Metropolis - Right now!

[dhermann1]

At 8PM, Sunday Nov. 7, 2010, EST, on TCM, Fritz Lang's great early Sci Fi masterpiece, Metropolis!

 

[Fletch]

I am not missing that! Vielen Dank Herr Hermann!

 

[dhermann1]

And Gotterdammerung to you, too, Booboo!

 

[beth]

It should be recording.

 

[dhermann1]

Whew!!! I have the previous "complete" version from about 15 years ago, and I must say this new version is does not have as much startlingly new material as I anticipated. But holy schmoley! What a movie! A very fast 2 1/2 hours. On a certain level it don't make NO sense at all. But on so many others it's amazing.

 

[Doctor Strange]

I watched the first hour before switching to Boardwalk Empire. Not alot of new stuff showed up in that hour.

I still feel the way I've always felt about this film: it's a fantastic piece of expressionist filmmaking with amazing imagery... and a dumb plot that doesn't make any sense, and some horrendously poor acting (along with some good acting too). A tremendous influence on all future SF and horror films, to be sure, but not really as brilliant as it's cracked up to be.

But hey, I'm a tough room...

 

[LizzieMaine]

We showed the restored version in August -- it's gorgeous on the big screen -- and I thought it was the first time the plot had ever made sense to me. The addition of the scene explaining the relationship between Rotwang and Fredersen and their conflict over Hel cleared up a big plot hole, and made it more clear just why Rotwang would sabotage Fredersen's plot against the workers.

When we show silents, there are always a few jackasses in the audience who feel the need to snicker and laugh to show how "ironic" they are, but there was none of that when we showed Metropolis until the chase scene at the very end, which actually would benefit from some judicial editing.

 

[Doctor Strange]

Well, I'd still like to see the rest of it sometime, and see if I feel the storyline is really improved. But I've been enjoying the heck out of Boardwalk Empire, and last night it was just no contest.

Of course, I'm thrilled that there's now a longer print, and it's undeniably an important and influntial flick... but honestly, it's never been one of my favorite silents (or even one my favorite German silents).

 

[Leesensei]

I watched this on TCM the other night. I was very impressed with the movie and really enjoyed seeing it again with the restored scenes. My Daughter sat with me and watched the whole thing. Unfortunately I had forgotten some of the more risque elements of the plot where Maria is replaced by the evil robot. Fortunately, my daughter didn't ask me to explain too much!

Lee

 

[Fletch]

I was blown away...
Also very instructive to see the trilingual documentary that followed about the rediscovery of the Buenos Aires print. It was a freak occurrence that it even got to BA so early - an exhibitor from BA saw the pic in Berlin almost immediately upon release, bought a print and the Latin American rights. Then UFA studios decided the picture was too long and pulled it! That's when much of the missing footage was cut out - waaay back in early 1928.

Finally, we learn how long it was known that there was a longer cut of Metropolis out there and how impossible it was to confirm the fact! It's a challenge getting archives to "get around to" allowing even a scholar to see stuff. They are always overworked and/or moving house. Always. I don't suppose operating on Latin time helps! lol

 

[DanielJones]

For an old silent I rather enjoyed that one the other day. The art of that movie is wonderful for the time. The musical score by Gottfried Huppertz a joy to listen to, and you can hear where John Williams got some of his inspiration for his scores in Star Wars and Indiana Jones. Shame they couldn't have restored the additional footage that they found a little better so as to make it appear somewhat seamless but all in all it was a great effort. The set designs for back them were extraordinary, it would have been neat to be able to see all of that in color.
I wonder if anyone has thought of doing a remake of this film in that kind of epic scale with that Art Deco/German Expressionism futuristic flair. Heck the group that gave us Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow could capture the feeling of the original. Who else comes to mind that could pull off a decent remake today? Maybe Ridley Scott?
I also recall some time back around 2001 there was a Japanese anime film named Metropolis, which came from a 1949 Manga, but was more related to the 1927 film than it was the Manga it came from. I may have to check that one out again.

Here is a colorized shot from the 1927 film next to the black and white.

Cheers!

Dan

 

[Story]

Last week Geeta Dayal over at Wired published portions of a very cool 32-page program for the 1927 futuristic film Metropolis. The program is for sale at a rare book shop in London and seeing the blog post reminded me of an article in one of my magazines from 1927. It took me a little while to find (most of my archive is a terribly disorganized mess) but I finally found the magazine I was looking for — the June 1927 issue of Science and Invention.

The magazine featured a two-page spread titled, ”Metropolis—A Movie Based On Science,” with photographs and illustrations depicting how the movie’s cutting-edge effects were achieved. The use of miniatures, sparks of electricity with forced perspective and television-telephones are all explained in illustrations credited to “Bate.”

http://blogs.smithsonianmag.com/pal...looks-at-metropolis-a-movie-based-on-science/

 

[Story]

Recovered 1927 Metropolis Film Program Goes Behind the Scenes of a Sci-Fi Masterpiece
http://www.wired.com/underwire/2012...nearthed/?pid=7549&pageid=112666&viewall=true

 

[V.C. Brunswick]

I was blown away...
Also very instructive to see the trilingual documentary that followed about the rediscovery of the Buenos Aires print. It was a freak occurrence that it even got to BA so early - an exhibitor from BA saw the pic in Berlin almost immediately upon release, bought a print and the Latin American rights. Then UFA studios decided the picture was too long and pulled it! That's when much of the missing footage was cut out - waaay back in early 1928.

Finally, we learn how long it was known that there was a longer cut of Metropolis out there and how impossible it was to confirm the fact! It's a challenge getting archives to "get around to" allowing even a scholar to see stuff. They are always overworked and/or moving house. Always. I don't suppose operating on Latin time helps! lol

Funny, but according to legend and rumor a complete uncut print of Erich von Stroheim's Greed is also said to have been seen in Buenos Aires. It was no doubt owned by the same visionary exhibitor. lol

 

[ButteMT61]

Most expensive movie poster ever sold in 2005. Wish I had found it!http://m.guardian.co.uk/film/2012/jun/26/movie-poster-auction-fritz-lang-metropolis?cat=film&type=article

 

[The Wiser Hatter]