This film version of the medieval German saga of lovers, kings, jealousy, treachery, and revenge—based less on Wagner’s opera than the original sources of the legend—is brought to life in an elaborate production that includes magical forests, massive castles, fantastic creatures, and spectacular battles. The two-part story is portrayed in two distinct stylistic modes: the first, Siegfried, is geometric, architectural, and painterly; the second, Kriemhild’s Revenge, is dynamic, rhythmic, and fiery. Together, they comprise a master text for a paean to the German nation that Lang would ultimately flee. Shot completely in the studio with massive sets and elaborate lighting configurations, The Nibelungen revisits ancient myths of heroism and treachery, beauty and violence with distinctly modern, cinematic inflections.