Fritz Lang Criticism
Fritz Lang, born in 1890 in Vienna, stands as a seminal figure in cinema, renowned for his technical innovation and profound thematic exploration. His career spans both the German and American film industries, with each period marked by distinctive contributions to the art of film. Lang's German works, notably Metropolis and M, are acclaimed for their pioneering narrative techniques and thematic investigations into moral decay amid technological progress and societal upheaval. In films such as Dr. Mabuse, der Spieler, Lang critiques the tumultuous socio-political landscape of post-war Germany. His fascination with urban architecture is vividly explored in The Urbanistic Vision in Fritz Lang's Metropolis, where the monumental urban landscapes become key narrative elements.
Lang's transition to Hollywood brought a shift towards more conventional narratives while maintaining psychological depth and societal critique. His American films, such as Fury and Scarlet Street, continue the themes of justice, authority, and moral ambiguity, reflecting concerns of his European works. Despite the constraints of the Hollywood system, Lang persisted in highlighting the darker sides of human nature and the societal impact of declining patriarchal structures. This is explored in Patterns of Violence Toward Women in Fritz Lang's While the City Sleeps.
Lang's films are distinguished by their visual style and thematic depth, as he employed pioneering techniques and storytelling methods that influenced generations of directors. His mastery over complex narrative strategies is discussed in Structures of Narrativity in Fritz Lang's Metropolis. The transition to sound with M marked a pivotal moment in Lang's career, demonstrating his adaptability to new cinematic technologies. However, his final German film, The Testament of Dr. Mabuse, was banned for its anti-Nazi sentiment, prompting Lang's departure to the United States. In Hollywood, he continued exploring the psychology of crime and societal norms, as analyzed by George Wilson and Gavin Lambert.
Lang's versatility extended to various genres, including Westerns and war stories, with his later works maintaining the stylistic and thematic rigor of his early career. His final film, The Thousand Eyes of Dr. Mabuse, revisits the crime and psychological complexity that define much of his oeuvre. This enduring focus is highlighted by Roger Greenspun. As critics debate the merits of his German versus American periods, Lang's influence remains undeniable. His work continuously navigates the intersection of narrative and visual innovation, leaving an indelible mark on the landscape of film criticism and appreciation.
Contents
- Principal Works
-
Lang, Fritz (Vol. 20)
-
The Cinema: 'Destiny' at the Polytechnic Hall
(summary)
In the following essay, Bertram Higgins argues that Fritz Lang's film "Destiny" is a groundbreaking example of psychological fantasy in cinema, despite its narrative and technical flaws, and advocates for its recognition as an influential work in film-making standards.
-
The Cinema: 'The Niebelungs'
(summary)
In the following essay, Iris Barry critiques Fritz Lang's film The Niebelungs for its innovative visual beauty and its prioritization of aesthetic composition over dramatic narrative, while also highlighting the film's flawed English subtitles, emphasizing the need for films to balance storytelling with visual harmony.
-
Moving Pictures: 'Metropolis'
(summary)
In the following essay, Evelyn Gerstein critiques Fritz Lang's film "Metropolis" for its lack of cinematic subtlety and realism, emphasizing its artistic composition and thematic focus on the mechanized future, while noting its shortcomings in narrative concision and character development.
-
The Cinema: 'Metropolis'
(summary)
In the following essay, Iris Barry critiques Fritz Lang's "Metropolis" for its cinematic shortcomings despite its visionary depiction of a future city, highlighting its expressionist strengths and the film's ambition to reach epic scale while noting the film's melodramatic narrative and inconsistent design elements.
-
The Achievement of the Cinema
(summary)
In the following essay, William Hunter critiques Fritz Lang's Metropolis for its superficial treatment of complex themes, arguing that despite its technical brilliance and architectural grandeur, the film's vision of the future remains simplistic and unconvincing.
-
Tragedy and the Screen
(summary)
In the following essay, William Troy argues that Fritz Lang's film "M" transcends sensational horror to achieve the status of classical tragedy by focusing on the social consequences of crime and employing symbols that convey horror implicitly, thus demonstrating the vitality of tragic emotion in modern cinematic expressions.
