of trust . The love , under these circunstances is unable of growing up and the road for the weakness , the evilness and the cruelty are clear to shine .
In my personal selection of unforgettable Lang's films' american stage, I find several that form part of the top list : Fury , You only live once ; The Woman in the window , Big heat and Clash by night.
So don't doubt even a second about this film . It deserves an important place in your private selection.

A worthy Fritz Lang film all round
This review refers to the Alpha Video (Gotham) DVD.

Overall Quality of DVD: *** /**** Sound: ** /**** Plot: ***1/2 /**** Acting: ***1/2 /**** Cinematography: ***1/2 /**** Direction: ***1/2 /****

The first time I watched this film the whole effect did not set in until a few days later and it began tugging at me in the back of my mind (as do a lot of Fritz Lang films, at least, for me). There is much more to this film than a simple "film noir" although it is noir indeed.

You start to sympathize with Christopher Cross (Edward G. Robinson) because he is a true artist - he thinks of the world philosophically and poetically (as many artist do). To create art you must almost make yourself oblivious to the everyday machinations of the world, almost to the point of innocence, and Edward G. Robinson's character portrays the artist in this exact manner.

All he wants to do is paint but all his life he has been told what a failure he is and so he is nearly ashamed of his art and hides it from people but like any true artist he can not stop his love of art and so he hides in the bathroom like a prisoner to paint in solitude.

I love the scene where he finally shows one of his paintings of a flower that Joan Bennett gave him to an acquaintance who looks at the painting in total surprise and asks "Where did you find a flower such as this?" and Edward G. Robinson points to the flower in the glass sitting upon the bathroom sink and the acquaintance looks at him dumbfounded, points to the painting and asks "THIS? is what you see when you look at that?" - Edward G. Robinson nods and gives him a look that seems to say "You mean, you don't see it this way?" - it's a PERFECT scene expressing the inner feelings of an artist (any kind of artist).

Joan Bennett plays the scheming femme-fatale to perfection and you hate her guts. Dan Duryea also encourages Joan Bennett's character well as a two-bit thief who really needs, and deserves, to have his head kicked in.

Whoever did the actual paintings for this film did a great job as they are very surrealistic, modern-art and quite representative of Christopher Cross's psychic innerself.

If you're expecting the quality of a Criterion Collection DVD you will be disappointed, but if you have patience you will enjoy this top-notch film by a great director.

"They'll be masterpieces."
In "Scarlet Street" mild-mannered bank cashier Chris Cross (Edward G Robinson) dreams of being a great painter one day. His nagging wife ridicules his hobby and constantly humiliates him. Then one day Chris meets a young woman named Kitty (Joan Bennett). He thinks she's being mugged, but she's really a 'working girl' squabbling with her slimy boyfriend, Johnny (Dan Duryea). Chris and Kitty strike up a conversation, and soon Kitty and Johnny are ready to use Chris for whatever money they can get out of him.

Chris seems to be just too nice for his own good. He's a reliable, largely underappreciated employee who plugs away daily at his desk. But painting is one thing he's passionate about, and it saves him from the sheer boredom of mediocrity. He's a rather unhappy character--first his impossible wife is kicking him around, and it doesn't take long for Kitty to sink her materialistic little hooks into Chris too. As events take place within the film, the strength and weaknesses of Chris Cross are explored. Will he exploit opportunities or is he destined to always be a slave to his character flaws? Many marvelous little touches raise this film above the average and make it memorable. I'd never heard of this film until recently when I came across the title in a book about film noir. As a fan of director, Fritz Lang's films, I sought out this film. The plot is extremely clever--full of unpredictable twists and turns. Kitty deceives Chris, but he is guilty of his own sort of deception.

The DVD quality is not great, but I am not downgrading the film for that. The DVD is produced by Alpha video at a very reasonable price. The film is not re-mastered at all, and there are no extra features. At some points during the film, a thin vertical line was visible, and the sound quality varied (seems to get louder), plus there were some crackles. The black and white picture is grainy at times. All of these defects, however, did not interfere with my ability to watch and enjoy the film. It's about the same quality as a television version of the film. If you enjoyed "Woman in the Window" (a much more famous Fritz Lang/Edgar G Robinson/Joan Bennett film) you should enjoy this one too--displacedhuman ... Read more

Reviews (17)

