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Siegfried

1924 1h 58m Fantasy Adventure Drama List
93% Tomatometer 14 Reviews 91% Popcornmeter 500+ Ratings
After Siegfried (Paul Richter), a nearly invulnerable warrior prince, hears of the beauty of Princess Kriemhild (Margarethe Schon), he travels to Burgundy to meet her. To impress her brother, King Gunther (Hanna Ralph), Siegfried ventures to Iceland with him, where he helps Gunther win over Brunhild (Theodor Loos). The appreciative Gunther approves of Siegfried's marriage to Kriemhild. However, hungry for more power, Brunhild spreads lies about Siegfried, leading to a fateful clash.

Critics Reviews

View All (14) Critics Reviews
Edmund Wilson The New Republic The producers seem to have been mistaken in going in for straight drama rather than for romance and magic. Jul 14, 2021 Full Review David Parkinson Empire Magazine This silent classic is a technical wonder for the day. Feb 28, 2020 Full Review Variety Staff Variety Lang's direction is consistent, and achieves plasticity, dignity, and very nearly power. Feb 23, 2012 Full Review Joshua Polanski Midwest Film Journal One of the great achievements of the silent era. Jul 4, 2024 Full Review Jennie Kermode Eye for Film Lang’s emotional distance allows the story to unfold without sensationalism or judgement, preserving its critical moments of ambiguity. Rated: 5/5 Apr 22, 2024 Full Review Velona Pilcher Christian Science Monitor Once Siegfried has left the smithy and started into that forest... we enjoy one of those rare times when an hour or so of motion-picture screen can recall such names as Wagner, Appia. Van Gogh, Beowulf, Malory... and still hold its own. Feb 23, 2024 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

View All (53) audience reviews
Audience Member The greatest 01 hour: and 58 minutes ever!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Rated 5 out of 5 stars 02/11/23 Full Review andrey k Epic masterpiece! The legend of the Nibelungen couldn't have gotten a better movie version. It's perfect. Combining with expressionism of the period it's one of the greatest achievements of the German screen surpassing even Griffith's Intolerance in scale. The visuals are mind-blowing, the scenery is tremendous in its ingenuity, it's like you are witnessing the story of a bygone era of thousand years ago, it's a magnificent feeling. Fritz Lang is a genius in composing shots and commanding masses of people to make monumental visions. The first part called Siegfried is more of a drama. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review Audience Member Fritz Lang's 1st of 2 films based on the Norse myth and Wagner opera. The production is fantastically set with stunning imagery, which stands up still today. Particularly classic is the slaying of the dragon, considered by many the cutest rendition of Fafnir! This is essential viewing for fans of epic silent cinema. Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 02/15/23 Full Review Audience Member 7.8/10, my review: http://wp.me/p1eXom-2aF Rated 4 out of 5 stars 02/16/23 Full Review Audience Member A really beautiful looking film that moves extremely slowly. There feels like there's maybe a half hour of plot in the whole film. Still, it's a gorgeous production that like so many of Lang's silent films seems decades ahead of it's time. The only other thing I'd note is that Siegfried comes off as a major dick. He kills a dragon that seems to be nothing except sitting by a pond drinking some water when Siegfried comes along and stabs it in the head. Not cool, Siegfried. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 02/01/23 Full Review Audience Member A stunner of production design and the dramatic punch of the storytelling still holds up today. The first half is definitely the strongest. The powerful story still continues in the second half, but the visuals lose their potency as we keep seeing the same sets used over and over. My favourite scene was definitely Siegfried's battle with the dragon. I couldn't believe what I was seeing - crazily ambitious effects for 1924! Rated 4 out of 5 stars 01/23/23 Full Review Read all reviews
Siegfried

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Cast & Crew

Movie Info

Synopsis After Siegfried (Paul Richter), a nearly invulnerable warrior prince, hears of the beauty of Princess Kriemhild (Margarethe Schon), he travels to Burgundy to meet her. To impress her brother, King Gunther (Hanna Ralph), Siegfried ventures to Iceland with him, where he helps Gunther win over Brunhild (Theodor Loos). The appreciative Gunther approves of Siegfried's marriage to Kriemhild. However, hungry for more power, Brunhild spreads lies about Siegfried, leading to a fateful clash.
Director
Fritz Lang
Producer
Erich Pommer
Screenwriter
Thea von Harbou
Production Co
Decla-Bioscop AG, Universum Film A.G.
Genre
Fantasy, Adventure, Drama
Release Date (DVD)
Mar 22, 2007
Runtime
1h 58m