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| Spies | 
 enlarge | Director: Fritz Lang
Actors: Rudolf Klein-rogge, Gerda Maurus, Lien Deyers, Louis Ralph, Craighall Sherry
Studio: Kino Video
Category: DVD
List Price: $29.95
Buy New: $19.15
You Save: $10.80 (36%)
New (12) Used (5) from $18.50
Avg. Customer Rating:  13 reviews
Sales Rank: 75266
Format: Black & White, Closed-captioned, Dvd-video, Full Screen, Silent, Ntsc
Language: English (Original Language)
Rating: Unrated
Number Of Items: 1
Running Time: 143
Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2
Dimensions (in): 7.1 x 5.4 x 0.6
UPC: 738329038526
EAN: 0738329038526
ASIN: B00064AEWY
Theatrical Release Date: March 10, 1929
Release Date: November 9, 2004
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Condition: BRAND NEW AND FACTORY SEALED
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| Customer Reviews: Read 8 more reviews...
 The Birth Of The Modern Spy Film. November 15, 2004
13 out of 13 found this review helpful
SPIES appropriately marks the beginning of the modern spy thriller as we know it today. It features an intrepid hero, a beautiful woman with divided loyalties and a cunning and diabolical villain. There is also international intrigue, bedroom politics, gadgets galore and spectacular stunts. What raises it above the ordinary is Fritz Lang's passion for detail and the emphasis on the principal woman character.
Women are the central focus of Lang's films during the 1920's from Kriemhild in DIE NIBELUNGEN to Maria in METROPOLIS and Friede in WOMAN IN THE MOON thanks to scriptwriter Thea von Harbou (Lang's wife at the time) whose stories concentrate on the power of love to redeem or destroy. Sonja in SPIES is no exception. Everything revolves around her. Put all this together and you have a film that is as compelling today as it was 75 years ago.
Rudolf Klein-Rogge (the inventor from METROPOLIS) stars as Haghi, the head of a powerful criminal network whose specialties are blackmail and espionage. Trying to catch him is Agent 326 (Willy Fritsch) of the German State Police where no one has a name only a number. Things are complicated by Haghi's #1 spy Sonja Barranikowa (Gerda Maurus) who is great at obtaining secrets but is haunted by her past. How these characters interact and how the plot resolves itself is what makes SPIES so captivating. There's also a real doozy of an ending.
The restoration work is remarkable adding more than 50 minutes to previous existing versions and the picture quality is superb. Add Donald Sosin's new score and you have a real winner on your hands. Even if you don't know or don't like silent films you'll be entertained. And if you do like them then you can't afford to miss out on this new release from Kino.
One of Fritz Lang's best! November 26, 2004
8 out of 8 found this review helpful
It's probably impossible to top "Metropolis", but "Spies" must surely rate as one of Fritz Lang's best films, and this brilliant KINO video DVD clearly shows why. Restored from the best footage from various sources to almost 2 1/2 hours in length, this epic can be watched again and again without ever a dull moment. This is mainly due to quite a complex and fast-moving storyline which demands considerable attention, but well worth the effort and it keeps getting better the more you watch it. Although a lot happens all around in the spy world, the focus is on two individuals who fall in love while assigned to spy out each other's network and activities. The criminal matermind whose spy network undermines the government has become the classic spy movie theme, and watching "Spies" reminded me of James Bond more than once. It is sophisticated and must have been cutting edge in its time, but it still packs a punch even today - much like Fritz Lang's previous great achievement, "Metropolis", of which "Spies" often reminded me. Besides excellent picture quality and easy-to-read intertitles, the musical score is simply brilliant and really caught my attention, such as authentic Japanese music accompanying the scenes of the Japanese head of Secret Service, while other parts feature nice orchestral and piano accompaniment. It is never overbearing however, and always perfectly suited to the mood of each scene, adding to the overall impact of the film. For a busy story with action, suspense, intrigue and an unexpected ending, you can't do much better than this restored version of "Spies".
