Give it up for Fritz Lang! (1 Viewer)

[Jan H]

Just viewed Hangmen Also Die. Great film, but I expected nothing less from the creator of M and Metropolis. Amazing cinematography and very well-acted (though Walter Brennan as a history professor is kind of a reach). Looking forward to seeing Red Heat ASAP. And, BTW, where is Rancho Notorious?? Fritz, you 'da man!!

 

[Patrick McCart]

Kino will be releasing a special edition of Lang's "Spies" later this year.

 

[Todd Robertson]

just finished up Die Nibelungen from Kino....very, very nice.

 

[Jason Beaumont]

Everyone should also remember to pick up Criterion's edition of Godard's Contempt. Not only does it star Fritz Lang, but disc 2 has an incredible hour long interview with Lang by Godard. I really enjoyed it!

 

[SteveGon]

13) THE 1,000 EYES OF DR. MABUSE - Lang's fascinating final film, released on DVD by All Day Entertainment with another invaluable commentary from David Kalat.

Just picked this up last month - a very entertaining film that I highly recommend!

 

[Anthony Thorne]

There's a new 2-disc special edition of M coming out in the UK in a few months time, with a greatly superior transfer to the Criterion disc. I'm saying that now as the UK disc will be using the same master as the recent German DVD restoration of the film, which looks fantastic. Go to www.dvdscan.com and visit the 'Laser Examiner' page - on the left there should be a dual review of the old Criterion and new German discs of M, with a long article about its restoration and comparative screenshots. Anyway, it's coming out in the UK from the same company that released METROPOLIS there as a 2 disc set.
I'd love to see and hear more about the quality of Kino's Die Nibelungen. I'm very tempted as it is with that one...

 

[Ben Motley]

Heh, I figured with the new release of Metropolis some of you Langsters would come out of the woodwork.
Of course, I recently got the Kino Metropolis dvd and I thought it looked great. I've never seen the movie before in any incarnation, and I'm glad I waited, from what I've read about both the various versions and the bad dvd presentations. It was a fine, if simple, story that flowed well and had a clear, linear narrative that was easy to follow. And of course, the imagery was fantastic. Bad Maria rocks!
Included in the dvd was a sell sheet with other Kino releases. As I perused the titles, I came across a new release for... Die Nibelungen! Yay! I had no idea it was out. I ordered it the next day, and am currently waiting night and day by the mailbox impatiently for it.
That's good news on a Kino SE of Spies later this year - I can't wait!
And thanks for the tip on Contempt, Jason. I knew Lang was in it, but I didn;t realize that about the interview. -sigh- mo money!

 

[WillardK]

12) THE TIGER OF ESCHNAPUR and THE INDIAN TOMB – miserly extras again though, admittedly not among Lang’s most successful efforts (even if the theme had obsessed the director since he was shunned from helming the disappointingly sluggish 3½ hour 1921 version, THE INDIAN TOMB!)

The thread is ALIVE! It's ALIVE!!!

Sorry, I know this is old stuff but I just had to comment on the spectacular transfers Fantoma has done of these two. It's serial kitsch, yes, and very entertaining kitsch at that (the erotic dance with the marionette cobra is a riot, as is that Irish ditty wistfully sung in German). It's also a rival for the most eye-popping digital restoration I've yet to see (Criterion's Juliet of the Spirits would be my other nomination). There's enough colorful candy visuals here to grab the attention even if the plot isn't of interest. A real stunner.

 

[Jeff_HR]

Lang classics that are still unreleased on DVD include WOMAN IN THE MOON (1929), FURY (1936, first and arguably the best of Lang’s American films), YOU ONLY LIVE ONCE (1937), WESTERN UNION (1941), MAN HUNT (1941), MINISTRY OF FEAR (1944), THE WOMAN IN THE WINDOW (1944), CLOAK AND DAGGER (1946) and RANCHO NOTORIOUS (1952). These film’s absence from the DVD format is at once shameful, ridiculous and inexplicable!

You're forgetting one of my favorite American efforts by Lang: "While The City Sleeps". Fortunately I have this on a WS laserdisc.