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LATE TO THE PARTY: METROPOLIS

post #1 of 13
10/26/10 at 2:40am
Thread Starter 
Jeremy catches up with Fritz Lang's masterpiece...

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post #2 of 13
10/26/10 at 2:56am
To be fair, I think the flack you were taking wasn't about the picture quality of the Blu Ray, it was about the massive restoration of footage that puts the film back in the shape that Lang intended, or as close to it as possible.
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post #3 of 13
10/26/10 at 3:00am
This is more or less true. I also did a little reading up on what was found and it does indeed add a LOT in terms of firming up the narrative. There's a whole lot added to Rotwang and Frederson's relationship that I really want to see.
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post #4 of 13
10/26/10 at 3:05am
The restored version is playing theatrically here this week. I'm really hoping I can wrangle things to the point where I can see it. I already missed the version with a live band accompaniment, but they're still running the recorded soundtrack version.
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post #5 of 13
10/26/10 at 3:14am
I only just saw it for the second time during the summer (first time I saw it was about 10 years ago), when they were playing the "fully restored" version in limited run in theaters. And it is truly great. And yeah, the relationships between various characters are fleshed out a bit. Though I must warn you, the "restored" footage was barely restored. There were a few times when you could barely see what was on the screen because the print was so bad. I believe that the theatrical run was kind of a rush job though, so I'm hoping the blu-ray is cleaned up a bit. Though there's only so much you can do with 80 year old footage that was found in an old chest somewhere in Argentina!

Anyway, I'm babbling now. An amazing film. I'm glad you got to see it and appreciate it.
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post #6 of 13
10/26/10 at 3:14am
Gah - I'd kill to see this theatrically. And with a live score at that? Man oh man.
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post #7 of 13
10/26/10 at 4:49am
I first became aware of Metropolis in 1977, via a still of the Robot in The Star Wars Album, the book that made me a movie lover.

Caught the standard American version three or four years later, probably at the UC Theatre.

Then there was the Giorgio Moroder edition in 1984 (seen at the Cannery in SF), which despite the silly rock score was notable for restoring the Hel subplot. Also saw this version a couple of times with the sound off and good old Bob Vaughn playing the organ at the UC.

Caught the 2001 reconstruction at the Pacific Film Archive, and snapped up the Facets DVD the minute it came out. Also acquired: Thea Von Harbou's novel, which follows the film very closely.

Saw the latest version (by this point I've learned not to label any edition "complete") at the San Francisco Silent Film Festival this summer, with Alloy Orchestra playing live plus a Q&A with the Argentinian archivists who identified the 'lost' print.

It's a unique phenomenon-- a movie I've grown up with, that keeps growing by itself. Who knows--maybe that last handful of missing scenes is still out there somewhere.
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post #8 of 13
10/26/10 at 5:26am
Quote:
Originally Posted by E.T.C. View Post
Though I must warn you, the "restored" footage was barely restored.
Actually, it's been substantially restored, and they spent about a year working on it. But there's no way second-generation 16mm with printed-in scratches and a cropped-off image window will ever be made to match up with archival 35mm.

What I find fascinating is how the re-integrated material changes the context of the previously-available high-quality footage. For instance, The Thin Man has always been present in the shorter versions (and in several key scenes), but I never noticed him before because I didn't know who he was.
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post #9 of 13
10/26/10 at 4:34pm
Saw the theatrical release of this in Schenectady, NY about a month ago. I knew nothing about it going in except its place in cinema history.

Sweet merciful crap this was mindblowingly amazing. A narrative from which you can mine a thousand different statements on the human and social condition. Effects that have aged gracefully.(No real 'Worst CGI' moments to be found.) A love story that doesn't work reverse psychology and make me hate human contact.

Easily one of the best theater experiences I've ever had. The pretty packed house seemed to agree as the film and Organ Guy got a standing O when it was all over.
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post #10 of 13
10/27/10 at 5:37pm
This recently came to the Belcourt with the Alloy Orchestra live. I'm still kicking myself for missing it.

A great film, as is M. Holy shit, M.

The restored version will be showing on Turner Classic November 7th.
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post #11 of 13
10/27/10 at 7:31pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Hammerhead View Post
I first became aware of Metropolis in 1977, via a still of the Robot in The Star Wars Album, the book that made me a movie lover.
I remember that robot image being all over the place in 1977. It's the first time I can remember a discussion of a film's influences being in the public dialogue. I don't recall it happening much since, either.
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post #12 of 13
10/27/10 at 11:19pm
Metropolis's cityscapes do pop up in a lot of Blade Runner articles.
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post #13 of 13
11/1/10 at 5:31am
I don't even know.
The Occult Symbolism of Movie “Metropolis” and its Importance in Pop Culture
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