Fritz Lang

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/0/0e/Fritz_Lang.jpg/180px-Fritz_Lang.jpg

I have been watching a sh*t load of Fritz Lang movies lately, I can't get enough of his work.
Most of us I am sure really are only aware of him because of Metropolis and M

But after he came to America he made a lot of film noirs amoung other things.
Some films of his I have seen and highly recommend: And this is just the tip of the Fritz Lang iceberg, I have a long ways to go and much to see.

Die Nibelungen 1924
Metropolis 1927
M 1934
Fury 1934
The Woman in the Window 1944
Scarlett Street 1945
Clash by Night 1952
The Big Heat 1953

Lilom, 1934 which I am watching tonight. And I can hardly wait for this. I have read much about this film and can't believe I am finally getting to see it. Franz Waxman did the score, even more to look forward too.

With the Nazis in power from 1933, Waxman worked briefly in France, composing the music for Fritz Lang's French version of Liliom, but arrived in the United States by 1935. He was commissioned to write the score for Bride of Frankenstein, his first American film, by director James Whale who had admired his score for Liliom. During his career, Waxman received 12 Academy Award nominations, winning in consecutive years for Sunset Boulevard and A Place in the Sun.

Liliom (http://www.kino.com/video/item.php?film_id=659)

After leaving Nazi Germany, Lang stopped in France long enough to make one film, Liliom. For this production, Lang joined his UFA producer Erich Pommer and the masterful cinematographer Rudolph Mate, who had earlier photographed Dreyer's Passion of Joan of Arc and Vampyr. A highly imaginative film, Liliom provides intriguing glimpses of later magical realist films from Cocteau and Powell/Pressburger, and of the surreal transcendence of Borzage, who had filmed Ferenc Molnar's play in 1930. Rodgers and Hammerstein later transformed it into the hit musical Carousel

Oh, geez, yeah. Lang was brilliant. Oz, have you seen House by the River? The recent restoration that Kino did for their DVD is very good.

Oh, geez, yeah. Lang was brilliant. Oz, have you seen House by the River? The recent restoration that Kino did for their DVD is very good.No that's on my list too. Liliom was really great, the story itself, some of it I didn't care, for but the movie is pure artistry.

Also this Kino Video version of Liliom is not that great a quality, but there is a restored version on the Carousel DVD, the two disc set. It is suppose to be quite pristine.

Many of Lang's films I saw for the first time on VHS tapes that were made from public domain sources that were always pretty poor quality, so it's nice to see them in less impovershed circumstances.

My son in law borrowed my copy of Metropolis the other day and was blown away by it [hard to imagine people so young that they haven't heard of it!] I'd really like to catch up on some of his other work..will perhaps buy it for son in law as a birthday present and borrow it back!

My son in law borrowed my copy of Metropolis the other day and was blown away by it [hard to imagine people so young that they haven't heard of it!] I'd really like to catch up on some of his other work..will perhaps buy it for son in law as a birthday present and borrow it back!It is hard to imagine not everybody has heard of it. It is a must see for sure. It's good to hear your son in law liked it so much.

I have been extremely fortunate in that my library has many many old classic movies. Including loads of silent and foreign films. Thanks to them I have been able to see many movies I have only read about over the years.

If anyone's interesting in reading about Lang, Patrick McGilligan's Fritz Lang: The Nature of the Beast (http://www.amazon.com/Fritz-Lang-Nature-Patrick-McGilligan/dp/0756761859/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1234720785&sr=1-4) is a pretty good general biography.

I want to check out Tom Gunning's The Films of Fritz Lang: Allegories of Vision and Modernity (http://www.amazon.com/Films-Fritz-Lang-Allegories-Distributed/dp/0851707432/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1234720785&sr=1-1), which is just out in paperback.

I have only seen M, but I do plan on seeing Fury some time soon.

I made a thread awhile back just for this movie, but I'll just repeat a bit of it here. All the talk about Metropolis got me thinking about this again.

