The Leader

Issue date: 4/23/09 Section: Film

With Hollywood constantly churning out remakes and sequels, one might desire a change in entertainment, and that is the purpose of this article. Dubbed "Master of the Darkness" by the British Film Institute, Fritz Lang stands alongside a history of innovative filmmakers having achieved many narrative and technical accomplishments. In a brief article, we can examine why audiences around the world should be taking a closer look at Fritz Lang's innovations and masterpieces.

Before Indiana Jones, James Bond, or Zatoichi ever hit the screen, Kay Hoog was the name of adventure, fighting criminal organizations and hunting for ancient treasures in exotic locations. From 1919, The Spiders is made of two different tales about Kay Hoog, the wealthy sportsman, and was originally suppose to consist of four. This silent film, thought to be lost for years, shows how talented Fritz Lang was, even in his early years, to produce such an extravagant world. Fight scenes and foreign settings grace the screen, skillfully, without the aid of sound.

Before Hannibal Lecture or Darth Vader ever menaced audiences, the criminal mastermind Dr. Mabuse was cinema's villain. Dr. Mabuse, the title character in Lang's trilogy, was a professional hypnotist who used deception and intellect to steal and murder. His legacy lived on in numerous sequels long after Fritz Lang's original three films introduced us to complex characters as well as new special effects techniques (such as during the hypnotism sequences).

Fritz Lang went on to create another work of art entitled M, based on real life crimes in Europe. As his first film with sound, he cleverly uses the device of off-screen noises and vocals as a tool of suspense and mystery, contributing great amounts to the genre of Film Noir. This film also introduced the world to Peter Lorre who would go on to star in a variety of films, becoming an infamous name in cinema.

As possibly his most famous work, Fritz Lang's Metropolis unveiled a cityscape of machinery, conspiracy, and a civilization divided between workers and the upper-class. With the help of mirrors and miniatures, the skyscrapers and streets of the bustling city come alive with amazing detail and technique, truly capturing the futuristic dystopia. With mad scientists, robots, mass destruction, and biblical parallels, Metropolis remains one of the greatest masterpieces of German Expressionism, and cinema itself.

Without even investigating "Destiny," "Siegfried," or "Fury," Fritz Lang has proven himself to be a prime element in the creation of modern storytelling and technological advancements in cinema. His work may be almost a century old, but the complex images and ideas he used to create his films will remain forever.

So as the entertainment business becomes more mainstream, mimicking one success after another, the origins of true genius will be traced back, and the real storytellers, such as Fritz Lang, will always be known.

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