It takes a Village.
Greenwich Village, that is, which we learn was home to "hop-heads" and "long-hairs" in 1945 (!) Fritz Lang's masterpiece tells the story of a middle-aged bank clerk (Edward G. Robinson, dependably brilliant) who escapes the dreariness of his job and his marriage to a harpy by spending his Sundays indulging his only hobby: painting. His life gets considerably more exciting when he runs across Joan Bennett, a con-artist and tramp who -- with the help of her pimp, the always-amusing Dan Duryea -- proceeds to slowly drain his financial wherewithal. Of course, the greatest irony is that Robinson has conned the con-artists: they think he's a wealthy artist because, in his attempt to impress Bennett, he neglected to mention that he's a just a lowly bank cashier. The movie shows us a dizzying amount of untruths, scams, cons, misperceptions . . . nothing is what it seems. Truth is relative, baby. While Lang has a lot of fun with all the illusions, he also dedicates himself to the principle that no good -- or bad -- deed goes unpunished, and that great noir principle, the inescapability from Fate, starts weighing more and more heavily on our characters as they perambulate through their sundry fictions and cons. -- For the sake of historical interest, it should be noted that *Scarlet Street* is an American remake of Jean Renoir's excellent *La Chienne*. (This story was based on a French novel; hence the concern with painting. Needless to say, the story migrated easily to Greenwich Village during the budding of the beatnik movement.) Renoir, in his film, spends a considerable amount of time building up the characterizations -- at the expense of the plot, to some degree. Lang, however, correctly understood that these characters are not as inherently interesting as the situation itself, with its myriad variations on the theme of Reality and (or versus) Illusion. As a result, Lang's movie is rather more suspenseful than Renoir's. Also of note: *Scarlet Street* is a follow-up of sorts to Lang's previous movie, *The Woman in the Window*, which featured the same cast (Robinson, Bennett, and Duryea)! It's a masterpiece, too. [A special word of congratulations must go to "Alpha Video": Congratulations on crafting the ugliest-looking and poorest-sounding DVD I have ever seen or heard. It's a great thing, when masterpieces in the Public Domain can be snatched up by any unscrupulous producer. Simply burn an old magnetic-tape version onto a digital disc, press a few thousand copies, and voila! -- Instant profit. Bravo!]

IRONIC FILM NOIR
Fritz Lang directed this American version of Renoir's LA CHIENNE; in the American setting it's a sordid, lowlife melodrama about illicit love, and it never takes root - it's one of Lang's best American movies. This film was originally banned in New York State - that is, denied a license - as "immoral, indecent, corrupt, and tending to incite crime" - a judgement which seemed off the wall even in 1946! Eddie Robinson is a frustrated, grey - haired cashier married to a nag (Rosalind Ivan); his only pleasure is in painting on Sundays. He falls for a tart (Joan Bennett) and sets her up in a Greenwich Village apartment, on stolen money. Bennett happens to be in love with a low-life lout (Dan Duryea), who beats her...........The script, by Dudley Nichols, is rather heavy-handed, and Lang's emphatic style pounds home the ironies and the murder-plot devices. Robinson's paintings were actually done by John Decker. There is a unique twist in this lurid little thriller; it was the first film to show the culprit unpunished for his crime (although he shows remorse).

The sin hurts much more in the memory than in the flesh!
Robinson is a person without collective importance ; a looser , a henpecked man . He has only a hobby: painting . In that world he gives wings to his fantasy , and those dreams become his identity signal . The unhappiness and the loneliness are his real beloved friends . Suddenly this fantasy world will open widely when his alter ego is pulled into world of crime by Joan Bennet and his manipulative boyfriend Duyrea. He falls in love with Joan very soon he'll discover a shock revelation: the first husband of his wife is still alive , so he thinks at last the happiness knocked the door of his destiny but ...
Only the fertile imagination of Fritz Lang could give this melodramatic plot a touch of genius . Once more , we should remember that Lang was one of the greatest directors in the cinema story . Since he left Germany after finnishing The testament of Dr. Mabuse ; he decided to work in United States and he'll find out in the film noir the perfect vehicle to express the dark shadows and the haunting ghosts that will appear unavoidable in the mind .
And being Lang one of the most remarkable sons of the german expressionism , to face that challenge was perfectly adequate to his skills and abilities .
If you're a hard fan of the film noir ; you find in this genre that the hell is in your mind , the guilty has no ending and nobody deserves a bit of trust . The love , under these circunstances is unable of growing up and the road for the weakness , the evilness and the cruelty are clear to shine .
In my personal selection of unforgettable Lang's films' american stage, I find several that form part of the top list : Fury , You only live once ; The Woman in the window , Big heat and Clash by night.
So don't doubt even a second about this film . It deserves an important place in your private selection.

