The Dance of Death (Totentanz) [1919] Silent Film Limited Edition Museum Print (22 x 29)

THE DANCE OF DEATH (1919)

• reproduced from the single known copy of the original 1919 poster
• 22 in. x 29 in.
• high-quality, heavyweight gloss art paper
• limited edition of 100
• blindstamped with the Century Guild emblem

This limited edition, museum-quality fine art print depicts the American release poster for the lost silent film Totentanz (The Dance of Death), penned by Fritz Lang. It was reproduced from the single known copy of the original poster, housed in the Century Guild archive.

Totentanz was written by Fritz Lang years before he directed the legendary films Metropolis, Destiny, and M, and tells the story of a beautiful dancer (Sascha Gura) kept prisoner by a cruel, crippled elderly man who uses her to lure men to their deaths in a bizarre labyrinth beneath his eerie mansion. The film is sadly lost, and only the original posters for the film remain as artifacts to tell Fritz Lang and director Otto Rippert's terrifying story. 

Academic note: There were three different posters created by three different artists to promote the film The Dance of Death (Totentanz) in 1919. The poster pictured here is erroneously credited to Josef Fenneker in numerous places across the internet. Josef Fenneker produced the German poster for the Marmorhaus premiere in Berlin, and Theo Matejko created the Austrian poster. This poster was created for the American movie release, and it is unsigned. While elements of Fenneker are suggested, it is extremely unlikely that the hand that created this artwork was his. All three posters are part of the museum's permanent collection and are preserved in the Century Guild archive.