Dark Kingdom: The Dragon King

Dark Kingdom The Dragon King also known as Ring of the Nibelungs, Die Nibelungen, Curse of the Ring, and Sword of Xanten is a 2004 German television film directed by Uli Edel and starring Benno Frmann, Alicia Witt, Kristanna Loken, and Max von Sydow. The film is based on the Norse mythology story Vlsungasaga and the German epic poem Nibelungenlied, which tells the mythological story of Siegfried the DragonSlayer. Richard Wagners music dramas Siegfried and Gtterdmmerung are based on the same material. Dark Kingdom The Dragon King was written by the husband and wife team of Diane Duane and Peter Morwood and is a Tandem Communications production. It was filmed entirely in South Africa.

The film is set around the time when many Europeans had changed their religion from paganism to Christianity. The film is split into three parts, and comprises the story of Siegfried from childhood to his death. The film opens with a young Siegfried awakening in the middle of an invasion of his parents castle by Saxons. The castle is soon overrun and all are slain except for Siegfried, whose mother has sent him down the river. In the morning he is picked up by a blacksmith, Eyvind, who raises him under the name Erik.Twelve years later, Brunhild, the Queen of Iceland still a pagan like Eyvind and Erik follows her advisers runes that lead her to where Erik lives. The runes foretell that a star will fall from the sky and from its smoke a man will appear who will defeat her. Brunhild initially has doubts as no one has ever beaten her in a fight before. That night a meteor, a described announcement to a war between the gods called Ragnark, hits the earth near the smithy and despite Eyvinds warning, Erik goes to investigate. In the middle of the crater there are two rocks of a strange kind of metal. Wearing a cloak over her face, Brunhild arrives and Erik, believing she is a Saxon, attacks her. After a short battle he defeats her, and they instantly fall in love with each other, seeing their gathering as the will of the gods. After making love Erik promises to go to Iceland to meet Brunhild and they fall asleep. In the morning Erik wakes up alone after Brunhild has taken one of the rocks and left. Erik convinces Eyvind to let Erik go with him to Burgund the kingdom of the Burgundians and on their way down the river they see a town in flames. ........

Source: Wikipedia