 FRITZ LANG'S EPIC THRILLER LOOKS GREAT December 21, 2004
3 out of 4 found this review helpful
Fritz Lang's great looking 1928 SPIES (Kino) has been restored from various 35mm elements discovered in mostly European archives. At 143 minutes, this version is more than 50 minutes longer than any previous home video release. Lang's action-filled, super-spy thriller stars Rudolf Kleine-Ragge as Haghi, the head of a complex criminal empire. Willy Fritsch is the undercover agent assigned to topple the crime lord from his throne. The plot is greatly enhanced by focusing on two individuals who fall in love while spying on each other.
Loaded with sexual intrigue and high-tech gadgets, "Spies" remains surprisingly contemporary, even 76 years after its premier. Once again, composer-performer Donald Sosin delivers an intuitively brilliant score that rises organically from Lang's artfully melodramatic scenes. For fans of Lang's "Metropolis," this terrific film is a must.
Fast-pacing, sinister Great-One by Fritz Lang September 7, 1999
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
Great about this video is that it actually uses the original music score which adds a lot to the pictures. See harakiri-, motorbiking- and traincrash-action! Also a nice love-story and a lot of seducing. Enjoy!
Slow spy yarn February 26, 2007
2 out of 3 found this review helpful
The evil super-spy Haghi wants to topple the German government. Agent No. 326 is assigned to stop him. One of Haghi's operatives, the beautiful Sonya Baranilkowa, is directed to stop Agent No. 326. Unfortunately for both spies, Agent No. 326 and Sonya, they fall in love with each other. It's one of those love-at-first-sight things. In the meantime, the Japanese are finalizing a delicate treaty with Germany, and Haghi wants to get his hands on the treaty before it is delivered to Tokyo. Therefore he appoints another of his Mata Hari types, Kitty this time, to seduce Doctor Matsumoto and bring the treaty back to him. Meanwhile...
But what's the point? Fritz Lang's silent SPIES (1926) has enough plot points to fill ten movies. It plays for a long 144-minutes, is as convoluted as a pretzel, with multiple plot threads to challenge, and I guess, in some cases, delight the audience. The bad guy, the wheelchair-bound Haghi, is reminiscent of Lang's Dr. Mabuse (master criminal) in terms of his nefarious omnipresence. According to Lang, as quoted by Lotte Eisner in `Fritz Lang,' Haghi, "the master spy, is nothing less than what we would call today (quoted in 1967) a human computer... He has an utter disregard for human beings." I'm probably not the first person to point this out but the hero, Agent No. 326, is suave and dashing enough to lend credence to claims he's an early model for British super-spy James Bond. He even has a number for a name and a hot blonde with connections to the alpha bad guy panting after him.
This may cost me my membership in the Fritz Lang Appreciation Society, but SPIES (1926) didn't work for me. It's not the acting, which, by silent film standards, is above average and effective. I especially like Sonya Baranilkowa (Gerda Maurus,) who has to go from the throes of ecstatic love (with Agent No. 326) to the depths of distrusting hatred (with Haghi.) By today's standards Maurus, along with everyone else, is over-the-top, but by its standards her performance is very convincing. Some of the visual touches, the looming shadows fighting on the wall while the captive heroes struggle to get out of the chair they're tied to, are nice, too. The big problem I had was with the pacing, especially at the beginning of the movie. We're introduced to Agent No. 326 when he's in disguise as a street tramp, and slowly - oh so slowly - learn Haghi is killing off the government spies, presumably as part of his evil empire gig, and Agent No. 326 is on his list. The first time we see Haghi he's trying to blackmail a beautiful opium addict into joining his nefarious empire. All of this stuff works to establish the character of two of the movie's major characters, but it chews up an awful lot of celluloid, and none of it directly relates to the plot. SPIES eventually gets on track but, because it has so many plot threads to attend to, it never really gains much forward momentum. You can add another star onto my ratings if you have more patience than I do. There's not many extras on the Kino disk to help you out, either. There's a text-only "Notes on the restoration" video that'll tell you how this print was cobbled together. Even for strong Fritz Lang fans I'd recommend watching this one before you decide to spring for this premium priced dvd.
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