The Spiders

Fritz Lang was one of the most influential directors of the silent era and arguably the most important German filmmaker of his time, but before he made his most enduring epics—including Metropolis—Lang specialized in globetrotting adventure serials such as The Spiders, a two-part silent thriller from 1919–20 featuring hidden treasures, criminal gangs, daring robberies, and expeditions to the jungles of South America and India. The title refers to a crime syndicate ruled by femme fatale Lio Sha (Ressel Orla), whose nemesis is a far less colorful figure, San Francisco adventurer Kay Hoog (Carl de Vogt), who has set off in search of a lost Incan civilization shown on a map drawn by a missing Harvard professor. The complicated plots—with stolen clues, kidnappings, and last-minute daring escapes from disaster—seem to be inspired by the works of Louis Feuillade in France, but the exotic locations (suggested by impressive sets) are pure Lang, and the conspiratorial schemes anticipate the filmmaker's fascination with secret organizations and ruthless crime bosses revealed in later works such as Dr. Mabuse and M. In the arc of Lang's career, this is a minor work, more of a lark than a classic, but an awfully entertaining silent serial nonetheless. Featuring a synthesizer score by Ben Model, this is a strong optional purchase. (S. Axmaker)[Blu-ray Review—Aug. 23, 2016—Kino, 173 min., not rated, Blu-ray: $29.95—Making its debut on Blu-ray, 1919's The Spiders features a nice transfer with an LPCM stereo soundtrack, but no extras. Bottom line: Lang's entertaining film makes a welcome debut on Blu-ray.]