A worthy Fritz Lang film all round
This review refers to the Alpha Video (Gotham) DVD.

Overall Quality of DVD: *** /**** Sound: ** /**** Plot: ***1/2 /**** Acting: ***1/2 /**** Cinematography: ***1/2 /**** Direction: ***1/2 /****

The first time I watched this film the whole effect did not set in until a few days later and it began tugging at me in the back of my mind (as do a lot of Fritz Lang films, at least, for me). There is much more to this film than a simple "film noir" although it is noir indeed.

You start to sympathize with Christopher Cross (Edward G. Robinson) because he is a true artist - he thinks of the world philosophically and poetically (as many artist do). To create art you must almost make yourself oblivious to the everyday machinations of the world, almost to the point of innocence, and Edward G. Robinson's character portrays the artist in this exact manner.

All he wants to do is paint but all his life he has been told what a failure he is and so he is nearly ashamed of his art and hides it from people but like any true artist he can not stop his love of art and so he hides in the bathroom like a prisoner to paint in solitude.

I love the scene where he finally shows one of his paintings of a flower that Joan Bennett gave him to an acquaintance who looks at the painting in total surprise and asks "Where did you find a flower such as this?" and Edward G. Robinson points to the flower in the glass sitting upon the bathroom sink and the acquaintance looks at him dumbfounded, points to the painting and asks "THIS? is what you see when you look at that?" - Edward G. Robinson nods and gives him a look that seems to say "You mean, you don't see it this way?" - it's a PERFECT scene expressing the inner feelings of an artist (any kind of artist).

Joan Bennett plays the scheming femme-fatale to perfection and you hate her guts. Dan Duryea also encourages Joan Bennett's character well as a two-bit thief who really needs, and deserves, to have his head kicked in.

Whoever did the actual paintings for this film did a great job as they are very surrealistic, modern-art and quite representative of Christopher Cross's psychic innerself.

If you're expecting the quality of a Criterion Collection DVD you will be disappointed, but if you have patience you will enjoy this top-notch film by a great director.

"They'll be masterpieces."
In "Scarlet Street" mild-mannered bank cashier Chris Cross (Edward G Robinson) dreams of being a great painter one day. His nagging wife ridicules his hobby and constantly humiliates him. Then one day Chris meets a young woman named Kitty (Joan Bennett). He thinks she's being mugged, but she's really a 'working girl' squabbling with her slimy boyfriend, Johnny (Dan Duryea). Chris and Kitty strike up a conversation, and soon Kitty and Johnny are ready to use Chris for whatever money they can get out of him.

Chris seems to be just too nice for his own good. He's a reliable, largely underappreciated employee who plugs away daily at his desk. But painting is one thing he's passionate about, and it saves him from the sheer boredom of mediocrity. He's a rather unhappy character--first his impossible wife is kicking him around, and it doesn't take long for Kitty to sink her materialistic little hooks into Chris too. As events take place within the film, the strength and weaknesses of Chris Cross are explored. Will he exploit opportunities or is he destined to always be a slave to his character flaws? Many marvelous little touches raise this film above the average and make it memorable. I'd never heard of this film until recently when I came across the title in a book about film noir. As a fan of director, Fritz Lang's films, I sought out this film. The plot is extremely clever--full of unpredictable twists and turns. Kitty deceives Chris, but he is guilty of his own sort of deception.

The DVD quality is not great, but I am not downgrading the film for that. The DVD is produced by Alpha video at a very reasonable price. The film is not re-mastered at all, and there are no extra features. At some points during the film, a thin vertical line was visible, and the sound quality varied (seems to get louder), plus there were some crackles. The black and white picture is grainy at times. All of these defects, however, did not interfere with my ability to watch and enjoy the film. It's about the same quality as a television version of the film. If you enjoyed "Woman in the Window" (a much more famous Fritz Lang/Edgar G Robinson/Joan Bennett film) you should enjoy this one too--displacedhuman ... Read more

Reviews (2)

FRITZ LANG FiLM NOiR NOT TO BE OVERL{+.+}KED
A noir to hold fondly in heart.

