Fritz Lang’s “Destiny“ (1921) [GERMAN TITLES] Original Title: Der müde Tod

In “Some Time and Some Place,“ a loving young couple is riding in a carriage on a country road, when they pick up a hitchhiker, offering him a ride into town. Little do they know, this stranger is Death himself. In town, Death visits the mayor’s office, where he purchases a small piece of land adjacent to the town cemetery. Surrounding this property, Death erects a giant, mysterious wall. At the local tavern, the young couple encounters Death again, and when the young woman is distracted, her lover disappears. Grief stricken, she sobs in front of the mysterious wall, when she sees a large group of ghosts walk past her, and through the wall. The last among these ghosts is her lover; and despite her protests, he also moves through the wall, entering the realm of Death. Relentless, the young woman confronts Death, begging him to bring her to her lover. He leads her to a large, dark room, with numerous long candles, each one in different stages of burning. The young woman demands to know why Death took her lover away, to which Death explains that he was simply following God’s will, and that it was her lover’s time to die. She asks if there is anything that can be done to get her love back, arguing that love is stronger than Death. Death tells her that each candle in the room represents a human life, and that currently, three candles are flickering, representing three lives hanging in the balance. Death promises the young woman that, if she can save one of these lives with love, he will return her lover to the living. The Story of the First Light: During the holy month of Ramadan in “The City of the Faithful,“ a Muezzin calls those of Islamic faith to prayer. Zobeide, a princess and the Caliph’s sister, meets with her secret lover, the Frank, in the mosque. The Caliph orders his gardener, El Mott, to bury the Frank alive. When Zobeide sees what has become of her lover, Death appears to claim him. The first of three candles burns out. The Story of the Second Light: During the Carnival festival in Venice, Monna Fiametta, a noblewoman, is visited by her lover, Gianfrancesco, a merchant of the middle class. Entering her home in costume, Gianfrancesco is attacked by Monna, who is unaware of his identity. As Monna grieves over her dead lover, Death appears to claim his soul. The second of three candles burns out. The Story of the Third Light: On a farm in the Chinese Empire, master magician A Hi receives a letter from the Emperor, requesting him to perform magic tricks at his birthday party. He warns, however, that should A Hi bore him, he will be beheaded. When the Emperor’s archer confronts the assistants, he kills Liang, but spares Tiao Tsien. Death appears to claim Liang’s soul, and the last of the three candles burns out. Ending: Although Death has won their bet, he takes pity on the female lover, and offers her one last chance to reunite with her beloved. Death tells her that if she can find another soul to replace her lover in death, he will return to the living. He warns that she will only have an hour to do this. “Destiny“ (German: “Der müde Tod: ein deutsches Volkslied in sechs Versen“ (“Weary Death: A German Folk Story in Six Verses“); originally released in the United States as “Behind the Wall“) is a 1921 silent German Expressionist fantasy romance film directed by Fritz Lang and inspired by the Indian folktale of Savitri. The film follows a woman desperate to reunite with her dead lover. It also follows three other tragic romances, set in a Middle Eastern city; in Venice, Italy; and in the Chinese Empire.