A premiere of a classic: Metropolis
 

TV Tip for those who can receive TV station ARTE:

Tomorrow, on Friday, at 20:40 German time, they broadcast the restored version of Fritz Lang's classic "Metropolis", which has been digitally remastered and for the first time ever is to be seen in it's full length. In 2008, 16mm film material was discovered in Buenos Aires that held almost one quarter of the original movie that had been considered lost. This material has been worked over and included in the digitally remastered (and back then still uncomplete) version of 2001.

It is the first time ever that the full and complete version of Metropolis is being shown. There will be big celebration at Berlin's Friedrichstadt Palast.

The now found material was heavily damaged, though, so restoration could achieve so much in effect, and not more. However, the material makes up for one quarter of the movie's complete length.

I remember seeing a restored version in the early nineties with a digitally mastered soundtrack and restored footage. Would be interested to see the additional footage. Hope it gets a release down under soon.

The nineties? The only digital remastering I heared of was from 2001.

Four years ago there was a premier of Metropolis in Ljubljana. Although the mentioned quarter of the movie was missing, we had a life orchestra with Robert Israel conducting the original movie score. It was wonderful. So I'll be more than sure to watch it--- May I come to Germany Sky? The idiotic minds in the programme committee/division or whatever those idiots are called today, decided to cut ARTE and all other cultural programmes from their offer, in order to accommodate the part of the population for whom 10 sports, 15+ music and 10+ cartoon channels weren't already enough. So I guess, I'll need to wait for it to be released on DVD or something alike. Screw this country and considering that we used to have a highly developed culture, quite respected in Europe at the time, although merely locally. Well, so much for educating Slovenians.

I have that digitally remastered, full length, bonus features, etc... DVD of Metropolis. It's an awesome film !

Yep, saw it when it "premiered" on Turner Classic Movies and was blown away, bought the DVD afterwards. Guess I'll be buying an updated version as well if the new more fully restored film is released for sale.

Thanks for the info! :yeah: Be watching that.

It was just the soundtrack that was digitally done NOT the video. Giorgio Morodos did a restoration in 1984 but the one I think I remember seeing, though I didn't see it until about 1990/91, was the 1986 Enno Patalas restoration.

I did see parts of the Morodos version with the pop/rock soundtrack but it earlier but never watched it end to end.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metropolis_(film)#Restorations_and_re-releases

Ah. You even correctly wrote it the first time, but I have read it not precisely enough. My wrong, sorry.

No biggie.:)

Interesting that this of all the movies made from that era is one that still captures the imagination. The other film from that era I really like is Nosferatu.

http://t3.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:8...eratularge.jpg

This I have not seen, but it's on my list.

I'm wondering if there are any other Fritz Lang films that are readily available (by which I mean, likely to be found at Netflix)? Other than "M" and "Metropolis," those are the only two I've seen and I was impressed with both.

This may help...

NOOOOO I don't want that many!

*sigh*

I have at least five years' worth of disks in my queue already.

Oh hey I've actually seen some of the Hollywood ones and didn't remember they were his. Shame on me.

Putting a pop rock soundtrack on Metropolis is an ABOMINATION !!!

Particularly when the music is this bad: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JiZGti2eykk

Mind you there were acts like Freddie Mercury, Pat Benetar and Bonnie Tyler contributing so not all of it is bad '80's synth pop.

Ah yes, another great classic, and highly influential. In a way it still is the best vampyre movie there is. And some scenes are in my beloved Lübeck! :)

Wasn't there a restored version released some years ago, too, or is memory just fooling me?

:yep: http://www.kino.com/video/item.php?film_id=887

I think there have been several restorations over the years. IIRC their was one in the early '80s that came out about the same time as Moroder's restoration/destruction of Metropolis.

I'm sorry, but anything but the original soundtrack is blasphemy.

I missed this thread and this news. I have the Moroder version and an "original" from around the same time on a VHS still.. no player though lol. I will have to look this up, thanks!

It was nice. The new material is visually damaged, but still fits in. This version now is as complete as you can get - only 8 minutes are still missing, their content was summarised on 4 or 5 text screens. They played the original soundtrack live, with a symphony orchestra in front of the moviescreen: the band played 2.5 hours nonstop. Good job of theirs, btw.

The movie - despite the time gap and the obvious moments of Kitsch and Herzschmerz - still is moving, actual, and one can see in the visuals why it has become so very influential.

They found this copy in a museum in buenos aires, 2008, back then it already was a copy from 35 down to 16 mm, with the original copy having been massively used in local cinemas there, and you see it. The flow of the musical score was used to arrange the scenes in the correct, orignal sequence for the first time ever.

the movie was originally cut back then because at the time of it'S release - it was a failure at the cash desks, the critics shreddered it, and thus it was considered to be too long for the American market, so they crippled it. The copy from Buenos Aires was delivered before this took place. Fritz Lang distanced himself a bit from the simplistic message of the movie later on (an interview from 1971 that they showed before the premiere), saying that "the mediator between hand and head must be the heart" was a little bit naive (he blamed the influence of a - female :) - screenplay writer for it). However, the movie still is an impressive piece of social and capitalistic criticism, told in visionary pictures (for that time) that really had benchmark character. In the opening a German director or actor said that in technical meaning it compares to the technical revolution of Avatar today. I think that comment points in a correct direction. Some sceneries and scenes still are impressively composed, and some were simply revolutionary at that time.

It was by far the most expensive German movie production ever, until today, they said.

The show ran synchronous in three places: Frankfurt Opera House, Brandenburg Gate (sub-zero-temperatures...), and the Friedrichstadt Palast where currently the Berlinale Film Festival is running. ARTE broadcasted to several european countries via satellite.