I love this noir. I haven't seen it in a couple of years. However, I recall it has excellent character acting, mysterious rooms and walls, and great script/ lines.

The mellow of mysterious ambience of this film make it a keeper, especially for mystery/noir folk. Of course, I always love Joan Bennett (SCARLET STREET)in a crook show. Michael Redgrave (THE LADY VANISHES)also, for that matter!

This film is so well-paced and desirable, I would recommend it even to non-mystery fans. It is one of those mysteries I think alot of people could like. As I recall, it seemed to have a bit of a supernatural feel to it, as well. A pleasant time was had by all. (I won't spoil plot elements for you.)

I'll just say, so few of today's films, mystery/thriller or otherwise, have this element of 'keepsake' about them.

Don't let someone else get to it first!

Excellent thriller.
This lesser known old dark house thriller from Lang, comes highly recommended. It's not about a haunted house actually, but I'd still call it spooky. I first saw it only a few years ago, but it's already become a fave of mine in this particular category. -Sort of, anyway; the beginning is a bit slow and too romantic, and manages to look completely un-interesting to a Horror fan, but the wait is worth it. While on vacation in South America Bennett falls for stranger Redgrave, and promptly moves in with him. -He's strange indeed; with all the secret rooms in the big house, and two other just as strange occupants. I'll say no more; now go check it out. If you enjoyed the British "Dead Of Night" for instance, Lang's long corridors and the eerie atmosphere here should be a sure pleaser. ... Read more

Reviews (17)

It takes a Village.
Greenwich Village, that is, which we learn was home to "hop-heads" and "long-hairs" in 1945 (!) Fritz Lang's masterpiece tells the story of a middle-aged bank clerk (Edward G. Robinson, dependably brilliant) who escapes the dreariness of his job and his marriage to a harpy by spending his Sundays indulging his only hobby: painting. His life gets considerably more exciting when he runs across Joan Bennett, a con-artist and tramp who -- with the help of her pimp, the always-amusing Dan Duryea -- proceeds to slowly drain his financial wherewithal. Of course, the greatest irony is that Robinson has conned the con-artists: they think he's a wealthy artist because, in his attempt to impress Bennett, he neglected to mention that he's a just a lowly bank cashier. The movie shows us a dizzying amount of untruths, scams, cons, misperceptions . . . nothing is what it seems. Truth is relative, baby. While Lang has a lot of fun with all the illusions, he also dedicates himself to the principle that no good -- or bad -- deed goes unpunished, and that great noir principle, the inescapability from Fate, starts weighing more and more heavily on our characters as they perambulate through their sundry fictions and cons. -- For the sake of historical interest, it should be noted that *Scarlet Street* is an American remake of Jean Renoir's excellent *La Chienne*. (This story was based on a French novel; hence the concern with painting. Needless to say, the story migrated easily to Greenwich Village during the budding of the beatnik movement.) Renoir, in his film, spends a considerable amount of time building up the characterizations -- at the expense of the plot, to some degree. Lang, however, correctly understood that these characters are not as inherently interesting as the situation itself, with its myriad variations on the theme of Reality and (or versus) Illusion. As a result, Lang's movie is rather more suspenseful than Renoir's. Also of note: *Scarlet Street* is a follow-up of sorts to Lang's previous movie, *The Woman in the Window*, which featured the same cast (Robinson, Bennett, and Duryea)! It's a masterpiece, too. [A special word of congratulations must go to "Alpha Video": Congratulations on crafting the ugliest-looking and poorest-sounding DVD I have ever seen or heard. It's a great thing, when masterpieces in the Public Domain can be snatched up by any unscrupulous producer. Simply burn an old magnetic-tape version onto a digital disc, press a few thousand copies, and voila! -- Instant profit. Bravo!]

IRONIC FILM NOIR
Fritz Lang directed this American version of Renoir's LA CHIENNE; in the American setting it's a sordid, lowlife melodrama about illicit love, and it never takes root - it's one of Lang's best American movies. This film was originally banned in New York State - that is, denied a license - as "immoral, indecent, corrupt, and tending to incite crime" - a judgement which seemed off the wall even in 1946! Eddie Robinson is a frustrated, grey - haired cashier married to a nag (Rosalind Ivan); his only pleasure is in painting on Sundays. He falls for a tart (Joan Bennett) and sets her up in a Greenwich Village apartment, on stolen money. Bennett happens to be in love with a low-life lout (Dan Duryea), who beats her...........The script, by Dudley Nichols, is rather heavy-handed, and Lang's emphatic style pounds home the ironies and the murder-plot devices. Robinson's paintings were actually done by John Decker. There is a unique twist in this lurid little thriller; it was the first film to show the culprit unpunished for his crime (although he shows remorse).

