Posted on 02/23/2010 4:53:09 PM PST by SunkenCiv
83 years after its Berlin premiere, "Metropolis" can finally be seen as Lang originally intended it. Well, almost.
A restored version that incorporates over 20 minutes of newly discovered footage was screened last Friday at the 60th Berlin International Film Festival. Tickets to the gala, featuring the original score performed by a live symphony orchestra, sold out quickly. But throngs of cinéphiles braved subfreezing temperatures to congregate at Pariser Platz, where the film was beamed onto a screen set up at the Brandenburg Gate.
Since the 1980s, there have been multiple attempts to reconstruct the film using imperfect sources. Until now, the most definitive version was the 124-minute 2001 restoration supervised by the Friedrich Wilhelm Murnau Foundation. That organization, named for the great movie director, is dedicated to preserving Germany's cinematic heritage and also behind the current restoration.
http://si.wsj.net/public/resources/images/ED-AK973_metrop_D_20100216183940.jpg
http://si.wsj.net/public/resources/images/ED-AK973_metrop_G_20100216183940.jpg
Friedrich-Wilhelm-Murnau-Stiftung / Museo del Cine Metrop
A still from Fritz Lang's film "Metropolis."
In 2008 a 16mm negative was found in Buenos Aires that ran nearly half an hour longer than any known "Metropolis" print. Incorporating this new footage, the version screened at the festival runs 147 minutesâjust six minutes shy of the running time of the film shown at the Jan. 10, 1927, Berlin premiere.
Those hoping to discover more lascivious outtakes might be disappointed that the restored material mainly makes the narrative less disjointed. While "Metropolis" came under attack for some sexual content, most of the censorship cuts were restored in the '70s and '80s.
(Excerpt) Read more at online.wsj.com ...
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Just adding to the catalog, not sending a general distribution. |
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The film had amazing special effects for its time. Fritz Lang was one of the all-time great movie directors.
I even bought the soundtrack. It was pretty good.
Per Wikipedia:
David Mallet’s music video for the song features scenes from Fritz Lang’s 1927 sci-fi movie MetropolisFreddie Mercury’s solo song “Love Kills” was used in Giorgio Moroder’s restored version of the film, and in exchange Queen were granted the rights to use footage from it in their “Radio Ga Ga” video. However,.....
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radio_Ga_Ga
When the lost footage was discovered I posted a thread to inform other interested in such important cinema news. In a very short time there was a number of replies. Then without rhyme or reason the mods then deleted the whole thread. I guess not everybody is into German Impressionism.
Since then I’ve been waiting for the day I could see the entire film. It won’t be long now. Delightful.
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