Der Müde Tod
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Der müde Tod is a 1921 silent film directed in Germany by Fritz Lang. The German language title literally means Weary Death (in the sense of personified Death); the film was originally released in the United States as Behind the Wall and in the United Kingdom as Destiny, the title under which it has been reissued on DVD . The film, rich in special effects, is structured as a frame tale with three stories within the story.
In the expressionistic frame story, in which human lives are each represented by a candle, Death grants a woman three chances to save her lover, if love can triumph over death. The three stories within the story each occur in a setting that is nominally historic, but really in the realm of fantasy: an adventure tale with a Persian setting out of the Arabian Nights, a Renaissance Venetian romance, and a largely comic story set in China.
Douglas Fairbanks purchased the American rights, to delay its general American release while he copied the effects of the Persian segment for his 1924 The Thief of Baghdad. [link]
External links and references
- [Der müde Tod] on SilentEra.com.
- [Der müde Tod] on the site of the German Film Institute. In German. Includes two stills.
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