Destiny

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Audience Member I was blown away by Fritz Lang's "weary death". Even today when we have the capability to make something more "advanced", I feel like movies don't have this kind of scope. Today's glut of mediocre, CGI-stuffed superhero films made me think that the limitations in technology during this era paradoxically allowed for more creativity. Dreamy and myth-like, this film sends the protagonist through three historical periods, complete with gorgeous sets and costumes, to make a trade with the specter of Death for the life of her lover. The evocative figure of Death would appear in later films, such as Bergman's "The Seventh Seal". The depiction of ancient China was definitely Orientalist, but its also the most lavish and remarkable of the film's sections. Rated 5/5 Stars •  Rated 5 out of 5 stars 01/22/23 Full Review Audience Member I loved this film. Starts off slow and builds to a climactic and beautiful ending which has stuck with me. Rated 4.5/5 Stars •  Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 02/04/23 Full Review Audience Member This movie (later released under the titles Destiny and Behind the Wall) features some of the same set designers who worked on The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari. Written and directed by Fritz Lang, the film offers the three lead actors in multiple roles, along with a few of the supporting cast similarly appearing more than once. It was inspired by an Indian mythological tale, Sati Savitri, which in Hindu mythology, depicts a devoted wife who was able to bring her husband back from the grasp of the God of Death. Lang's film was created soon after his mother died; it reveals his feelings about life and death. Death's ghostly appearance was derived from a childhood dream that Lang had when he was extremely ill during childhood. There are characters with similar appearances in his later films Metropolis and While the City Sleeps. When first released, German critics were not positive, but French critics and audiences loved it, resulting in later success in Germany. Its art direction, photography, and special effects have been widely praised throughout many years. Avant-garde/surrealist director Luis Buñuel, who with Salvador Dali made the disturbing short film Un Chien Andalou (aka An Andalusian Dog) loved The Weary Death, stating that it made him realize that films were going to be his future. Alfred Hitchcock, Douglas Fairbanks, and Ingmar Bergman also were highly impressed and influenced. Appearing in The Weary Death is the intense-featured Rudolf Klein-Rogge, who not only was uncredited as the murderous criminal in The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, but also featured in Lang's Metropolis and as the criminal mastermind in Dr. Mabuse the Gambler and The Testament of Dr. Mabuse. Though working with Lang multiple times, Klein-Rogge's wife Thea von Harbou left him to marry Lang. Regardless, all three worked together on The Weary Death and numerous other films. Bernhard Goetzke's appearance is similar to how Fritz Lang himself appeared in The Plague in Florence, and how Conrad Veidt looked in the bookstore scenes of Uncanny Tales. The film's creative tinting in various scenes is effective heightening the drama and tension. The set design is highly creative and impressive, capturing the appearance of each location. Special effects such as the army of miniature soldiers and horses that emerge from a box below the magician's legs are extremely well-done. It appears that the film company, Decla-Bioscop, spent a 1921-era fortune on this production. A wonderfully restored version of this film was released by Kino in 2016 on Blu-ray, aided by the F.W. Murnau Foundation. Rated 5/5 Stars •  Rated 5 out of 5 stars 02/27/23 Full Review jacob d Lang's Destiny is beautiful, eerie, somber, and moving, superior in many ways to Nosferatu, his most famous work. Rated 5/5 Stars •  Rated 5 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review Audience Member It's been a long time since a movie made me feel emotions. And it just so happens to be a silent film from the master of Expressionism; the stories connected by live and death are heartfelt and sad, and the present story is a great look at how valuable life is to protect. Rated 4.5/5 Stars •  Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 02/09/23 Full Review Audience Member Before "Metropolis" and "M," Fritz Lang was establishing himself as one of the greatest directors of early cinema, especially with his lesser-known picture, "Destiny." Some poor narrative choices aside, "Destiny" has some impressive set pieces, wields historical importance, and features one of the most sympathetic portrayals of Death ever without compromising the picture's grim tone. Rated 4.5/5 Stars •  Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 02/24/23 Full Review Read all reviews

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