Fritz Lang's 1921 film Destiny] is reportedly based on a dream he had as a child. I can only assume that he must have immersed himself in old school narratives such as myths, folk tales, and Greek tragedy from an early age since this somewhat allegorical film immediately brings those traditions to mind. In fact, you can almost see where he picked up various parts of the plot. Fortunately, he put them together in a brilliantly unique way. This film manages to bring to mind the best traditional tales from various cultures and periods while maintaining a wonderfully fresh and inventive mood throughout.
Like many of the greatest tales of yore, Destiny is about a pair of young lovers who are separated from each other suddenly. After this separation, the narrative resembles a sort of Orpheaic journey with one key reversal: in Destiny it is the female character who strives to rescue the endangered male. She is given three shots to save her beloved, each of which takes place in a different part of the world. This somewhat unusual structure allows Lang to experiment with different styles to match the traditions of each place she visits.
Not only does Destiny do an excellent job with a universal (but uncomplicated) theme, it also has more than its share of memorable visuals. Although cinema's most famous personification of Death is Bergman's version from The Seventh Seal, it is surely Lang's version that most evokes the essence of the character. Indeed, I for one find this Death to be more memorable than Bergman's. Other memorable visuals include the towering wall built by Death, the candles used to represent lives, and the various spells conjured up by a Chinese magician, particularly an army of tiny men.
I'm very grateful to everyone here who has recommended this film-it's truly a film like no other and an indisputable masterpiece.
Like many of the greatest tales of yore, Destiny is about a pair of young lovers who are separated from each other suddenly. After this separation, the narrative resembles a sort of Orpheaic journey with one key reversal: in Destiny it is the female character who strives to rescue the endangered male. She is given three shots to save her beloved, each of which takes place in a different part of the world. This somewhat unusual structure allows Lang to experiment with different styles to match the traditions of each place she visits.
Not only does Destiny do an excellent job with a universal (but uncomplicated) theme, it also has more than its share of memorable visuals. Although cinema's most famous personification of Death is Bergman's version from The Seventh Seal, it is surely Lang's version that most evokes the essence of the character. Indeed, I for one find this Death to be more memorable than Bergman's. Other memorable visuals include the towering wall built by Death, the candles used to represent lives, and the various spells conjured up by a Chinese magician, particularly an army of tiny men.
I'm very grateful to everyone here who has recommended this film-it's truly a film like no other and an indisputable masterpiece.