"Die Spinnen, 1. Teil - Der Goldene See" is a German full feature film from almost 100 years ago. It was intended as the first of 4 films, but in the end, there was only one sequel. The protagonist is played by Carl de Vogt, but the most prominent cast member today is probably Lil Dagover. I am not too big on silent films (don't be fooled by the soundtrack) or adventure films in general, but I enjoyed this one. The version I saw only went for 55 minutes, so I guess they sped things up or some scenes were missing here, possibly lost. One good aspect is that there were definitely enough intertitles, something these very old films are badly in need of. Also the acting was solid, even if I wasn't too moved by the love story. But I liked how writer and director Lang did not go for happy endings in here, but for realism. And as many other times with his works, there is a sinister criminal organization playing a major role. The Spiders are not really spiders, but said organization. And there are definitely many moments during which I felt I was watching a very very old Indiana Jones movie. I also liked the prologue with the guy on the island. Not the main character, but he made a nice initialization to the movie. I will certainly watch the sequel after this one. I hope it's equally good. Recommended.

Imagine waking up and turning over to your lover only to find her missing and a huge black spider on her pillow. Imagine parachute jumping from a hot-air balloon high above the ruins of an Incan city in Mesoamerica. Imagine the chief protagonist dressed like Batman sans cape and living shipboard in a crate complete with your favorite liquors, a reading library and arsenal. Imagine a primary character name Kay Hoog – who happens to be a man. If you can imagine that, then it might be a flash-back to this film. Fritz Lang showed his filmmaking genius early in his career with "The Spiders." These two first installments, beg for a remake and for some creative effort to produce the final two segments - "The Secret of the Sphinx" and "For Asia's Imperial Crown" - that were never made.

Well, well... Even if you're a fervent admirer of Lang's silent films, this early one - the first part of a two-part unfinished four-part serial(!) - will leave you in doubt about Fritz's narrative skills. (His directorial skills aren't that evident either, but here and there one senses his talent for building up atmosphere.) The pic's just pure juvenile nonsense, which wouldn't be half as bad, were it not for the long ponderous stretches in between the childish action scenes.But the whole affair almost gets by on its amiable innocence.4 out of 10 Inca treasures

This first episode of Fritz Lang's "The Spiders" is an entertaining adventure story, and it is particularly notable for its imaginative settings and visuals, and for the way that each sequence leads smoothly into the next. The story is far-fetched, of course, but Lang tells it quite well, and it makes for enjoyable viewing.The basic setup of the sinister organization of "Spiders" involves some of the themes that Lang used in more detailed form in his Dr. Mabuse movies. Here, the story is strictly for entertainment purposes, and as such it works well. Ressel Orla is suitably elegant as the leader of the "Spiders", and she usually makes the best of her opportunities.The opening message-in-a-bottle scene sets the tone, establishing tension and mystery right away. From there, Lang builds up the story nicely, as the characters learn about the hidden treasure and compete with each other and with other adversaries to find it. His style here is similar to that in some of the best of contemporary action movies, such as the Indiana Jones films. Most of the scenes work well in themselves, and once it gets going, each scene also moves the story ahead immediately to the next scene, without letting you pause for breath.Lil Dagover also adds a lot in her role as the priestess. Carl de Vogt is adequate as the hero Hoog, but he does not have a lot of presence or charisma, and most of the energy level in the characters comes from the female leads.This episode got "The Spiders" off to a good start, and it is the best of the two segments that Lang actually filmed. It does not have the deep themes found in Lang's best movies, but as entertainment it works quite well.