-
Siegfried Kracauer
(summary)
In the following essay, Siegfried Kracauer examines Fritz Lang's films, arguing that they reflect the societal chaos and tyranny of their times, with works like Dr. Mabuse the Gambler and M serving as documents of historical and psychological conditions, characterized by expressive visual styles, thematic exploration of fate and anarchy, and Lang's tendency to prioritize ornamental design over narrative substance.
-
Revaluations—I: 'Siegfried' 1922–1924
(summary)
In the following essay, Roger Manvell critiques Fritz Lang's Siegfried for its excessive stylization and slow pacing, while acknowledging its legendary atmosphere and visually impressive scenes, particularly those set in natural landscapes, although he suggests the film would benefit from being projected at a faster speed.
-
Film Reviews: 'The Big Heat'
(summary)
In the following essay, Lindsay Anderson argues that Fritz Lang's film The Big Heat successfully recaptures the director's former prowess with its tautness, speed, and intelligent writing, contrasting favorably with Lang's recent less impactful works.
-
Film Reviews: 'Human Desire'
(summary)
In the following essay, Lindsay Anderson critiques Fritz Lang's film Human Desire for its sharper focus and European-style complexity in its early narrative, but ultimately laments its collapse under commercial and production pressures, leading to an unconvincing conclusion.
-
Fritz Lang's America: Part One and Part Two
(summary)
In the following essay, Gavin Lambert explores Fritz Lang's oeuvre, highlighting the recurring themes of power, fatality, and societal indifference within his German and American films, noting a stylistic evolution from expressionist roots to a more abstract and melodramatic approach, with his later works reflecting a lesser personal engagement yet significant cinematic contributions.
-
Fritz Lang in America
(summary)
In the following essay, François Truffaut argues that Fritz Lang's films are defined by themes of societal alienation, personal vendetta, and inexorable style, reflecting his own obsessions and pessimism, particularly after fleeing Nazi Germany, and posits Lang as a misunderstood genius of contemporary cinema.
-
The Nine Lives of Dr. Mabuse
(summary)
In the following essay, John Russell Taylor examines Fritz Lang's recurrent exploration of chaos and disorder through the character of Dr. Mabuse, highlighting Lang's transition from crime for its own sake to philosophical reflections on power and destruction, while ultimately emphasizing Lang's visual rather than philosophical storytelling.
-
Film Clips: 'Tigress of Bengal'
(summary)
In the following essay, John Gillett analyzes Fritz Lang's films "The Tiger of Eschnapur" and "The Indian Tomb," noting their roots in early scenarios co-written with Thea von Harbou and highlighting their visual appeal, intricate action, and Lang's enduring affection for adventurous narratives despite their outdated storytelling style.
-
The Haunted Screen: Expressionism in the German Cinema and the Influence of Max Reinhardt
(summary)
In the following essay, Eisner examines Fritz Lang's cinematic techniques, particularly in films like Metropolis and Die Spinnen, highlighting his mastery of lighting, expressionistic stylization, and narrative precision, while also acknowledging the influence of collaborators like Thea von Harbou on the melodramatic elements of his work.
-
Roger Greenspun on 'The 1,000 Eyes of Dr. Mabuse'
(summary)
In the following essay, Roger Greenspun contends that Fritz Lang's film The 1,000 Eyes of Dr. Mabuse is a masterful and complex work that explores themes of perception, fate, and the intricate connections between characters, enhancing Lang's thematic depth and stylistic refinement beyond his earlier Mabuse films.
-
Fritz Lang's American Nightmare
(summary)
In the following essay, Alfred Appel, Jr. argues that Fritz Lang's film "The Woman in the Window" utilizes dreamlike elements and motifs, such as repetitive symbols and mirrors, to create a sense of psychological entrapment, highlighting Lang’s precise craftsmanship and economic storytelling characteristic of classic film noir.
