Silent Masterpiece Part 2

 

Kriemhild's Revenge is the second of Fritz Lang's films dealing with the Niebelungen.  Kriemhild seeks justice for the murder of her husband Siegfried but her brother King Gunther (who gave the order for Siegfried's killing) protects his loyal henchman Hagen Tronje.  Spurned, she accepts an offer of marriage from Attila the Hun (also known as Konig Etzel in some prints).  This sets the stage for Kriemhild's plan to avenge Siegfried.

     It sounds like a soap opera, but grand opera is closer.  Richard Wagner used the original legend as the plot source for his Ring Opera cycle.  Fritz Lang used it as an example of just how costly revenge can be. 

     As in Siegfried this film moves slowly, or deliberately.  It begins in King Gunther's court in Burgundy which represents Civilization and grandeur in the midst of the Dark Ages.  When it moves to Attila's court we are treated to Lang's vision of Barbaric Splendor.  The Huns are portrayed as behaving in a barbaric fashion as compared to the Niebelungen of Burgundy, but are more honest than Gunther who hides his barbarity beneath a veneer of Civilization.

     Attila (pictured above with Kriemhild) was played by Rudolf Klein-Rogge who was to play Rotwang the alchemist-scientist in Lang's masterpiece Metropolis two years later.  Margarete Schon continued in the role of Kriemhild.  Attila accepts the fact that his new bride does not love him but is happy with her and is overjoyed when she presents him with a son.  As part of the celebration Kriemhild convinces her husband to invite her family to visit, thus setting the stage for the bloody climax.

     Again, performances are excellent and Lang's deliberate pace leads inexorably to the revenge promised by the title.  Of course most Germans were familiar with the story which was part of their national mythology.  Kriemhild spreads her net for Hagen, but draws many, many more into the final maelstrom, the innocent along with the guilty.  Gunther and his party find themselves barricaded in Attila's great hall as Kriemhild urges the Hun warriors to take and kill Hagen.  Things do not go as planned and her revenge grows terrible to behold.

     Two of the biggest fans of the Niebelungen saga were to play a large role on the world stage in the next decade, Adolf Hitler and Heinrich Himmler.  Hitler grabbed on the theme of the Germanic legacy while Himmler appropriated the mythology in his creation of the dreaded SS.  This horrified Lang who fled Germany shortly after Hitler rose to power. 

     The two films are probably tough going for many in the modern audience who are used to everything moving at light speed.  But the viewer should appreciate Lang's pace which slowly leads to the climax.  It is a carefully structured film that rewards the viewer who is willing to invest the time.  Technically the two films are amazing, showing what could be done with the relatively primitive technology available in 1924.  Further, Lang deliberately goes for a look that throws realism to the wind, but is perfect for this world of mythology.  I will admit I find the quest for "realism" in movies to be pretty tiresome.  I always preferred the slightly unreal color of the Technicolor process, well lighted and jumping from the screen.  Today's movies look too dark and mundane.

     So, see Siegfried and Kriemhild's revenge and let you mind drift back to the age of fable and into Fritz Lang's world of Mythology.  It is a trip that will reward you.