Fritz Lang's Die Nibelungen (1924), parts I and II
The great Fritz Lang's two-part film cycle about the famous German legend of Siegfried the dragon-slayer and his wife Kriemhild. Quite enjoyable if you like silent films in the vein of Metropolis.
The films are pretty damn faithful to the source material, the medieval epic poem The Nibelungenlied. However, they're also full of Lang's trademark striking visuals. There's some unusual symbolism, too--for instance, Lang uses trees throughout both movies as a symbol of death.
Clearly this film duology was an influence on the young George Lucas. And also Tim Burton: Danny Elfman's Batman theme is quite obviously taken from Gottfried Huppertz's musical motif representing Attila the Hun.
7 out of 10 severed heads.
Sergei Eisenstein's Alexander Nevsky (1938)
Despite being a Soviet propaganda piece, this is a wonderfully paced, fast-moving, fun film in the vein of the original Star Wars. The heroes are heroes and the villains are villains, and we know exactly who is who and so rejoice in the heroes' victory.
9 out of 10 horned helmets.