Fritz Lang: The Nature of the Beast

Book arrived promptly and as advertised.

Fritz Lang made some of the greatest German silent movies, and then in Hollywood became the director of some classic film noirs. Behind the scenes he was a tyrant on the set, generally Grumpy in his personal life, and yet at the same time a loyal friend. The author goes into all of it. A good read!

I saw a portrayal of Fritz Lang in the Last Tycoon series and wanted to read more about this figure. This book tells you what you need to know ! If you are looking for a quick read forget it because the author did his research and goes into great details about places and events. I read a few chapters and then have to put it down and read something else but then go back because Mr. Lang was a very interesting person! I have only gotten as far as his German movies and am looking forward to his American movies. I say read it, but it will take awhile!

An excellent almost day-by-day biography of the German master filmmaker, combining useful information which expands our knowledge and appreciation of his films. Worth every page!

Excelent book, very detailed, all you want to know about Fritz Lang.

"Nature of the Beast" is an excellent rendering of Lang's life. From Lang's childhood and early films, to the infamous afternoon flight from the Nazi's and beyond, McGilligan's attention to detail brings Lang's mythology alive (and down to earth). Love him or hate him - there was only one Fritz Lang!

Did you know, dear reader, that Fritz Lang invented the backward countdown that is now a staple of blastoff protocol? We can't ever say art doesn't influence life! It becomes clear though that Mr Lang tried very hard to influence the facts so that some important parts of his lifescript were rewritten to make a better story. For example, his "escape" from Nazi Germany which reads like an inferior Hitchcock. But no less than Braque or Malevich in painting, film artists deserve study too. There are many problems facing the student of the latter however, as the film making process might involve thousands of individuals - the analysis can be quite daunting not to mention whose perspective is the more valid amongst the thousands. Author Mr McGilligan is up to the task. It may be that the qualities of Mr Lang revealed by his research - fastidious attention to detail, healthy ego, obsessive number of takes, authoritarian manner on the job - may be the very ones that made him many enemies as well as a great movie maker. Henry Fonda for one loathed Mr Lang 'til the day he died. Mr McGilligan overcomes the problem of what is "true" by giving the reader the best evidence of alternative viewpoints and invites the reader to choose. For example, Mr Lang may have murdered his first wife, or she may have committed suicide with his gun after discovering him and his mistress flagrante delicto. Either way Mr Lang was in some ways a nasty piece of work. He was also elegant, intelligent, a high decorated Viennese war hero, art collector, painter, of Jewish ancestry on one side of his family, who fully participated in the decadence of 1920's Berlin, and 1930's Hollywood. His appetite for sex and drugs is covered in the book. Even in old age he accepted the "services" of an admiring fan and frequented prostitutes almost to his last days. Nevertheless, the creator of TESTAMENT of DR MABUSE, METROPOLIS, RANCHO NOTORIOUS and THE BIG HEAT was a great enough talent to be paid homage to by GODARD and BUNUEL. Whether your taste runs to the production process of film making, the clash of huge egos, eg, Spencer Tracy V Fritz Lang, gossip, or a part-history of 20th century cinema, or analysis of the life and work of one of its great artists, then this book is a real treat.

Mr McGilligan has brought his usual exhaustive research to this book about the Man Who Made METROPOLIS. Lang has long been an enigmatic character in the film world, always quick to reinvent his own history through the numerous interviews he has done over the years, most notably with Peter Bogdanovich in the book FRITZ LANG IN AMERICA. McGilligan uncovers much new material on Lang, a man who seems to have had just as dark a side as some of the characters in his films. Interestingly, the author seems to have discovered that he didn't actually like the director much as he researched the book! FRITZ LANG: THE NATURE OF THE BEAST is a compelling read.

A good account of Fritz Lang's experience of directing 'The Woman in the Window'.Interesting discovering that he was on the blacklist for six months which meant that no scripts or offers were coming through to keep him in employment. Like Edward G. Robinson being brought in from the cold by Cecil B. DeMille in 'The Ten Commandments', Harry Cohn from Columbia Pictures brought Lang back in from the cold by offering him 'The Blue Gardenia'. It wasn't a good film, even by his own admission, but he got the opportunity to work with Anne Baxter.It was also interesting finding out who Lang didn't get on with such as Spencer Tracy, Henry Fonda, Lili Palmer and Gloria Grahame.

It' s so wonderfull book, which contains a lot of information about one of the biggest master of the cinema history. I recommend it to everyone who is interested about that genius called Fritz Lang.