The sin hurts much more in the memory than in the flesh!
Robinson is a person without collective importance ; a looser , a henpecked man . He has only a hobby: painting . In that world he gives wings to his fantasy , and those dreams become his identity signal . The unhappiness and the loneliness are his real beloved friends . Suddenly this fantasy world will open widely when his alter ego is pulled into world of crime by Joan Bennet and his manipulative boyfriend Duyrea. He falls in love with Joan very soon he'll discover a shock revelation: the first husband of his wife is still alive , so he thinks at last the happiness knocked the door of his destiny but ...
Only the fertile imagination of Fritz Lang could give this melodramatic plot a touch of genius . Once more , we should remember that Lang was one of the greatest directors in the cinema story . Since he left Germany after finnishing The testament of Dr. Mabuse ; he decided to work in United States and he'll find out in the film noir the perfect vehicle to express the dark shadows and the haunting ghosts that will appear unavoidable in the mind .
And being Lang one of the most remarkable sons of the german expressionism , to face that challenge was perfectly adequate to his skills and abilities .
If you're a hard fan of the film noir ; you find in this genre that the hell is in your mind , the guilty has no ending and nobody deserves a bit of trust . The love , under these circunstances is unable of growing up and the road for the weakness , the evilness and the cruelty are clear to shine .
In my personal selection of unforgettable Lang's films' american stage, I find several that form part of the top list : Fury , You only live once ; The Woman in the window , Big heat and Clash by night.
So don't doubt even a second about this film . It deserves an important place in your private selection.

A worthy Fritz Lang film all round
This review refers to the Alpha Video (Gotham) DVD.

Overall Quality of DVD: *** /**** Sound: ** /**** Plot: ***1/2 /**** Acting: ***1/2 /**** Cinematography: ***1/2 /**** Direction: ***1/2 /****

The first time I watched this film the whole effect did not set in until a few days later and it began tugging at me in the back of my mind (as do a lot of Fritz Lang films, at least, for me). There is much more to this film than a simple "film noir" although it is noir indeed.

You start to sympathize with Christopher Cross (Edward G. Robinson) because he is a true artist - he thinks of the world philosophically and poetically (as many artist do). To create art you must almost make yourself oblivious to the everyday machinations of the world, almost to the point of innocence, and Edward G. Robinson's character portrays the artist in this exact manner.

All he wants to do is paint but all his life he has been told what a failure he is and so he is nearly ashamed of his art and hides it from people but like any true artist he can not stop his love of art and so he hides in the bathroom like a prisoner to paint in solitude.

I love the scene where he finally shows one of his paintings of a flower that Joan Bennett gave him to an acquaintance who looks at the painting in total surprise and asks "Where did you find a flower such as this?" and Edward G. Robinson points to the flower in the glass sitting upon the bathroom sink and the acquaintance looks at him dumbfounded, points to the painting and asks "THIS? is what you see when you look at that?" - Edward G. Robinson nods and gives him a look that seems to say "You mean, you don't see it this way?" - it's a PERFECT scene expressing the inner feelings of an artist (any kind of artist).

Joan Bennett plays the scheming femme-fatale to perfection and you hate her guts. Dan Duryea also encourages Joan Bennett's character well as a two-bit thief who really needs, and deserves, to have his head kicked in.

Whoever did the actual paintings for this film did a great job as they are very surrealistic, modern-art and quite representative of Christopher Cross's psychic innerself.

If you're expecting the quality of a Criterion Collection DVD you will be disappointed, but if you have patience you will enjoy this top-notch film by a great director.

"They'll be masterpieces."
In "Scarlet Street" mild-mannered bank cashier Chris Cross (Edward G Robinson) dreams of being a great painter one day. His nagging wife ridicules his hobby and constantly humiliates him. Then one day Chris meets a young woman named Kitty (Joan Bennett). He thinks she's being mugged, but she's really a 'working girl' squabbling with her slimy boyfriend, Johnny (Dan Duryea). Chris and Kitty strike up a conversation, and soon Kitty and Johnny are ready to use Chris for whatever money they can get out of him.

