A 137-minutes long METROPOLIS (1927) - How many versions... and why?
01-23-03 | 01:32 PM
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A 137-minutes long METROPOLIS (1927) - How many versions... and why?
OK, so this is one of the first Sci-Fi movies "per se", and we all know it has a history... some hated it, some loved it: H.G. Wells considered it idiotic....
Over the years, this movie has risen to cult status. Unfortunately, it has not received the treatment it deserved, and the only existing DVD copies I've seen so fare are 'el cheapo' Madacy & Co. vesions, running from less than two hours to under 90 minutes.
There's been a flurry of activity lately regarding the restoration process, and the subsequent new DVD edition:
http://www.dvdtalk.com/forum/showthr...hreadid=262652
http://www.dvdtalk.com/forum/showthr...hreadid=259879
http://www.dvdtalk.com/forum/showthr...hreadid=264465
The movie was butchered many times, and the soundtrack was re-recorded again and again. I even have a friend, musician and great film buff, who composed an award-winning score (!), a few years back.
And yet... there's not only debate concerning the correct running time (a complicated issue, considering the variable speeds of the projection), but also content.
I have found yet another version of Metropolis on Kazaa (of all places!) which clocks an impressive ...
137 minutes!!!
I don't know who put it there, or what the source material is. And the speed is acceptable (slightly accelerated, but not "a la Keystone Kops')
All I'm saying is that there's a version here that MIGHT have stuff we've never seen before.
Mods, I know we're dealing with a sensitive subject here, but I believe that an exemption should be made, just as in the case of the Original Trilogy Star Wars DVDs. Besides, we're talking about 1927 material which should be public domain by now, and therefore nobody is injured, while film buffs and completists can rejoice...
Over the years, this movie has risen to cult status. Unfortunately, it has not received the treatment it deserved, and the only existing DVD copies I've seen so fare are 'el cheapo' Madacy & Co. vesions, running from less than two hours to under 90 minutes.
There's been a flurry of activity lately regarding the restoration process, and the subsequent new DVD edition:
http://www.dvdtalk.com/forum/showthr...hreadid=262652
http://www.dvdtalk.com/forum/showthr...hreadid=259879
http://www.dvdtalk.com/forum/showthr...hreadid=264465
The movie was butchered many times, and the soundtrack was re-recorded again and again. I even have a friend, musician and great film buff, who composed an award-winning score (!), a few years back.
And yet... there's not only debate concerning the correct running time (a complicated issue, considering the variable speeds of the projection), but also content.
I have found yet another version of Metropolis on Kazaa (of all places!) which clocks an impressive ...
137 minutes!!!
I don't know who put it there, or what the source material is. And the speed is acceptable (slightly accelerated, but not "a la Keystone Kops')
All I'm saying is that there's a version here that MIGHT have stuff we've never seen before.
Mods, I know we're dealing with a sensitive subject here, but I believe that an exemption should be made, just as in the case of the Original Trilogy Star Wars DVDs. Besides, we're talking about 1927 material which should be public domain by now, and therefore nobody is injured, while film buffs and completists can rejoice...
Last edited by Playitagainsam; 01-23-03 at 01:50 PM.
01-29-03 | 06:14 PM
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OK, the job is done.
First of all, I have good news and bad news.
The good news is that the version circulating on Kazaa is considerably better than the Madacy version. Not only that the extra 20 minutes succeed to give a real sense of flow to the story, but it also has better quality, although you shouldn't expect miracles.
However, there are some bad news - the Madacy has some extras, such as Thea von Harbou's statement at the beginning, more credits, and more "dialogue cards".
I believe that once you add what Madacy has to offer and the Kazaa version, you'll have more or less what Kino restored - roughly 140 minutes of film.
All in all, if you want to have a complete "Metropolis" experience, and you need a fix before the Kino release hits the shelves, this is definitely the better version.
First of all, I have good news and bad news.
The good news is that the version circulating on Kazaa is considerably better than the Madacy version. Not only that the extra 20 minutes succeed to give a real sense of flow to the story, but it also has better quality, although you shouldn't expect miracles.
However, there are some bad news - the Madacy has some extras, such as Thea von Harbou's statement at the beginning, more credits, and more "dialogue cards".
