Die Spinnen (Teil 1: Der goldene See)

"An abundant array of fairy-tale-like wonders and marvels, woven with remarkable success into a suspenseful, thrilling plot"—this was the enthusiastic verdict of "Der Kinematograph" upon the screening of the first part in October 1919. Although originally conceived as a four-part series, only two installments were filmed, despite the production's immense popularity. The story centers on an American adventurer—a sort of precursor to Indiana Jones—who receives a message in a bottle containing a treasure map from an explorer lost in Peru. He is pursued by a secret society seeking the same treasure; the group, led by a woman who is as beautiful as she is dangerous, uses a tarantula as its identifying symbol. Part 2 delivers even more sensational thrills, whisking the audience from Asia to San Francisco and all the way to the Falkland Islands.
(Florian Widegger)