Spooktober 22: Die Pest in Florenz (1919)

 

Another day, another Poe adaptation.  Die Pest in Florenz (The Plague of Florence) is a 1919 German film based on Poe's The Masque of the Red Death, and although it was directed by Otto Rippert, it is most famous for being associated with another German (later turned American) director: Fritz Lang.  Lang however was the script adapter and writer in this case, not the director; it is his only credit on the film, so it is unclear if he also had other involved (highly likely) in the making of the picture. The timing of the film had been noted as especially important; and given the world's recent pandemic plague of Covid 19; it is more relatable than ever. The film was made and released during the "Spanish flu" pandemic griping the world at the time.