Average Rating: 
Rating:  - Finally a worthwhile restoration...
Fritz Lang's Metropolis has been one of the most abused films of all time. Immediately after its debut in 1927, about a quarter of the film's reels were removed (and lost). Since then, the film has been re-edited multiple times, to the point that some earlier editions were more or less incoherent.
The story of Metropolis is a bit simple and bit convoluted at the same time, but more or less it is about the battle of the individual against a monolithic, totalitarian technological future. I suspect the original plot was meant as a metaphor for industrial labor and social unrest in the 1920's. In this way, Metropolis is a battle of the individual against the excesses of the industrial revolution.
That said, the real reason the film has endured despite multiple mutilations is that incredibly innovative film making. The film was state of the art, and indeed has been a foundation for many modern science fiction films since. In this regard, it is perhaps the real triumph of 1920's German Expressionist cinema.The Kino release dvd is a real treat. The restoration is near perfect, much better than I expected. The film looks like a retored film from the 1950's, not from the 1920's. Germany's F.W. Murnau Foundation, the people responsible for the restoration, went frame by frame and restored the film to as close to its original as possible. Of course, many sequences are still missing, possibly forever. To solve this problem, intertitles were inserted to describe the missing plot sequences. Finally, the film is coherent. There is some dispute as to the running time of the film. Running time is listed as 124 minutes but is in fact 118. The German release of the film IS 124 minutes, and most of the material I have read states that this is the correct running time. The Kino disk has a frame rate slightly higher than it should be, and the result is that a few scenes do look like the motion is too fast. As I said, there is some debate about this... I have heard also that Kino has the correct frame rate. That being said, most of the material disputes this. In any case, the Kino editon is the best the film has looked in years, and certainly the most coherent edition any of us have probably seen. Great care has been taken to restore both the physical condition of the picture and the plot line, and the result is spectacular. Metropolis was state of the art film making at its best, and it still impresses.
Rating: - METROPOLIS as you've never seen it
I'll assume you've seen STAR WARS, or at least you're familiar with it. Suppose that STAR WARS was available only in a severly mutilated version shortened by a quarter, omitting key plot elements regarding the relationship of Luke Skywalker, Darth Vader and Obi Wan Kenobi. Then for whatever reason portions of the dialog were rewritten, redubbed and the John Williams score was replaced with generic classical selections, or perhaps a contemporary rock score. To add insult to injury, let's suppose that even this mutilated version is only seen in blurry, faded and sometimes unwatchable prints. Well, that's precisely the treatment that Fritz Lang's METROPOLIS has received over the years. The new restoration gives fans of science fiction film, silent film, german expressionist film, classic film music and the magic of the cinema reason to rejoice! Though, sadly, the portions which were cut seem to be irretrievable, the remaining elements have been restored using state-of the art techniques and re-edited into their proper sequence with the original title cards. The results are accompanied by the stirring score prepared for the film's premiere in the 1920's and the final presentation is nothing short of breathtaking. I've seen the film many times over the years and watching this restoration is like seeing it for the first time.
Rating: - As good as it gets
All previous releases of "Metropolis" are going to seem remarkably grungy compared to this one. Kino Video, Transit Film, the Murnau Foundation, and a small army of dedicated people have put a great deal of work and care into producing the most complete version of "Metropolis" that anyone has seen since its premiere. Although about a quarter of the footage is still missing, the new restoration restores not only the surviving footage but a great deal of the story line as well. We learn (among many other things) why the Robot is female, why 'she' tries to destroy the city, and why Rotwang appears to go mad toward the end of the film; secondary characters like Josephat, 11811, and 'Slim' are fleshed out, and Alfred Abel's character Joh Fredersen is given much more depth. The picture quality is now comparable to that of a well-preserved '40s or '50s sound film; some of the effects scenes were entirely reconstructed from the original optical elements, and unobtrusive intertitles have been added to fill us in on parts of the film for which the footage has been lost. The soundtrack is the original orchestral score-- something for which I am extremely grateful. There have been several releases of "Metropolis" with soundtracks that had nothing to do with the film (random selections of old foxtrots or classical music)-- the original score holds the film together in a way that I've never experienced before. This is now a movie! The DVD contains some nice extras; production and advertising art, two featurettes ("The Metropolis Case" and "The Restoration"), and various bits of background info. There is also an audio commentary by Enno Patalas, which is both informative and insightful and makes many relevant references to Thea von Harbou's original novel. In short: if you want a copy of "Metropolis", this is the one to get.
|
