Wednesday, March 26, 2008

Destiny (1921)

Beggar, would you like an end to all your sufferings?
Give me your life-
Reply: Not one day-
Not one hour-
Not one breath!!!

And same for the old man, and even those that were supposedly weary of their lives at the hospital.
Fritz Lang was a stickler for realism in his American films; not so his German silents, which were fanciful to the point of being fairy tales. Der Müde Tod, Lang's first big critical success, is an allegorical tale of love, fidelity and death. The heroine (Lil Dagover), who in her dreams is confronted by Mr. Death (here the personification of evil), argues for the life of her beloved, but is unable to make the personal sacrifices that Death insists upon. Originally presented in three parts, Der Müde Tod was often boiled down to a single film for its non-German showings. Its English-language titles range from The Weary Death to Between Two Worlds to Beyond the Wall to Destiny. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Running Time: 99 mins
Destiny (1921)
She loses in all three matches (story of the first, second and third lights) against death and all three candles blow out one at a time after each scenario. Death is a "digger" in the first scenario (Turkey in the holy month of Ramadan) and buries her lover up to the neck. In the second scenario, there is some gratuitous sex in having a topless woman in a parade. Death intercepts the letters of the plot by the heroine to kill him and then Death replaces the note to the lover so that the poison meant for death is delivered by the body guard as the lover is in disguise as the two are fencing in masks. In the third scenario (China) death is an archer that uses a magic horse to find the lovers and shoots the man as he is disguised as a tiger with the magic wand from A. The heroine sure begs a lot for being cast as a hero and not very smart at playing the game.

Again no special features on this disk.

Who gives his life away shall gain it...

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