NEW YORK, NY – AUGUST 10, 2016 – Kino Lorber is proud to announce the Blu-ray and DVD of Fritz Lang’s 1921 silent masterwork, DESTINY, in a stunning new 2K restoration by the Friedrich-Wilhelm-Murnau-Stiftung. Weaving together stories of tragic love, set in three distinct historical places and periods, DESTINY established director Fritz Lang as one of the leading filmmakers of the German silent era, and laid the groundwork for his highly-stylized classics such as Die Nibelungen and Metropolis.
This new restoration of DESTINY was released theatrically by Kino Lorber, opening at New York’s Film Forum in May 2016 before moving on to engagements in national markets. DESTINY will be released on Blu-ray and DVD on August 30, 2016, presented with a newly-composed score by Cornelius Schwehr, performed by the Berlin Rundfunk Symphony Orchestra. This edition contains the original German intertitles, with optional English subtitles. Special features include audio commentary by film historian Tim Lucas, restoration demonstration footage, and the 2016 re-release trailer. The SRP for the Blu-ray is $29.95, and the SRP for the DVD is $24.95.
A dizzying blend of German Romanticism, Orientalism, and Expressionism, Fritz Lang’s DESTINY (Der müde Tod) marked a bold step for Lang, away from the conventional melodrama and into the kind of high-concept filmmaking that would culminate in such über-stylized works as Die Nibelungen and Metropolis.
DESTINY is a visually ambitious, cinematic allegory in which a young woman (Lil Dagover) confronts the personification of Death (Bernhard Goetzke), in an effort to save the life of her fiancé (Walter Janssen). She is transported to a Gothic cathedral, where lives are represented as burning candles of varying length. Death weaves three romantic tragedies, and offers to unite the girl with her lover, if she can prevent the death of the lovers in at least one of the episodes. Thus begin three exotic scenarios of ill-fated love, in which the woman must somehow reverse the course of destiny: Persia, Quattrocento Venice, and a fancifully-rendered ancient China.
Restored by Anke Wilkening on behalf of the Friedrich-Wilhelm-Murnau-Stiftung, this definitive presentation of DESTINY preserves the original German intertitles and simulates the historic color tinting and toning of its initial release. Accompanying the film is a newly-composed score by Cornelius Schwehr as a commissioned composition by ZDF / ARTE performed by the 70-member Berlin Rundfunk Symphony Orchestra under the direction of conductor Frank Strobel.
Kino Lorber will also be releasing Fritz Lang’s THE SPIDERS on Blu-ray August 23, 2016, with a SRP of $29.95. With this exotic adventure film, director Fritz Lang established himself as a master of epic storytelling, a talent that would reach its pinnacle in such monumental films as Metropolis and Die Nibelungen. Influenced by the French serials of Louis Feuillade (Fantômas) and infused with Lang’s own fascination with Asian culture, THE SPIDERS follows international adventurer Kay Hoog (Carl de Vogt) in his quest for Incan gold and the precious “Buddha’s head” diamond. Along the way, he must contend with an organization of criminal spies known as The Spiders, who will employ any form of treachery, including murder, to snatch the artifacts from his possession.
DESTINY (Der müde Tod, 1921)
Blu-ray and DVD Street Date: August 30, 2016
Blu-ray SRP: $29.95
DVD SRP: $24.95
Blu-ray UPC: 738329207199
DVD UPC: 738329207182
Director: Fritz Lang
Producer: Erich Pommer
Screenplay by Fritz Lang and Thea von Harbou
With Bernhard Goetzke, Lil Dagover, Walter Janssen, Hans Sternberg, Wilhelm Diegelmann, Rudolf Klein-Rogge
Special Features:
Audio Commentary by Film Historian Tim Lucas
Restoration Demonstration Footage
2016 Re-release Trailer
Technical Specs:
Germany | 1921 | Color Tinted | 98 min. | 1920x1080p (1.33:1) | 2.0 Stereo
German intertitles with optional English subtitles
THE SPIDERS (1919-1920)
Blu-ray Street Date: August 23, 2016
Blu-ray SRP: $29.95
Blu-ray UPC: 738329089023
Written and Directed by Fritz Lang
Produced by Erich Pommer
Music Composed and Performed by Ben Model
Technical Specs:
Germany | 1919 | 173 min. | Color Tinted | Stereo 2.0 | 1920x1080p (1.33:1) |
Silent with English intertitles
Part One: “The Golden Sea”, 69 min.
Part Two: “The Diamond Ship”, 104 min.