Der müde Tod (1921)

Director:

Fritz Lang

Writers:

Fritz Lang (writer)
Thea von Harbou (writer)

Release Date:

30 January 1922 (Finland)

Genre:

Fantasy

Plot:

As a young couple stops and rests in a small village inn, the man is abducted by Death and is sequestered behind a huge doorless...

Plot Keywords:

Death | Expressionist | Public Domain | Expressionism

Cast

Lil Dagover	...	Young Woman / Der junge Maedchen / Zobeide / Monna Fiametta / Tiao Tsien
Walter Janssen	...	Young Man / Der junge Mann / Franke / Giovan Francesco / Liang
Bernhard Goetzke	...	Death / Der Tod / El Mot / Bogner / Archer
Hans Sternberg	...	Mayor / Buergermeister
Karl Rückert	...	Reverend (as Carl Rückert)
Max Adalbert	...	Notary / Notar / Schatzmeister / Chancellor
Wilhelm Diegelmann	...	Doctor / Arzt
Erich Pabst	...	Teacher / Lehrer
Karl Platen	...	Pharmacist / Apotheker
Hermann Picha	...	Taylor / Schneider
Paul Rehkopf	...	Grave-Digger / Kuester
Max Pfeiffer
Georg John	...	Beggar / Bettler
Lydia Potechina	...	Landlady / Wirtin
Grete Berger	...	Mother / Mutter

Also Known As:

Between Two Worlds (USA)
Between Worlds (USA)
Beyond the Wall
Destiny (UK)
The Three Lights (UK)
The Weary Death (USA) (literal English title)

Runtime:

105 min (16 fps) | USA:114 min

Country:

Germany

Language:

German

Color:

Black and White | Color (tinted)

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Silent

Certification:

Germany:12

Company:

Decla-Bioscop AG

Trivia:

Alfred Hitchcock's favorite film.

Quotes:

Junge Maedchen: You dread, awful cactus, you!

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Macario (1960)

Lang Shows the Way

I don't know why, but one of my favorite film genres is German Expressionism. Like American film noir, it creates a dark vision of human existence from which a flowering of truth unfolds. And this truth is not what the protagonist wants to hear and comes at a great price. I love this stuff.

I recently had the opportunity to view "Der Müde Tod" theatrically, and it was pure heaven. Billed as Fritz Lang's first big hit, it's easy to see why. Filled with lavish spectacle and special effects, the film still maintains it's human level. And such a story: a young newlywed husband is taken by Death on his honeymoon. As in a fairytale, the bride is able to confront Death and beg for you her husbands return. Death will grant her this if she can once cheat him of one who is about to die. She is given three chances to pull off this trick, which transport her to Persia, Venice and China. Death, her husband and herself are characters in each of these fanciful locales. All this leads back to a gripping finale in Germany where it all began.

As far as silent movies go, this is one of the best.