120 / BD 46 Die Nibelungen

[Ledos]

Ah, you're right. They actually have updated the news section recently, in June or July - but that update is only the top half of the page. The bottom half, which is where they say "next year", is from the December 2006 update. Strangely there's no indication of this on the page itself, but it becomes apparent when you check with the PDF file which contains only the Dec. 2006 update. How confusing.

But to amend my previous statement: it does look like (if Murnau Stiftung's estimates can be trusted ) the restoration will be finished by the end of this year.

[Tommaso]

The FWMS site is one of the worst official sites by a film institution I ever came across as far as updating is concerned (only the Transit site is worse, it was probably last updated in 2005 or so). Even their TV recommendations are incomplete and usually outdated. And still no word about the new Fritz Lang box set, or about the forthcoming release of Pabst's "Der Schatz". Filed under "restos in progress" we find films like "Spione" and "Münchhausen", both of which are released on dvd in restored form since 2004. Their collection of film posters is nice, but otherwise, a totally unreliable source of information.

[bollibasher]

Any newer news on the prospective release date for this? Been looking forward to it for ages!

Chris xx

[Petty Bourgeoisie]

Any newer news on the prospective release date for this? Been looking forward to it for ages!

Ditto. Any word on this and Woman in the Moon? Any chance before Christmas, or are the two Langs likely to spill over into 2008?

[Paupau]

Just noticed that the Nibelugen cover has been pulled back from the site ( along with the vampyr one ). Any problem on this title too?

[Tommaso]

I would assume that FWMS simply didn't yet manage to finish the new resto on which they've been working for years now....

[bollibasher]

Any updates.......? xx

[lazier than a toad]

Did anyone catch it at the BFI recently? How did the print look? I missed it and can't remember if it was advertised as being from a new resto.

[Tommaso]

Believe it or not, FWMS have managed toupdate their website! As most of it is on the new "Nibelungen" resto, I quote the relevant bits here:

Das Projekt der Murnau-Stiftung umfasst die Sicherung der überlieferten Materialien, die Restaurierung einer deutschen sowie alternativer Versionen und eine Veröffentlichung auf DVD. Geplant ist für die Musikeinspielung eine Zusammenarbeit mit ZDF / arte. Die Verhandlungen hierüber laufen derzeit. [...]

Ziel unserer Restaurierung ist es, die Bildqualität der bisher vorliegenden deutschen Version deutlich zu verbessern und zudem einen Beitrag zur Versionenforschung zu leisten. Erstmals war es möglich, alle erhaltenen bekannten Materialien an einem Ort zusammenzuführen und miteinander zu vergleichen. Durch die Unterstützung zahlreicher Partnerinstitutionen wurden uns verschiedene gekürzte, gefärbte, getitelte und vertonte In- und Auslandsversionen zugänglich gemacht, so dass die Stiftung die Möglichkeit hat, einen der bedeutendsten Schätze des deutschen Filmerbes in seiner ganzen Komplexität und Widersprüchlichkeit erfahrbar zu machen.

To briefly sum up: they are working on both German and 'alternative' versions and are also planning to record a whole new soundtrack. They mention that their aim is to drastically improve the image of the old resto, using and comparing materials from many places including tinted prints. Aim is to make "one of the treasures of the German film heritage" available in its "whole complexity and contradictoriness".

Looks like they still need a bit of time to finish it....

Other restos mentioned (apparently already finished) include Willi Wolff's "Schatten der Weltstadt" and Johannes Guter's "Turm des Schweigens".

And they recorded new music for Pabst's "Geheimnisse einer Seele" (probably already on the new Kino disc), for Murnau's "Faust" (piano track by Azpeitia) and best of all: a new orchestral score for Lubitsch's "Madame Dubarry"!! I bet we will either get a new Lubitsch Transit set soon, or at least Kino will release that... or better: MoC, GO FOR IT!!!

[Rowan]

That's great news! This is one of my favourites. It doesn't look too bad on the Kino disc, so this should be phenomenal. I hope the new recording they speak of is the Huppertz - it's a great score, better than his work on Metropolis IMO.

Thanks for the translation Tommaso!

[Tommaso]

They don't expressly say so, but it must be the Huppertz score. Probably they can't use the old recording because of the newly found and added material.

[Ledos]

Hmm, it turns out that while my previous comment that the film would be released by the end of 2008 was wrong, that date was actually too optimistic.

The current schedule, as mentioned in this article in German, is that the restoration will be completed in 2009.