Chris seems to be just too nice for his own good. He's a reliable, largely underappreciated employee who plugs away daily at his desk. But painting is one thing he's passionate about, and it saves him from the sheer boredom of mediocrity. He's a rather unhappy character--first his impossible wife is kicking him around, and it doesn't take long for Kitty to sink her materialistic little hooks into Chris too. As events take place within the film, the strength and weaknesses of Chris Cross are explored. Will he exploit opportunities or is he destined to always be a slave to his character flaws? Many marvelous little touches raise this film above the average and make it memorable. I'd never heard of this film until recently when I came across the title in a book about film noir. As a fan of director, Fritz Lang's films, I sought out this film. The plot is extremely clever--full of unpredictable twists and turns. Kitty deceives Chris, but he is guilty of his own sort of deception.

The DVD quality is not great, but I am not downgrading the film for that. The DVD is produced by Alpha video at a very reasonable price. The film is not re-mastered at all, and there are no extra features. At some points during the film, a thin vertical line was visible, and the sound quality varied (seems to get louder), plus there were some crackles. The black and white picture is grainy at times. All of these defects, however, did not interfere with my ability to watch and enjoy the film. It's about the same quality as a television version of the film. If you enjoyed "Woman in the Window" (a much more famous Fritz Lang/Edgar G Robinson/Joan Bennett film) you should enjoy this one too--displacedhuman ... Read more

Reviews (6)

Where's Wagner ?
Expecting to see an early bit of Wagnarian Opera, I was much surprised to find this little gem of a movie.The sets and costumes are amazing and the plot is vastly different from the Opera Seigfried. The characters are magnificent, direction is pure Lang. If you buy it, save time and order "Kreimhilds' Revenge" as well. I know I'm going to have to eventually; Fritz Lang is addictive. You might keep a good tape or CD of Highlights of the Ring to hand to suppliment the original soundtrack. Subtitles are rare; bring your immagination and your horned helm. Great fun!

Before Frodo "Lord of the Rings"
Siegfried (1924) filmed at UFA (The UFA Story ISBN: 0809094835). Director Fritz Lang, the original story "Siegfried's Tod" I have seen it with German subtitles and other versions with English subtitles. Paul Richter (Siegfried) was in 45 other films, from 1921 to 1972. The dragon is actually a machine with people inside. There are pulleys and gears and even fire.

Siegfried (Paul Richter) is the son of the King of Xnnetn (Sigmund). He forges his own sward so sharp that it cuts chicken feathers. He is told that near the Rhine at Worms the King of Burgundy (Gunter) and his sister, Kriemhild is at a castle. Siegfried, "On the hour I leave for Worms to win Kriemhild"..."Show me the way if you want to live!" He falls for the "I know a short-cut" routine. Die Nibelungen snickers when he is out of earshot; "Your way leads not to Worms, but to Death" Guess who lives in the heart of the forest? Yep it is Fafnir the Dragon. Poor Fafnir was minding his own business getting a drink when Siegfried gets that "What can I hack" look on his face. The dragon even wags his tail with the approach of Siegfried. I won't give you the blow by blow. I'll just say that smoking can kill you. Fafnir gets stuck for the drinks and dragon blood drinks allows you to understand the birds. A little birdie tells him that bathing in dragon blood will make him invulnerable. You guest it cover your eyes. Oops look real quick. "Dragon tail flicks linden leaf on Siggie's back." Can you say Achilles heel? Meanwhile back at the castle Volker Von Alzey is already singing to Kriemhild of Siegfried' triumph over Fafnir. From here it goes on to deal with treasure and invisibility and all the stuff that Teutonic mythology holds.

Before Frodo "Lord of the Rings"
Siegfried (1924) filmed at UFA (The UFA Story ISBN: 0809094835). Director Fritz Lang, the original story "Siegfried's Tod" I have seen it with German subtitles and other versions with English subtitles. Paul Richter (Siegfried) was in 45 other films, from 1921 to 1972. The dragon is actually a machine with people inside. There are pulleys and gears and even fire.

Siegfried (Paul Richter) is the son of the King of Xnnetn (Sigmund). He forges his own sward so sharp that it cuts