In 1920's France was known for its impressionism, Soviet Union for its montage cinema and Germany for its expressionism. Both F.W. Murnau and Fritz Lang are usually seen as the biggest representatives of it. Murnau's Faust (1926) and Lang's Der müde Tod have taught us year after year what is German expressionism, and I could bet that both of these films are in every film school's curriculum. Der müde Tod is often translated as The Three Lights or Destiny, but a more accurate translation would be Tired Death. It tells the story of a young couple in love, who arrive to a small German village and soon become acquainted with Death.
When researching the history of cinema it is good for one to take a perspective, from which one starts to look at the films. One perspective I myself enjoy is correspondances. The loyal partner for Lang's Der müde Tod can be found easily; F.W. Murnau's Nosferatu (1922). They're both full of suggestive Gothic and expressionistic imagery. Both Murnau and Lang define a zone in their Gothic masterpieces. The zone in between of physic and metaphysic, life and afterlife, real and surreal. Fritz Lang was able to create poetry of imagination, which changed cinema for ever and left a permanent influence on such artists as Luis Bunuel, Jean Cocteau and Georges Franju.
Der müde Tod portrays man in front of an eternal problem which is why the common translation Destiny isn't that bad at all. Fritz Lang shows us death, which awaits us all like destiny, something which cannot be avoided. The storyline has taken a lot of influence from expressionistic theater and German folks tales; the characters have no names. The character Death is tired of earning his salary: he's tired of seeing death and agony, misery and suffering of man. The tired Death resembles a modern day bureaucrat but also a responsible hard-working man.
Fritz Lang got an incredibly crew to make this film with him which is why it is often seen as his breakthrough. He was able to create the fantastic Bagdad, Venice, ancient China and timeless German village. Even that this is seen as one of the greatest examples of German expressionism, the expressionism of it is very subtle. The most suggestive images are simplified, minimalist, powerful and unforgettable; the wall and the dream-like room of different kind of candles, each of which represent one human life.
In the story when Death comes and takes the Man with him the Woman is ready to do anything. Her love is so strong that she doesn't want to live without her love. Death offers her a deal at the room of candles; if she is able to save one of the three candles from fading away she will have her love back. Der müde Tod grows out to be a beautiful study of humanity but at the same manages to be one of the most entertaining films of the era.
As the Woman desperately tries to save the candles and afterwards find a life to sacrifice for Death, which would result her to get the Man back, we're able to see how Lang builds this humane tale. The Woman proves her humanity as she saves the baby from the burning building and is willing to die for another. All this makes Der müde Tod sound like a very dark and serious film, which it is, but paradoxically it's also one of the most humorous ones by Fritz Lang. Der müde Tod is an unforgettable masterpiece and no lesser compared to its companion Nosferatu. It's a study about the essence of humanity, filled with unforgettable expressionistic imagery.
When researching the history of cinema it is good for one to take a perspective, from which one starts to look at the films. One perspective I myself enjoy is correspondances. The loyal partner for Lang's Der müde Tod can be found easily; F.W. Murnau's Nosferatu (1922). They're both full of suggestive Gothic and expressionistic imagery. Both Murnau and Lang define a zone in their Gothic masterpieces. The zone in between of physic and metaphysic, life and afterlife, real and surreal. Fritz Lang was able to create poetry of imagination, which changed cinema for ever and left a permanent influence on such artists as Luis Bunuel, Jean Cocteau and Georges Franju.
Der müde Tod portrays man in front of an eternal problem which is why the common translation Destiny isn't that bad at all. Fritz Lang shows us death, which awaits us all like destiny, something which cannot be avoided. The storyline has taken a lot of influence from expressionistic theater and German folks tales; the characters have no names. The character Death is tired of earning his salary: he's tired of seeing death and agony, misery and suffering of man. The tired Death resembles a modern day bureaucrat but also a responsible hard-working man.
Fritz Lang got an incredibly crew to make this film with him which is why it is often seen as his breakthrough. He was able to create the fantastic Bagdad, Venice, ancient China and timeless German village. Even that this is seen as one of the greatest examples of German expressionism, the expressionism of it is very subtle. The most suggestive images are simplified, minimalist, powerful and unforgettable; the wall and the dream-like room of different kind of candles, each of which represent one human life.
In the story when Death comes and takes the Man with him the Woman is ready to do anything. Her love is so strong that she doesn't want to live without her love. Death offers her a deal at the room of candles; if she is able to save one of the three candles from fading away she will have her love back. Der müde Tod grows out to be a beautiful study of humanity but at the same manages to be one of the most entertaining films of the era.
As the Woman desperately tries to save the candles and afterwards find a life to sacrifice for Death, which would result her to get the Man back, we're able to see how Lang builds this humane tale. The Woman proves her humanity as she saves the baby from the burning building and is willing to die for another. All this makes Der müde Tod sound like a very dark and serious film, which it is, but paradoxically it's also one of the most humorous ones by Fritz Lang. Der müde Tod is an unforgettable masterpiece and no lesser compared to its companion Nosferatu. It's a study about the essence of humanity, filled with unforgettable expressionistic imagery.