Man I'm telling you, you don't know what great movie making is about until you watch something like this. WOW is all I can say. I thought Metropolis was terrific..HA....I spent about 5 hours watching this awhile back. One of the best days of my life.

Die Nibelungen (http://www.kino.com/video/item.php?film_id=563)

I never realised that Lang directed The Big Heat..I really like that film. The young Lee Marvin as Vincent is great and the gorgeous Gloria Grahame as the unfortunate Debbie....

Apologies for the double post. Interesting article here (http://erkelzaar.tsudao.com/reviews/H.G.Wells_on_Metropolis%201927.htm). It's a review of Metropolis by none other than HG Wells dated April 1927...and H.G was not a happy bunny!

Apologies for the double post. Interesting article here (http://erkelzaar.tsudao.com/reviews/H.G.Wells_on_Metropolis%201927.htm). It's a review of Metropolis by none other than HG Wells dated April 1927...and H.G was not a happy bunny!Oh how great is this. I just started it, but I am so pressed for time right now, I'll read it at work later.
But yes I can see he thought it was a great bunch of foolishness. This is just fascinating, to read what somebody, H.G. Wells no less, thought about the film at the time.

There was an interesting comment on the IMDb forum for Metropolis. Someone asked if it was true it was going to be remade and someone answered back "It already has...it's called The Matrix"

The similarities are quite striking:

The basic storyline is the same (although it was altered and amped up with action sequences for a modern audience)

Both films have enslaved humans who are used to keep the machines running and maintain the existance of the dominant villains/ruling/superior class.

Both films have an underground resistance who are plotting an uprising against their masters.

Both films tell the prophecy of a "mediator"/ "The One" who will lead them to freedom.

The "Mediator"/ "The one" in both films must face his personal fears and doubts to finally accept that he is the chosen one.

Interesting theory....

Yeah, I've heard that before. The Matrix is actually a pastiche of a lot of elements from other films. The action sequences, for example, are pasted together from various Hong Kong action films.

Back to Fritz Lang, I have a relatively obscure Lang Western, The Return of Frank James (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0032983/), on my DVR.

I just watched Fury finally last night. I liked it...pretty good. I didn't really expect it to be a courtroom movie. I'm not sure how I feel about the ending though. It ended to suddenly...could've been a half hour longer. We don't know if he got in trouble, or if the 22 people were charged with attempted murder. I guess that stuff doesn't really matter...would probably make the movie anti-climatic, but still seemed kinda abrupt.

I just watched Big Heat last night... I was pretty surprised at how brutal it was. Thought it was great.

The Big Heat is great! Lee Marvin was fantastic!

The Big Heat is great! Lee Marvin was fantastic!

Yeah...Lee Marvin, the woman beater....I think Lee Marvin is pretty great in everything he did.

Yeah...Lee Marvin, the woman beater....I think Lee Marvin is pretty great in everything he did.Yeah he is! I caught him not to long ago in an old Twilight Zone episode, The Grave, he is an old west baddie, imagine that. An amazing amount of stars where in the Twilight Zones, some rather unknown at the time.

But my all time favorite role of his is Kid Shelleen in Cat Ballou .

And in The Wild One, jeez what a creep!

Come to think of it, yeah he was great in everything he did!

Yeah he is! I caught him not to long ago in an old Twilight Zone episode, The Grave, he is an old west baddie, imagine that. An amazing amount of stars where in the Twilight Zones, some rather unknown at the time.

But my all time favorite role of his is Kid Shelleen in Cat Ballou .

And in The Wild One, jeez what a creep!

Come to think of it, yeah he was great in everything he did!

Have you seen The Professionals? Lee Marvin was good in it, but Burt Lancaster and Jack Palance really stole the show....one damn fine western though. (sorry for getting off topic)

Have you seen The Professionals? Lee Marvin was good in it, but Burt Lancaster and Jack Palance really stole the show....one damn fine western though. (sorry for getting off topic)
I don't remember it off hand. I'll keep my eye out for it though.