Destiny (1921) | May 25, 11:00 am

In Fritz Lang’s spellbinding romantic fantasy, inspired by the Indian folktale of Savitri, a young woman (Lil Dagover) confronts the personification of Death (Bernhard Goetzke) in an effort to save the life of her fiancé (Walter Janssen). In response, Death weaves three romantic tragedies and strikes a deal to unite the girl with her paramour – provided she can prevent the death of the lovers in at least one of the episodes. Thus begin three exotic scenarios of ill-fated love – set in Persia, Quattrocento Venice, and a fancifully rendered ancient China – in which the woman must somehow reverse the course of destiny. – The Criterion Channel

Director: Fritz Lang

Cast: Rudolf Klein-Rogge, Wilhelm Diegelmann, Lil Dagover

Country: Germany

Distributor: Kino Lorber

Rating: Not Rated

Runtime: 1 hour, 39 minutes

Platform: The Criterion Channel (No longer on the service)

Special Programming: Classic Cinema

Author: Josh Hornbeck

Josh is the founder of Cinema Cocktail, and he is a writer and director, podcaster and critic, and communications and marketing professional living and working in the greater Seattle area.