Der müde Tod (1921)

When a woman's fiancé disappears, Death gives her three chances to save him from his fate.

Director:

Fritz Lang

Writers:

Fritz Lang, Thea von Harbou

Stars:

Lil Dagover, Walter Janssen, Bernhard Goetzke

2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Lil Dagover	...	Young Woman / Das junge Mädchen / 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 / Bürgermeister
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 / Küster
Max Pfeiffer
Georg John	...	Beggar / Bettler
Lydia Potechina	...	Landlady / Wirtin
Grete Berger	...	Mother / Mutter

Storyline

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, windowless wall. The woman finds a mystic entrance and is met by Death, who tells her three separate stories set in exotic locales, all involving circumstances similar to hers. In each story, a woman, trying to save her lover from his ultimate tragic fate, fails. The young lady realizes the meaning of the tales and takes the only step she can to reunite herself with her lover.

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Plot Keywords:

expressionism | death | wall | stranger | china | 

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Taglines:

The Movie That Inspired Hitchcock and Bunuel! (2016)

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Genres:

Drama | Fantasy | Thriller

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Country:

Germany

Language:

German

Release Date:

30 January 1922 (Finland)

Also Known As:

Between Two Worlds

Filming Locations:

Studio Babelsberg, Potsdam, Brandenburg, Germany

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$2,334, 22 May 2016, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$12,156, 19 August 2016

Company Credits

Production Co:

Decla-Bioscop AG

Technical Specs

Runtime:

105 min 94 min (2016 restoration)

Sound Mix:

Silent

Color:

Black and White Color (tinted)

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Douglas Fairbanks bought the American rights to the film for $5000. He had no intention to release it, but so admired its technical effects, he wanted them copied for his upcoming The Thief of Bagdad (1924).

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Quotes

Junge Maedchen: You dread, awful cactus, you!

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Connections

Referenced in Macario (1960)

User Reviews

A masterpiece of silent cinema

Directed by Fritz Lang, best known for his masterpiece "M", "Der Mude Tod" stands as probably his best early work. A silent classic, it tells the story of a young couple in a small German village and their encounter with the personification of death in a form of mysterious stranger that appears in a tavern and sits to their table indicating that the time is up for the young husband. After the death of her beloved the young woman is so desperate that she finally manages to enter the kingdom of dead and stand face to face with personification of Death himself (a major influence on Ingmar Bergman's Death figure in the Seventh Seal later) and ask him to give her beloved back to her. The Death finally yields to her persistence and agrees to deliver back the life of her husband, but only if she manages to find any person that would give up his life in exchange. She desperatly tries to convince various people to give up, beginning from a very old man and coming as far as Asylum for mentally ill but all in vain, for how bad the life of poor guys is, they are still very much reluctant to give it up, but it's only the beginning, the center of the film being three different stories of lost love, told by Death to the young woman, similar to her own, but set in three different exotic locations such as: China, Venice and Turkey.

A really amazing silent film, very romantic story but at the same time a moral tale with philosophical message in it. A must see. 10/10