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| Fritz Lang's Indian Epic | 
 enlarge | Directors: Fritz Lang, Joe May
Actors: Debra Paget, Paul Hubschmid, Walter Reyer, Claus Holm, Valery Inkijinoff
Studio: Fantoma
Category: DVD
List Price: $34.98
Buy New: $19.95
You Save: $15.03 (43%)
New (19) Used (4) from $19.95
Avg. Customer Rating:  7 reviews
Sales Rank: 63019
Format: Box Set, Black & White, Color, Dvd-video, Ntsc
Languages: English (Original Language), German (Original Language)
Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Number Of Items: 2
Running Time: 201
Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.6
Dimensions (in): 7.7 x 5.7 x 0.9
MPN: 7032
UPC: 695026703228
EAN: 0695026703228
ASIN: B0000CEB6L
Theatrical Release Date: October 1960
Release Date: October 28, 2003
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Editorial Reviews:
Amazon.com
Long dismissed as the last gasp of a great directing career, Fritz Lang's two-part saga of India needs to be rescued from cinema's dustbin. While it has clear limitations, notably the listless actors and shoddy special effects (hard to overlook the fake tiger), this opus is marked by an awesome sense of formal design, immaculate camera composition, and the creeping sense of fate messing up the characters' lives. In the first part, The Tiger of Eschnapur, we delve into the political and personal intrigue that results from a maharaja's infatuation with a temple dancer (sawed-off, sexy Debra Paget). Lang's pacing is deliberate; sometimes the movie resembles an Indiana Jones yarn slowed to a stroll. But as Lang brings the many threads together, the scheme emerges, and the crisp location shooting in India presents a storybook exoticism that, admittedly, has little to do with reality. In the second part, The Indian Tomb, a lovesick maharaja exacts his vengeance. Auteurists will recognize Lang's impeccable eye for screen space and his obsessive concern with the price of tempting fate. Even non-auteurists will appreciate the revolt of the underground leper colony and the cobra dance performed by Paget, who wears something less than a bikini. This is melodrama served up without apology by a director more interested in patterns than psychology. --Robert Horton
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| Customer Reviews: Read 2 more reviews...
 An Indiana Jones type Indian Adventure, 1960 style January 1, 2006
11 out of 11 found this review helpful
As a silent film enthusiast who has enjoyed the German 1921 silent film "The Indian Tomb", written by Fritz Lang and his then-wife Thea von Harbou, I was curious to see this 1959 version of the same story, this time directed by Fritz Lang himself. Although the story is essentially the same and the characters and plots are recognizable, Fritz Lang obviously did a lot of re-writing of the old 1921 screenplay to suit a much different 1959 audience, and I think he succeeded very well. While the original 1921 film is 3 hours long with a more complex and sinister plot, the story has been reworked into two separate films, namely "The Tiger of Eschnapur" and "The Indian Tomb", and has all the hallmarks of a late 1950s, early 60s adventure epic. The quality of these two DVDs is simply excellent, and visually the films are already a delight, being filmed on location in the state of Rajasthan, India - in particular the city of Udaipur, famous for its magnificent palaces which also featured in the James Bond classic, "Octopussy". With real-life Mogul palaces and other striking Indian settings, Lang did not have to go to any great lengths to create a fantasy-like adventure world, not unlike modern-day Indiana Jones movies. Unlike Indiana Jones, however, the story in Lang's Indian Epic is serious: love, jealousy, revenge, intrigues in the royal family, schemes, lepers and a holy man with words of wisdom. The story moves along at a comfortable, steady pace with a good measure of suspense and unexpected turns, along with a nice dose of exotic - and erotic - dancing by Debra Paget. And although fake tigers are always mentioned in connection with "The Tiger of Eschnapur", I would not have noticed if I hadn't heard about it before, as there are plenty of good shots of real, live tigers, and I don't think a one or two second scene of a stuffed tiger or fake cobra should ruin a viewer's overall enjoyment of these two films.
While I would give the story and film quality a 4 - star rating, I was so pleased with this box set in general, the notes on each film inside, the bonus photo gallery and in particular the option of the English-dubbed or original German version (with or without English subtitles) that I'm giving it the full 5 stars. For anyone who speaks German as I do, I'd like to point out that the German language spoken in these two films is absolutely top-class quality and a delight to hear. I'm sure anyone who enjoys 50s and 60s movies will be delighted by this box set and the restored full-length versions of both films (they were previously released in a much condensed version entitled "Journey to the Lost City") and for anyone who has enjoyed the silent 1921 version, this set would surely also be of interest to compare and have a nice change.
metropolis and indiana jones April 2, 2003
5 out of 5 found this review helpful
after watching all of fritz lang's films, most of them in black and white, I found myself especially in awe of the color and detail in this dvd....yes, there are strong hints from metropolis: the leper's advance is similar to the movement of the deadly sins and there are complex tunnel passages in both films...as in rancho notorious, the plot deals with hate, murder and revenge; deception and fate also play their strong roles...but it's the way this film looks visually--the colors, costumes, and architecture -- that sets it apart from all the other lang films...it's definitely worth viewing.
 I love Debra Paget! January 3, 2007
3 out of 4 found this review helpful
Of course I love Fritz Lang, he was one of the great directors of the 20th century. This is pretty good if ocassionally the low budget peaks through on the sets. The location shooting in India is colorful and wonderful, though.
The great surprise is Debra Paget, an actress I had never paid attention to before. She is fabulous in the movies and her erotic dances, particularly in the second movie, are enough to cause the onset of puberty in a five year old. She is entirely convincing as an Indian princess.
I can recommend the movie for her performance and for the great Saturday afternoon matinee feel to these films. After all, Lang was one of the originators of the cliff hanger serial and this was a return to that style. Great fun!
Yes, beautiful, but with one regrettable fault August 2, 2008
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
This boxed set of DVDs does make a handsome package. However there is one fault which previous reviewers have missed. As they note, the color is vivid and the image is exceptionally sharp and clean. What a pity, then, that the film transfer colorist failed to note that many scenes are supposed to take place at night! These night scenes, with exteriors shot in the day-for-night mode, are all rendered in the bright colors of daylight. The error is in the timing of the film-to-tape transfer. It could have been fixed. Too bad!! In all other ways, this is an exceptional package.
This is truly a masterpiece! August 20, 2007
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
This is a lovely film, one of the best ever made. Although I was not a big fan of Lang's Dr. Mabuse, this movie truly is an epic and a classic, awash with beautiful sets, lavish sights and sounds, and a storyline that is just incredible. You will see many similarities to Indiana Jones here, and it's amazing how much the lead actor appears similar (physically) to Indiana Jones as well as in mannerisms. It even seems as if Spielberg must have had Harrison Ford study this original prototype for his own films. (Since Spielberg is the only Hollywood director with any talent, I'll cut him slack for allowing Lang's films to influence his own.) In sum, a wonderfully exotic film full of romance, mystery, and adventure, but as another reviewer noted, the only difference between the "Indiana Jones" films and Lang's is that the latter deals with serious topics. This film isn't merely a saccharine adventure, but a serious drama as well.
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