Details
Movie Description
SPIES follows the machinations of a wheelchair-bound master criminal, the great Haghi, as he dictates orders to his minions from his headquarters deep in the belly of the city. When Haghi sends forth agent Sonja to seduce and trick secret agent 236, Tremaine, the two unexpectedly fall in love. Haghi is enraged that they are endangering his plot to take over the world, while his minions square off against police and secret service, and attempt to steal a secret treaty. Many of the standard conventions of spy thrillers find their genesis in SPIES, including femme fatales, the crippled arch criminal and a last minute countdown to destruction.
WOMAN IN THE MOON: Lang used a scenario by his then wife Thea von Harbou about a trip to the moon to continue his early investigations into science and technology. When scientist Manfeldt finally gets the chance to go to the moon and prove his theory of the existence of lunar gold deposits, he is disappointed to discover that he must travel with various strangers. They include Frieda and Hans--a newly wed couple, a scheming financier named Turner, Wolf Helius--the engineer in charge of the expedition, and Gustav--a young castaway. When the crew actually discovers gold in the lunar caverns, the greedy Turner faces off against the bewildered professor, and violence ensues. The human struggles with greed, jealousy and idealism are played out against a stunning backdrop of rockets and white lunar landscapes, and the tender moments between the protagonists are some of the most touching in any of Lang's oeuvre.
DIE NIBELUNGEN SAGA: Collected here are both parts of Fritz Lang's spectacular and groundbreaking film version of the Nibelungenlied, the Norse and German myth, that are known separately as SIEGFRIED and KRIEMHILD'S REVENGE. Complete with never before seen footage, re-translated intertitles, the original 1924 score, and a total of 135 minutes added to both films, due in part to the correction of the film's projection speed, this is the definitive version of DIE NIBELUNGEN SAGA. See individual titles for details.
METROPOLIS: In the 21st-Century, a de-humanized proletariat labors non-stop in a miserable subterranean city beneath a luxurious city of mile-high skyscrapers, flying automobiles, palatial architectural idylls, tubes and tunnels. With stunningly inventive special effects, Lang's allegorical narrative and architectural vision creates a highly stylized vision of a not-so-unlikely future (especially for 1926 when the film was made.) As the elite frolic above the clouds, thousands of miserable workers toil night and day inside the belly of the gigantic machine that runs the entire city. Metropolis is controlled by a sinister authoritarian whose son, Freder, rejects his father's callous philosophy and attitude towards laborers. Meek though they are, the workers are encouraged by Maria, a wistful young woman who wills her comrades to embrace patience and silent strength. Upon discovering her influence upon the workers, a mad scientist kidnaps Maria and creates a robot in her image that will incite the workers to revolt. As Freder races against time to save Maria and curtail the damage done by her doppelganger robot, Metropolis is enveloped in chaos and the classes are brought together in a breathtaking and highly moralistic climax.
Film Notes
DVD Features:
Region 1
Keep Case
Full Frame - 1.33
5 Disc Set
Industry Reviews
"It's doubtful that anyone has ever surpassed silent Lang for sheer graphic power and density -- these are images with weight, dimension, and punch."
Film Comment - Ken Jones (12/01/2004)
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