![]() First, Freder (Gustav Fröhlich), the heart of the movie, sees a statue of Death centered among other statues representing the seven deadly sins. Metropolis, the 1927 German masterpiece by Fritz Lang, features the Grim Reaper briefly in a pair of highly memorable scenes. Metropolis (1927) Much of the original version of Metropolis was thought to be lost until a print was discovered in Argentina in 2008. However, the robe Georges wears and the scythe he carries are clear indications of who and what he represents. The spirit that visits David is his friend Georges (Tore Svennberg) who died a year prior, so he is technically a grim reaper and not the Grim Reaper. As David’s soul leaves his body, he is visited by a ghostly man in a carriage who attempts to help David see the harm his actions in life had on others. ![]() The movie follows David (Victor Sjöström), a drunkard and unrepentant jerk who has a near-death experience after being hit on the head with a bottle. The Phantom Carriage is one of the earliest depictions on film of a scythe-carrying representation of Death. Movies About the Grim Reaper The Phantom Carriage (1921) The Phantom Carriage is notable not only for its impressive special effects, but also because of its influence on famous Swedish director Ingmar Bergman. Either way, this list chronicles the most notable depictions of the Grim Reaper in movies along with a few interesting variations. Or perhaps it’s because audiences aren’t terribly eager to be directly confronted with their own mortality. Perhaps it’s the Reaper’s traditionally grim demeanor that keeps him (or her) out of the spotlight. Since then, the Grim Reaper has appeared in movies in various forms, some more human than others.Īs a character and an archetype in film, the Grim Reaper is used in far fewer films than more popular supernatural entities like vampires and witches. However, The Phantom Carriage(1921) may be the earliest reaper-like appearance of Death, complete with a dark robe and scythe. In movies such as The Phantom Carriage (1921) seen here, the Grim Reaper is often the conduit for a morality tale.ĭeath as a character in movies goes back to the silent era with early portrayals seen in films like Eerie Tales(1919). Much later, the name “Grim Reaper” was first used in association with the personification of Death in the book The Circle of Human Life (1847). The image of a scythe-wielding skeleton stuck. With the Black Death killing millions of people in the 14th century, the idea of a soul-harvesting figure creeped into everyone’s minds. The image of the Grim Reaper as a skeletal figure wearing a black, hooded robe and carrying a scythe is thought to originate in Europe during the 1300s. The most recognizable form of Death in Western culture is that of the Grim Reaper. Since dying is a natural part of life, people throughout history have personified Death in various ways. The post received more than 30,000 points (95% upvoted) and 325 comments (shown below).Death is inevitable. ![]() Several months later, Redditor Fingolf645 posted a variation featuring Will Smith and references to 2019's Aladdin and the YouTube Rewind video. The post received more than 120 retweets and 1,000 likes in less than six months (shown below, right). On October 18th, 2018, Twitter user posted a variation using characters from the video game Fortnite. The post received more than 230 points (96% upvoted) and 10 comments (shown below, center). On April 29th, 2014, Redditor ado90 posted a variation featuring the soccer player Sergio Ramos. On September 3rd, 2013, the blog 1389blog posted a version of the cartoon in which a boot labeled with the Russian flag is kicking the grim reaper out of its doorway (shown below, left).ġ0 days later, the original cartoon was uploaded to 9GAG, receiving more than 120 points in six years. The post received more than 330 points (94% upvoted) and 30 comments in six years. However, the cartoon likely dates back earlier than this post.ĭays later, on August 21st, 2013, Redditor supersaiyanbr0ku posted the image in the /r/conspiracy subreddit. In this variation, the grim reaper is wearing a United States flag, while the doors are labeled "Iraq," "Libya," "Egypt" and "Syria," criticizing America's foreign policy and military engagements in other countries (shown below). The earliest known instance of these cartoons was posted by Taringa xelha999 on August 16th, 2013.
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