Destiny (1921 film)

Destiny
DVD cover
Directed by	Fritz Lang
Produced by	Erich Pommer
Written by	Thea von Harbou Fritz Lang
Starring	Lil Dagover Walter Janssen Bernhard Goetzke Rudolf Klein-Rogge Hans Sternberg Erich Pabst Max Adalbert Georg John
Cinematography	Bruno Mondi Erich Nitzschmann Herrmann Saalfrank Bruno Timm Fritz Arno Wagner
Distributed by	Decla-Bioscop
Release dates	6 October 1921 (1921-10-06)
Running time	105 minutes
Country	Weimar Republic
Language	Silent film German intertitles

Destiny (German: Der müde Tod, "Weary Death"; originally released in the US as Behind the Wall) is a 1921 silent film directed in Germany by Fritz Lang. The film, rich in special effects, is structured as a frame tale with three stories within the story.

Plot

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.

Release

In Germany, the film was poorly received at first, with critics complaining that it was not 'German' enough, but the film was much more successful overseas.^[1] 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.

Legacy

The film was highly influential, most notably in helping persuade Alfred Hitchcock and Luis Buñuel of the promise of the medium.^[1]

References

1 2 Hardy 1995, p. 29.

Citations

Hardy, Phil, ed. (1995), The Overlook Film Encyclopedia 3, Overlook Press, ISBN 0-87951-624-0

External links

Destiny at the Internet Movie Database
Destiny at AllMovie
Destiny at Rotten Tomatoes
Der müde Tod on SilentEra.com.

Films directed by Fritz Lang

Filmography

1919–1933	Halbblut Der Herr der Liebe The Spiders, Part 1 Harakiri The Spiders, Part 2 Das wandernde Bild Vier um die Frau Destiny Dr. Mabuse the Gambler Die Nibelungen: Siegfried Die Nibelungen: Kriemhilds Rache Metropolis Spione Woman in the Moon M The Testament of Dr. Mabuse

1934–1956	Liliom Fury You Only Live Once You and Me The Return of Frank James Western Union Man Hunt Moontide Hangmen Also Die! Ministry of Fear The Woman in the Window Scarlet Street Cloak and Dagger Secret Beyond the Door House by the River American Guerrilla in the Philippines Rancho Notorious Clash by Night The Blue Gardenia The Big Heat Human Desire Moonfleet While the City Sleeps Beyond a Reasonable Doubt

Later	The Tiger of Eschnapur The Indian Tomb The Thousand Eyes of Dr. Mabuse

Works by Thea von Harbou

Films directed	Elisabeth und der Narr Hanneles Himmelfahrt

Films written	Das wandernde Bild Destiny The Indian Tomb The Burning Soil Dr. Mabuse the Gambler Phantom The Stone Rider Princess Suwarin The Grand Duke's Finances Die Nibelungen Michael Chronicles of the Gray House Metropolis Spione Woman in the Moon M The Marathon Runner The Testament of Dr. Mabuse Princess Turandot Turandot, Princess of China Der alte und der junge König An Ideal Husband The Impossible Woman Der Herrscher Don't Promise Me Anything The Broken Jug Covered Tracks The Woman at the Crossroads Hurrah! I'm a Father Clarissa Via Mala Dr. Holl

Novels written	Das indische Grabmal Metropolis The Rocket to the Moon

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