[HerrSchreck]

A joint venture that will (never) come out with the WB Chaneys, Sjostroms & Greed.

[peerpee]

We're hearing 2010 now. It's being done in HD and there's a test screening of the restored first part of the film later this month. At least it's being done properly with no expense spared, but it seems we'll have to wait a while longer.

Is everyone glad we didn't put out the 'old' restoration? We nearly did in 2005, but held back. When we started to hear "2009" a few months ago, we considered releasing the old restoration yet again, but held back again. Now it's 2010 and we're wishing we'd released the old restoration in 2005.

[ptmd]

I'm thrilled that they are taking the time to do this right, but if they are saying 2010 now, it could easily be three years before this actually makes it out on DVD. For what it's worth, I would prefer to have a good DVD of the old restoration in the meantime, but given how many other great titles you guys are putting out this year, I can certainly wait if need be.

[denti alligator]

Is everyone glad we didn't put out the 'old' restoration?

YES!!!

You're doing the right thing!
Can you please consider making this your first Blu-ray?

[markhax]

The current schedule, as mentioned in this article in German, is that the restoration will be completed in 2009.

The German article contains some interesting bits. The restoration team of the FWMS discovered a missing scene that shows that Kriemhild was murdered, stabbed by Hildebrand on the steps of Etzel's palace in the final scene. In the known versions she just collapsed and died, which to me suggeested that having wreaked vengeance for the murder of Siegfried she had fulfilled her mission, and could now die--rather like Elektra.

What isn't clear, the article tells us, is why this scene was omitted in all surviving copies of Die Nibelungen. The restoration team found it on a reel with outtakes, which makes me wonder whether it was Lang who chose not to include it. In any case, it will be included in the new version.

[domino harvey]

Three years? That supercollider is going to erase all of history by then

[Tommaso]

2010 sounds tough, indeed, but if they finally manage to make this the definite resto, no problems. And I think Nick was right to wait, too.

I. For what it's worth, I would prefer to have a good DVD of the old restoration in the meantime, but given how many other great titles you guys are putting out this year, I can certainly wait if need be.

If you can't wait, you can always get the old resto from divisared in Spain and later update to the MoC. Pretty grainy image, but German titles at least. Not too expensive, also.

[What A Disgrace]

Give spine 40 to another film; preferably a Pabst talkie (39 is Diary of a Lost Girl, after all), and don't look back. I don't mind waiting another *five* years if you can get a definitive restoration of Die Nibelungen.

[unclehulot]

Is everyone glad we didn't put out the 'old' restoration?

YES!!!

You're doing the right thing!
Can you please consider making this your first Blu-ray?

Or 40th Blu-ray?

[Darth Lavender]

[quote="markhax]The German article contains some interesting bits. The restoration team of the FWMS discovered a missing scene that shows that Kriemhild was murdered, stabbed by Hildebrand on the steps of Etzel's palace in the final scene. In the known versions she just collapsed and died, which to me suggeested that having wreaked vengeance for the murder of Siegfried she had fulfilled her mission, and could now die--rather like Elektra.

What isn't clear, the article tells us, is why this scene was omitted in all surviving copies of Die Nibelungen. The restoration team found it on a reel with outtakes, which makes me wonder whether it was Lang who chose not to include it. In any case, it will be included in the new version.[/quote]

That is interesting news. I must say, Kriemhilde's death always confused the heck out of me, to point that it seems every time I watch Nibelungen I end up rewinding the last few seconds a few times, playing in slow motion, etc. just to figure out what the heck actually happened.
Purely as plot, the "Kriemhilde dies because her work is complete" makes sense, but the sCENE itself just doesn't work that way. Instead it's just confusing and irritating and always makes me feel like I missed some crucial detail.

I'd have to reread, but, also, I'm pretty sure that Kriemhilde was stabbed in the original epic poem. (Yes, I even downloaded a copy of that after one viewing of the Nibelungen, just in an effort to figure out what happened at the end)

[Erikht]

Has anything happened here over the last year? This is one title I am not buying from Kino, first of all because I am looking forward to the MoC edition.

[HarryLong]

They mention that their aim is to drastically improve the image of the old resto, using and comparing materials from many places including tinted prints.

Martin Korber's criticism of the "old" NIBELUNGEN resto was that it had been made from prints, even though the negative exists.

I'm curious from the wording here ... are they still restoring from prints or only using them as a guide & for missing material?