September 4, 2001

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

CONTACT:  Leslie Unger - (310) 247-3000

Beverly Hills, CA - "Spies," Fritz Lang's 1929 silent drama in which the respected director of an international bank doubles as a criminal mastermind, will be presented at the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences on Friday, September 28, at 8 p.m., in the Academy's Samuel Goldwyn Theater.

For fifty years, until the restoration of the film in the mid-1970s, "Spies" was known only in a severely truncated 88-minute version as opposed to the full-length 3-hour film restored by the Munich Filmmuseum, which will be presented at the Academy. In fact, the print to be screened is the most complete version of "Spies" ever presented in Los Angeles. The 15-piece Robert Israel orchestra will provide musical accompaniment.

Written by Thea von Harbou, Lang's first wife and frequent collaborator, and produced by Erich Pommer, "Spies" stars Rudolph Klein-Rogge as the evil genius Haghi, who heads a spy ring specializing in the theft of government documents. The film is characterized by its simple, sparsely-decorated sets, frequent use of close-ups and flawless plot structure.

The screening is being presented in conjunction with the Academy's on-going exhibition, "Fritz Lang: Vienna - Berlin - Paris - Hollywood." Produced by the Berlin Film Museum and presented in association with the Goethe Instiut - Los Angeles and the Los Angeles County Museum of Art (LACMA), the exhibition includes documents, scripts, photographs, set designs and original props, as well as audio listening stations featuring interviews with Lang colleagues such as Billy Wilder, Marlene Dietrich, Glenn Ford and Charles Boyer. Materials for the exhibition have come from the Academy's Margaret Herrick Library, the Berlin Film Museum, the Bibliothèque du Film in Paris, the Museum of Modern Art, the MoviePoster Archive in New York and a number of private lenders. Support for the exhibition has been provided by the Los Angeles Movie and Broadcasting Office of the French Embassy; the Austrian Cultural Forum, New York; the Austrian Consulate General, Los Angeles; the Berlin Senate; and Lufthansa Cargo.

The Academy screening also serves as the kick-off to a series entitled "The Architect of Destiny: Fritz Lang in Germany" at LACMA.

Tickets for "Spies" are $5 for the general public, $3 for Academy members. They may be purchased in advance by mail, at the Academy during regular business hours beginning September 4, or, if still available, on the night of the screening when the doors open at 7 p.m. The Academy is located at 8949 Wilshire Boulevard in Beverly Hills. For more information, call 310-247-3600.