I believe that once you add what Madacy has to offer and the Kazaa version, you'll have more or less what Kino restored - roughly 140 minutes of film.
All in all, if you want to have a complete "Metropolis" experience, and you need a fix before the Kino release hits the shelves, this is definitely the better version.
01-30-03 | 12:00 AM
#5
I bought my Macady copy about 3 years ago for $4.99.
I sold that same DVD last week on eBay for $4.55.
Not bad, but I figured it was better to do it now before the Kino version hits. The Macady version was horrible and unwatchable. The guy who got it has a near mint copy on his hands.
I sold that same DVD last week on eBay for $4.55.
Not bad, but I figured it was better to do it now before the Kino version hits. The Macady version was horrible and unwatchable. The guy who got it has a near mint copy on his hands.
01-26-05 | 12:54 AM
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From: On the penis chair
I own both the Madacy and the Kino DVD (which I just bought a week ago), and I have to say the new version is amazing. Every scene is a revelation and I loved the orchestral score.
01-26-05 | 10:33 AM
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This thread has returned from the dead! 
On a related note, I've only got the Kino version, so I can't compare, but I'm really happy with the work that they did.
On a related note, I've only got the Kino version, so I can't compare, but I'm really happy with the work that they did.
01-26-05 | 02:16 PM
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From: Flava-Country!
Originally Posted by talemyn
On a related note, I've only got the Kino version, so I can't compare, but I'm really happy with the work that they did.
01-27-05 | 08:21 AM
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From: On the penis chair
Originally Posted by El-Kabong
Pity the commentary is about as dry as Death Valley in the middle of summer. I could only stand to listen to about half an hour of this pretentous crap. Why oh why couldnt they get Ebert to do a commentary like his Citizen Kane track?
01-27-05 | 12:20 PM
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Originally Posted by eedoon
I'm with you on this one. The commentary is simply some dude mumbling about what happens on the screen. But at least the other extras (especially the Metropolis Case) is very informative and fascinating.
01-27-05 | 03:36 PM
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From: Brooklyn, NY
I was watching something PBS and there was a segment about a vintage movie poster dealer, he said as far as he knows there is not a known existing original movie poster print for Metropolis, given the nature that most original films traveled with their posters from theater to theater. He said if one was found, it would probably be the first movie poster to ever fetch $1million at an auction.
07-02-08 | 12:43 PM
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From: Near the Great Salt Lake
Well, it seems like there's about to be an even longer version...
Ok, so I know that rumors of the discovery of lost footage from infamously censored or otherwise incomplete films ("The Magnificent Ambersons", "Greed", "The Four Devils", etc.) pop up fairly frequently - and that one should take such rumors with a big grain of salt... This one seems fairly official. Its source is the Murnau Foundation, which is responsible for the restoration of many German films.
Anyways - it seems that quite a bit (all?) of the missing footage from Fritz Lang's "Metropolis" has been found.
This is a translation (not mine) from the original German press release, so pardon the poor grammar (etc.):
And here's another link, for those who can read German:
http://www.zeit.de/online/2008/27/me...vorab?page=all
There's not a whole lot of information at this point, but this is absolutely phenomenal news for lovers of classic film. (Though I imagine it'll be a while before we're able to see it.)
Ok, so I know that rumors of the discovery of lost footage from infamously censored or otherwise incomplete films ("The Magnificent Ambersons", "Greed", "The Four Devils", etc.) pop up fairly frequently - and that one should take such rumors with a big grain of salt... This one seems fairly official. Its source is the Murnau Foundation, which is responsible for the restoration of many German films.
Anyways - it seems that quite a bit (all?) of the missing footage from Fritz Lang's "Metropolis" has been found.
This is a translation (not mine) from the original German press release, so pardon the poor grammar (etc.):
Originally Posted by The Murnau Foundation
* Sensational discovery in Buenos Aires: Lost scenes from “Metropolis” rediscovered
Staff members of the Museo del Cine Pablo C. Ducros Hicken in Buenos Aires, found the missing scenes which had been considered lost up to now, in a 16mm Negative.