-
Fritz Lang's Career Girl
(summary)
In the following essay, David L. Overbey examines Fritz Lang's depiction of the femme fatale motif in his films, arguing that the unfilmed scenario Death of a Career Girl exemplifies Lang's thematic exploration of power, ambition, and the perversion of truth, with a focus on the eerie shift of corruption from grand villains to ordinary individuals.
-
Fritz Lang
(summary)
In the following essay, Lotte H. Eisner explores the distinctive blend of realism and fantasy in Fritz Lang's films, emphasizing his unique style, thematic concerns of guilt and morality, and the continuity between his German and American filmmaking periods, despite differing environments and evolving cinematic techniques.
-
Lang's Ministry
(summary)
In the following essay, David Thomson explores Fritz Lang's distinct cinematic style, characterized by meticulously crafted interiors and artifice, emphasizing how Lang's films, such as The Ministry of Fear, utilize space, light, and action to create a tense, controlled atmosphere that reflects an authoritarian vision.
-
'You Only Live Once': The Doubled Feature
(summary)
In the following essay, George Wilson argues that Fritz Lang's film You Only Live Once is a cinematic masterpiece notable for its thematic and stylistic complexity, particularly in its exploration of perception and blindness, challenging audiences to reconsider their judgments and the intricate human relationships depicted in the film.
-
Robert A. Armour
(summary)
In the following essay, Robert A. Armour explores the dual internal and external struggles in Fritz Lang's films, highlighting the director's use of archetypes, mythological references, and psychological realism to depict the battles between good and evil, while acknowledging Lang's cinematic flaws and thematic focus on human inner conflicts.
-
Fritz Lang: Only Melodrama
(summary)
In the following essay, Don Willis critiques Fritz Lang's body of work, arguing that while Lang is often seen as a melodramatist fascinated with crime and violence, his films like "Kriemhild's Revenge" and "Liliom" transcend this stereotype, revealing deeper thematic complexity and emotional insight.
-
The Cinema: 'Destiny' at the Polytechnic Hall
(summary)
-
Lang, Fritz (Vol. 103)
-
Structures of Narrativity in Fritz Lang's Metropolis
(summary)
In the following essay, Williams discusses the narrative structure of Lang's Metropolis using A.G. Greimas's system of analysis.
-
On Fritz Lang
(summary)
In the following essay, Bellour provides an analysis of Lang's common cinematic techniques used throughout his career.
-
M: A Reconsideration
(summary)
In the following essay, Chang discusses the role that Schranker plays in the narrative of Lang's M, and questions the character's purpose in the film.
-
Patterns of Violence Toward Women in Fritz Lang's White the City Sleeps
(summary)
In the following essay, Kaplan asserts that while Lang correctly assessed the decline in male authority in the public and private spheres, he puts forth only one solution: a return to the old-style patriarchal authority, instead of a move toward something new and positive.
-
The Place of Women in Fritz Lang's The Blue Gardenia
(summary)
In the following essay, Kaplan presents three ways in which the male discourse in Lang's The Blue Gardenia is undercut by Norah, the female protagonist, even though Lang restores the order of the film noir at the end of the film.
-
Ideology and Cinematic Practice in Lang's Scarlet Street and Renoir's La Chienne
(summary)
In the following essay, Kaplan compares how different cultural contexts affect Lang's Scarlet Street and Renoir's La Chienne, two films made from the same literary original.
-
Metroplis Mother-City—'Mittler'—Hitler
(summary)
In the following essay, Dadoun discusses Lang's Metropolis in terms of its moral ideology and presents possible reasons why Hitler admired the film.
-
Fritz Lang and Goebbels
(summary)
In the following essay, Werner traces the facts surrounding Lang's departure from Germany and the banning of his The Testament of Dr. Mabuse.
-
The Urbanistic Vision in Fritz Lang's Metropolis
(summary)
In the following essay, Neumann discusses the urban architecture of Lang's Metropolis in light of contemporary thought about monumentalism, technological progress, and skyscrapers.
-
Structures of Narrativity in Fritz Lang's Metropolis
(summary)
- Further Reading