Spione is a 1928 German silent espionage thriller, directed by master filmmaker Fritz Lang and co-written with his then-wife, Thea von Harbou. Like many of Lang’s most famous films, the sophisticated multi-plot narrative presents a master criminal aiming for world domination. In fact, the film weaves together recurrent Lang themes of fate, fear, power and paranoia into a dynamic conspiracy thriller that taps into the underlying tensions of Weimar Germany and presents the modern city as at once liberating and frightening.
On screen, the mastermind Haghi (Rudolph Klein-Rogge), behind a ubiquitous spy operation learns of a dangerous romance between a Russian lady in his employ, Sonya Baranikowa (Gerda Maurus), and dashing agent 326 (Willy Fritsch), from the government’s secret service.
Film details
Productieland
Germany
Jaar
1928
Festivaleditie
IFFR 2019
Lengte
150'
Medium/Formaat
DCP
Taal
silent
Première status
None
Director
Fritz Lang
Screenplay
Fritz Lang, Thea von Harbou
Production design
Edgar G. Ulmer
Sales / World rights holder
F.W.- Murnau Stiftung
Producer
Erich Pommer
Production company
Fritz Lang-Film
Cinematography
Fritz Arno Wagner
Music
Werner R. Heymann
Principal cast
Rudolf Klein-Rogge, Gerda Maurus, Lien Deyers, Louis Ralph, Craighall Sherry, Willy Fritsch, Paul Hörbiger