Ring of the Nibelungs (2004)

The legend of Siegfried and Brunhild, loosely based on characters from the Norse sagas and the pre-Christian Germanic heroic motifs outlined in the Nibelungensaga.

Director:

Uli Edel

Writers:

Diane Duane, Peter Morwood

Stars:

Benno Fürmann, Kristanna Loken, Alicia Witt

1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Benno Fürmann	...	Eric / Siegfried
Kristanna Loken	...	Brunhild (as Kristanna Løken)
Alicia Witt	...	Kriemhild
Julian Sands	...	Hagen
Samuel West	...	King Gunther
Max von Sydow	...	Eyvind
Robert Pattinson	...	Giselher
Mavie Hörbiger	...	Lena
Aletta Bezuidenhout	...	Hallbera
Sean Higgs	...	Alberich
Götz Otto	...	King Thorkwin
Ralf Moeller	...	King Thorkilt
Tamsin MacCarthy	...	Queen Siegland
Leonard Moss	...	King Siegmund
Ryan Slabbert	...	Siegfried (3 Years)

Storyline

The young blacksmith Siegfried, who, not knowing that he is heir to a conquered kingdom, becomes popular with the Burgunds by slaying their bane, the dragon Fafnir. When the reward seems to be a huge treasure, Siegfried ignores the curse that lies on the hoard - which now seems to endanger his love to beautiful Norse warrior queen Brunhild.

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Plot Keywords:

dragon | queen | king | blacksmith | treasure | 

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Taglines:

The Nordic legend that inspired J.R.R. Tolkien to write the Lord of the Ring trilogy.

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Genres:

Action | Adventure | Drama | Fantasy

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for some intense action violence and brief sexuality/nudity

Did You Know?

Trivia

Acting debut of Robert Pattison.

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Goofs

When Siegfried is fighting the two Saxon kings he is disarmed of his sword and shield, after being knocked to the ground he retrieves his sword, gets up, and a short piece of action ensues. The shot then changes and he suddenly has his shield for the closing seconds of the fight sequence.

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Quotes

Eric: I don't like Saxons.
Eyvind: I do... once in a while.
Eric: Yeah, for sword practice.

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Connections

Version of Siegfried und das sagenhafte Liebesleben der Nibelungen (1971)

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Soundtracks

A Dragon's Feast
Composed by Andrew Raiher
Performed by Andrew Raiher
Wunderhorn Music 2004

User Reviews

A nice movie.

I really enjoyed the movie (having read the Wagner play for my German classes a decade ago, and then already liking the story). Of course there are not many surprises, given that the story is one and an half centuries old (more if you trace back to the original legends)

Most acting was decent, I didn't like the performance of Alicia Witt though, though I can't really pinpoint what irritated me about her performance. Of course she is not a likable character, but it just seemed that the timing was a bit off, and the acting was a bit forced.

I also liked some of the historic points like the reference to the Roman Emperor, and little details like Roman legionairs (or at least people using their weaponry and armour) walking in the cities. Xanten, one of the central cities was one of the most important, if not the most important Roman city in the Germania Superior province.

Details

Country:

Germany UK South Africa Italy

Language:

English

Release Date:

23 December 2005 (UK)

Also Known As:

Curse of the Ring

Filming Locations:

Cape Town, Western Cape, South Africa

Box Office

Budget:

$23,000,000 (estimated)

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$169,774

Company Credits

Production Co:

Tandem Communications, Tandem Productions, VIP 2 Medienfonds

Technical Specs

Runtime:

184 min 132 min (theatrical)

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1