david-sarkies
This is an adaptation of the German epic poem the Nibelungenleid. The story is about Sigfried, the heir to a kingdom who watched his kingdom destroyed as a boy by the twin kings of Saxony, but was saved by being put on a raft were he was found by a kindly weapon smith. As he grew up he became a swordsman of no uncertain skill, and then one day, after a meteor crashes near his house, he travels out to see what caused the explosion and meets the Queen of Iceland, and after a long battle he subdues her and they fall in love.Later he travels with his adopted father to the local city, the capital of the Kingdom of Burgandy. He learns that they are being terrorised by a dragon who sits on a horde of treasure. He goes out and kills the dragon, and after killing it, bathes in its blood, and thus becomes invulnerable, with the exception of a section of his back where a leaf landed. When he discovers the treasure, he learns that it belongs to the dead, the Nibelungs, and that it is subject to a curse, but he lays claim to it, and takes it with him back to Burgund.This is only the first half of the film, and as you can see the plot is very complex. Not only is there this treasure (which is cursed) there is also a love triangle, deception, betrayal, and innocent murder. This story is a tragedy, and Sigfried is the tragic hero. However, Brunhild, the queen of Iceland is also tragic in her own right, however she never did anything wrong. It was because the sister of the King of Burgundy fell in love with Sigfried and used magic to take his love for herself.Tolkien took a lot of ideas for his story and his realm from this (and other) tales, but the main theme of Lord of the Rings, that is the cursed ring and the desire to possess it, comes directly from this tale. The desire is the possess the treasure for oneself, but possession of this treasure breeds envy and jealousy. When the Twin Kings learn of the location of this treasure, they raise an army and travel to Burgundy to forcefully take it for themselves.This film is divided into two sections, but then again it was originally released as a mini-series, which is not surprising because the movie is three hours long. However, it seems that the first half is about Sigfried's rise, while the second half is about his fall, and his fall is bad and hard indeed. It turns out that the King of Burgundy is also in love with Brunhild, but he is nowhere near as skilled in battle as Sigfried. By this time Sigfried is no longer in love with Brunhild (witchcraft has turned his heart away from her) and Sigfried agrees to disguise himself so that first he might defeat her so that the king may marry her, and then he does it again to get her into bed. She knows that something is up, but it is not until she is mocked before the church by Sigfried's wife when she realises that she has been betrayed.However, it is not Sigfried that betrayed her, but his wife. She has poisoned him so that he may no longer love Brunhild, and in her guilt, she withdraws from the world and dies a lonely woman. However, by the time that everything has been revealed, it is too late to do anything about it. Sigfried has been murdered and the damage has been done, so in a tragic set of circumstances, the show comes to an end, while the treasure is thrown into the Rhine, never to be seen from again.When I first saw this film I wasn't all that sure about it, but as soon as I discovered that it was the Nibelungenleid I really came to appreciate it. In a way I first thought that it was simply another Lord of the Rings rip off, but it is not. In fact, the story that this film ripped off (a lot of the story has been left out) is the same story that Lord of the Rings ripped off. That does not mean that Lord of the Rings was a bad book, it was not, but then neither was this a bad movie.
r-c-s
Rating a movie cannot simply ignore the budget and the production values. This is a TV product (mini-series, whatever )with B or C-lead actors and it is EXTREMELY GOOD for what it is, compared to billionaire Hollywood productions with (supposedly) AAA+ actors paid millions each. Photography is the best thing I suppose; Uli Edel does another very good job. For what it is, it ought to get 10/10. Lead actor Furmann gives me the feeling of a young Liam Neeson ( I wouldn't be surprised if that resemblance had impressed casting directors ); Julian Sands seems a re-edition of the Nottinghan sheriff from Robin Hood (the scar,the slimy demeanor etc ); the first scenes (the castle under siege, the medieval armors etc ) seem right out of Excalibur and a great liberty for times when a Roman Emperor was supposed to still be in power. Samuel West as king Gunther is unconvincing...his face doesn't fit the character...completely miscast. Loken is one of the most credible, along with Witt. A great TV product worth rubbing elbows with AAA+ productions like Lord of the Rings. Great courage in filming and adaptation of the real legend, instead of fantasy junk books 'inspired' by the same (originality is dead, eh?). I just dream of what would Edel have come up with with a LOTR budget... Von Sydow does a nice cameo part and he's among the best of the bunch. Overall, I recommend it.