The tale of the concision of “Metropolis” is well-known. The film is renowned for the story of its restoration which began in the 1960s in the national Film archive of the German Democratic Republic, to the source critical reconstruction of the Film museum Munich (E. Patalas) in the 1980s, up until the film was digitally restored through Mr. Martin Koerber on behalf of the Friedrich-Wilhelm-Murnau-Stiftung, Wiesbaden in the year 2001. This restoration, which is based on the version of the Film museum Munich and on materials of the Bundesarchiv-Filmarchiv (Federal Archive / Filmarchive), Berlin, was completed not only with these two institutions but also with other partners of the Deutscher Kinematheksverbund (Association of German Film Archives)
In addition to this, Enno Patalas developed a study version of the film in collaboration with the University of Arts in Berlin. They supplemented the survived fragments in their original relation to the film in written form or with pictures and musical resources. Because of these survived sources, the hiatuses which weren’t able to be found even after decades of research in national and international Film archives and private converts, were sorely cognizant.
Pictures gave us the impression of what was missing – the to a supernumerary reduced figure of Georgy, the man named Slim, Josaphat, the car journey through Metropolis, the observation of Georgy through Slim, Freders delirium of Slim in which he changes into a apocalypse preaching monk. With this discovery in Buenos Aires these scenes will finally come back to life. Even if the quality of the picture is in a deplorable condition, thanks to the Argentinean material, the dream of the completion of “Metropolis” will finally come true.
According to Anke Wilkening, restorer of the Murnau Foundation “Hitherto incomprehensible is now intelligible, the sometimes puzzling relations of the figures among each other now make sense.” The story of the instauration can now come to an end.
Helmut Poßmann, managing director of the Murnau Foundation states that: “In continuance of the restoration from 2001, the Murnau Foundation would very much like to compile a complete version of the film together with the former partners and the Museo del Cine Pablo C. Ducros Hicken in Buenos Aires and to open it to the public, all the more because “Metropolis” is the first film which has been affiliated in this restored version from 2001 – safety lug Nr. 1 – to the Memory of the World register of the UNESCO.”
“This sensational discovery places the Murnau Foundation into a position being able to restore the film to a very large degree. That way it could be achieved to come as close to the masterwork of Fritz Lang as never before possible and present it to the world”, says Eberhard Junkersdorf, head of the board of trustees.
For the past 42 years the Friedrich-Wilhelm-Murnau Foundation has applied itself to save, preserve, restore and reconstruct a bulk of the German cinematic heritage of 2.000 silent films, 1.000 talkies and about 3.000 filmlets (commercials, documentaries, etc.) from the beginning of film up to the 1960s, trying to make these films accessible to the public.
...
http://www.murnau-stiftung.de/en/04-00-00-news.html
Staff members of the Museo del Cine Pablo C. Ducros Hicken in Buenos Aires, found the missing scenes which had been considered lost up to now, in a 16mm Negative.
The tale of the concision of “Metropolis” is well-known. The film is renowned for the story of its restoration which began in the 1960s in the national Film archive of the German Democratic Republic, to the source critical reconstruction of the Film museum Munich (E. Patalas) in the 1980s, up until the film was digitally restored through Mr. Martin Koerber on behalf of the Friedrich-Wilhelm-Murnau-Stiftung, Wiesbaden in the year 2001. This restoration, which is based on the version of the Film museum Munich and on materials of the Bundesarchiv-Filmarchiv (Federal Archive / Filmarchive), Berlin, was completed not only with these two institutions but also with other partners of the Deutscher Kinematheksverbund (Association of German Film Archives)
In addition to this, Enno Patalas developed a study version of the film in collaboration with the University of Arts in Berlin. They supplemented the survived fragments in their original relation to the film in written form or with pictures and musical resources. Because of these survived sources, the hiatuses which weren’t able to be found even after decades of research in national and international Film archives and private converts, were sorely cognizant.
Pictures gave us the impression of what was missing – the to a supernumerary reduced figure of Georgy, the man named Slim, Josaphat, the car journey through Metropolis, the observation of Georgy through Slim, Freders delirium of Slim in which he changes into a apocalypse preaching monk. With this discovery in Buenos Aires these scenes will finally come back to life. Even if the quality of the picture is in a deplorable condition, thanks to the Argentinean material, the dream of the completion of “Metropolis” will finally come true.
