Fritz Lang's Indian Epic
Product Description
**GORGEOUS 4K RESTORATIONS RELEASED FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER IN NORTH AMERICA**
**TWO FILMS PRESENTED IN A 2-DISC SET, PACKED WITH BONUS FEATURES**
After more than two decades of exile in Hollywood, master filmmaker Fritz Lang triumphantly returned to his native Germany to direct this lavish two-part adventure tale from a story he co-authored almost forty years earlier - The Tiger of Eschnapur and The Indian Tomb.
Called to India by the Maharajah of Eschnapur, architect Harald Berger (Paul Hubschmid) falls in love with beautiful temple dancer Seetha (Debra Paget), who is promised to the Maharajah. Their betrayal ignites the ruler's wrath, and the lovers are forced to flee into the desert for a series of spectacular adventures.
Featuring breathtaking location photography and nail-biting suspense, this epic is highlighted by Paget's erotic temple dance, a battle to the death with a man-eating tiger, sandstorms, a cave of lepers, and a bloody palace rebellion. Together these films provide a cinematic link between classic silent serials and the modern action thrills of Indiana Jones and The Mummy. Previously available in America as Journey to the Lost City, a radically condensed 90-minute version, these exotic masterpieces are presented in this 2-disc boxed set newly restored to their original splendor.
Bonus features include audio commentaries by film historian David Kalat, The Indian Epic documentary, Debra Paget, For Example, a video essay by Mark Rappaport, and 20-page booklet with an essay by film scholar Tom Gunning.
Review
A sweeping adventure filled with tigers, snakes, romance and the camp-connoisseur favorite Debra Paget, these two movies marked Lang's return to German film production after more than two decades in Hollywood, although both were shot and set in India. [M]ore than three hours of expressionistic color and wild plot developments await. - Ben Kenigsberg, The New York Times
Perhaps Lang's most open-aired use of color, and wonderful, late-period entertainment. --Jeffrey Anderson, Combustible Celluloid
Visually striking adventure film, in beautiful color. - Michael Grost, Classic Film and Television
Exciting, exotic and imaginative epic. --Dennis Schwartz, Ozus' World Movie Reviews
[A]n utterly glorious late testimonial and summative work from one of cinema's titans. - Roderick Heath, Film Freedonia
Packed with romance, action and humour, Der Tiger also features some solid performances, especially from Swiss actor Paul Hubschmid, and is an all-round success. --Michael Ewins, E-film Blog