Variants of the Nibelungen story have been told many times, most famously in the 13th-century German epic poem, in several Icelandic poems and of course by Richard Wagner in his four-part "Ring"-cycle. Here we have Fritz Lang's take on the material, based on a script by Thea von Harbou. The film covers roughly the first half of the mediavel epos up to Siegfried's death at the hand of Hagen. It has many strengths, notably the photography, which is stunning despite the almost static camera, and the sets and above all the costumes, which are beautiful. Some of the acting is also very good. For my taste, Brunhild (Hanna Ralph) stands out: She is as different from the typically blonde 'fat lady' of opera fame as anyone could possibly be (despite the ridiculous contraption that is supposed to be her helmet). Siegfried (Paul Richter) and Hagen (Hans Adalbert Schlettow) are doing very well, too. But the plot. Oh dear. I cannot imagine what was on von Harbou's mind when she worked on that script. Plot holes abound. Why is Siegfried (after all the son of a king) apprenticed to Mime the smith? Why is Mime trying to send him to his death? Why does Siegfried kill that poor dragon? Why is Hagen opposed to welcoming him at the Burgundian court? How has he learnt of Siegfried's strength? And of the linden leaf? And so on. It is possible to tell the story with convincing characters who have credible motives and reasons for their decisons: Wagner did so in his opera cycle, and there is no reason why you should not expect a cohrent plot in a film that came out in 1924. In this respect, von Harbou failed abysmally. Also, the plot is moving far more slowly than necessary. Many scenes are practically static tableaus - and again, this is not because "Die Nibelungen: Siegfried" is an early film. There are earlier ones that offer much more suspense: Think of "Der Student von Prag" (1913) or "Nosferatu" (1922), for example. In short, the pacing could have been better and Lang could have spent more time on character exposition and development. All in all the film leaves a mixed impression, but it certainly has more upsides than weaknesses. It is still very watchable.
Review of Die Nibelungen: Siegfried