According to Anke Wilkening, restorer of the Murnau Foundation “Hitherto incomprehensible is now intelligible, the sometimes puzzling relations of the figures among each other now make sense.” The story of the instauration can now come to an end.
Helmut Poßmann, managing director of the Murnau Foundation states that: “In continuance of the restoration from 2001, the Murnau Foundation would very much like to compile a complete version of the film together with the former partners and the Museo del Cine Pablo C. Ducros Hicken in Buenos Aires and to open it to the public, all the more because “Metropolis” is the first film which has been affiliated in this restored version from 2001 – safety lug Nr. 1 – to the Memory of the World register of the UNESCO.”
“This sensational discovery places the Murnau Foundation into a position being able to restore the film to a very large degree. That way it could be achieved to come as close to the masterwork of Fritz Lang as never before possible and present it to the world”, says Eberhard Junkersdorf, head of the board of trustees.
For the past 42 years the Friedrich-Wilhelm-Murnau Foundation has applied itself to save, preserve, restore and reconstruct a bulk of the German cinematic heritage of 2.000 silent films, 1.000 talkies and about 3.000 filmlets (commercials, documentaries, etc.) from the beginning of film up to the 1960s, trying to make these films accessible to the public.
...
http://www.murnau-stiftung.de/en/04-00-00-news.html
http://www.zeit.de/online/2008/27/me...vorab?page=all
There's not a whole lot of information at this point, but this is absolutely phenomenal news for lovers of classic film. (Though I imagine it'll be a while before we're able to see it.)
07-02-08 | 03:32 PM
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I saw the restored version on Kino DVD shortly after this Newsweek article was published. It is a pretty fascinating movie because of the way influenced science fiction films that were made after it.
The restored version was a still a little incoherent, but I don't think I could sit through three hour version again to get the deeper aspects of the story that I missed.
If you haven't seen Metropolis and have always wanted to, this latest version may be a good opportunity to do so.
The restored version was a still a little incoherent, but I don't think I could sit through three hour version again to get the deeper aspects of the story that I missed.
If you haven't seen Metropolis and have always wanted to, this latest version may be a good opportunity to do so.
07-02-08 | 05:35 PM
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With the sci-fi challenge here on dvdtalk starting yesterday, this would be cool to watch. I don't think I've ever seen it, will have to hunt down that newer release.
07-02-08 | 08:34 PM
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From: Kansas City, MO
Originally Posted by me12321
Well, it seems like there's about to be an even longer version...
Ok, so I know that rumors of the discovery of lost footage from infamously censored or otherwise incomplete films ("The Magnificent Ambersons", "Greed", "The Four Devils", etc.) pop up fairly frequently - and that one should take such rumors with a big grain of salt... This one seems fairly official. Its source is the Murnau Foundation, which is responsible for the restoration of many German films.
Anyways - it seems that quite a bit (all?) of the missing footage from Fritz Lang's "Metropolis" has been found.
This is a translation (not mine) from the original German press release, so pardon the poor grammar (etc.):And here's another link, for those who can read German:
http://www.zeit.de/online/2008/27/me...vorab?page=all
There's not a whole lot of information at this point, but this is absolutely phenomenal news for lovers of classic film. (Though I imagine it'll be a while before we're able to see it.)
Ok, so I know that rumors of the discovery of lost footage from infamously censored or otherwise incomplete films ("The Magnificent Ambersons", "Greed", "The Four Devils", etc.) pop up fairly frequently - and that one should take such rumors with a big grain of salt... This one seems fairly official. Its source is the Murnau Foundation, which is responsible for the restoration of many German films.
Anyways - it seems that quite a bit (all?) of the missing footage from Fritz Lang's "Metropolis" has been found.
This is a translation (not mine) from the original German press release, so pardon the poor grammar (etc.):And here's another link, for those who can read German:
http://www.zeit.de/online/2008/27/me...vorab?page=all
There's not a whole lot of information at this point, but this is absolutely phenomenal news for lovers of classic film. (Though I imagine it'll be a while before we're able to see it.)
This deserves its own thread.
HUGE news for film buffs.
