A film about Patrice Chéreau's controversial centenary production of Wagner's "Der Ring des Nibelungen" produced at Bayreuth 1976-1980. Includes excerpts from rehearsals, performances, and recording sessions interspersed with various commentary. Also includes a brief history of the Bayreuth Festival from its beginnings to the mid-1980s, including archival footage and photographs.

"Takes you deep into the artistic and musical challenges of the epic Ring des Nibelungen by Richard Wagner. Visionary director Robert Lepage begins a five-year journey to create the most ambitious staging in Metropolitan Opera history, featuring a 90,000 pound set ("The Machine") conceived to meet Wagner's immense theatrical demands. The film follows heroic singers from rehearsals to performance as they take on many of the most daunting roles in opera"--Container....

The meeting of Siegfried with the dragon and with Brünnhilde.