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How was the medieval epic Nibelungenlied adapted in Fritz Lang’s films Siegfried and Kriemhild’s Revenge?

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Fritz Lang directing Woman in the Moon (1929) — Fritz Lang Although it took Fritz Lang some 21 years to make 22 Hollywood films, arguably at least half of them are noirish masterpieces of menace. His time in Hollywood, which began in 1934, followed a directing career in Germany during the 1920s that included several landmark films.

Fritz Lang’s 1924 films, Siegfried and Kriemhild’s Revenge, were ambitious adaptations of the 13th-century Nibelungenlied, a medieval epic poem that chronicles the heroic deeds of Siegfried and the subsequent vengeance of Kriemhild against the Burgundians.12

Lang, collaborating with his wife and screenwriter Thea von Harbou, structured these films to mirror the two-part narrative of the original source material:12

Siegfried: This first part focuses on the legendary hero’s arrival at the Burgundian court, his assistance to King Gunther in winning the hand of Brunhild, his marriage to Kriemhild, and his eventual betrayal and murder by the henchman Hagen.1
Kriemhild’s Revenge: The second part shifts to the aftermath of Siegfried’s death, detailing Kriemhild’s marriage to the Hun king Etzel and her calculated, violent quest for vengeance against her brothers and Hagen, which culminates in the destruction of the Burgundians.1

Lang’s adaptation is noted for its meticulous visual detail and exacting mise-en-scène, characteristic of his work during the 1920s at the UFA studio.2