Metropolis, 1927

[scotrace]

Metropolis aired last night on TCM. It's a recently restored print that assembles as closely as possible the original film, large parts of which have been lost to time. Even with some 45 minutes forever missing, it still runs 2.5 hours.

This film is amazing! One wonders if the Art Deco look was spurred by this film or if the film is a refelction of the style. The sets are beautiful, the cinematography astonishing. Most of the frames are wonderful compositions of light and shadow.

The acting, while strictly from a cast fresh from an Overactors Anonymous meeting, points up the entirely different style of the craft needed to tell a story silently.
It's a messianic story, framed in science fiction, set in the future (2023 or so - the men still wear swell frock coats). it relies heavily on the theme, major news at the time, of the exploitation of the worker by Capital. The workers all live below ground "in the Depths" and the swarm of extras needed is staggering - they move like rivers of ants through scene after scene.

The special effects! How did they DO that stuff at such an early stage? Even the "handheld" camera that we now grudgingly take for granted is to be seen here - must have been quite a trick while the cameraman was also undercranking! But this was a staggeringly expensive picture to make - nearly $200 million in today's dollars.

 

[Feraud]

Drats, I missed this again! I have never seen it and want to.

 

[TM]

Metropolis makes a great double-feature with Blade Runner! There are some rather amazing visuals in Blade Runner that were certainly influenced by Metropolis.

Check out the book Film Architecture:

http://www.amazon.com/Film-Architecture-Designs-Metropolis-Runner/dp/3791316052/sr=8-2/qid=1168912616/ref=pd_bbs_sr_2/105-8050853-3875627?ie=UTF8&s=books

Tony

 

[drafttek]

Woops

I used the search feature on my digital cable to see if would be on again. I got some strange looks from the wife and kids when I found Metropolis in the listings. Apparently it is also the title of an adult film:eusa_doh:. I'll let you know how it was.

 

[scotrace]

I used the search feature on my digital cable to see if would be on again. I got some strange looks from the wife and kids when I found Metropolis in the listings. Apparently it is also the title of an adult film:eusa_doh:. I'll let you know how it was.

And of course you asked how they knew this??

 

[drafttek]

And of course you asked how they knew this??

The fact that it said ADULT big and bold next to the channel number was a subtle clue

 

[anselmo1]

Fritz Lang

Fritz Lang was an absolute genius!

http://www.jscheuer.com/lang.htm

 

[Trampilot]

Beware Beware Prints Of Metropolis Deemed Rare!

There has been quite a lot of debate with Metropolis over the last ten years or so. Back in the early 90s a lucky chap called Aikman (I think) began to release on video copies of some very rare films - some thought lost - from his own personal collection he had grown over the decades. One in particular was a copy of Metropolis. According to Aikman it was the longest version available. Sadly this was an embellishment of the truth. It was a long version, but to make it longer the video company recorded it onto video at a slightly slower speed.

Without seeing the version broadcast or what print it was produced from it is very difficult to tell if it is the longest version available. I think the longest available version running at 20ft per second is 150mins long.

Other than that the film is complete genius and the fact the original 3hr+ version is lost forever adds to its mythical status. I love this movie.

 

[scotrace]

This was seen on Turner Classic Movies. A 2002 version that is, as I understand it, the most complete version available.

 

[Mike in Seattle]

This was seen on Turner Classic Movies. A 2002 version that is, as I understand it, the most complete version available.

Right - I don't think Turner would run a slowed version just to make it longer. TCM's to be applauded for showing lots of great old movies you wouldn't see anywhere else. I'm kicking myself for missing The Ex-Mrs. Bradford yesterday. I was looking forward to that and then got in the middle of whether or not a meeting was going to be canceled due to ice & snow, and put a protected tape in the VCR instead of the blank.

AMC, on the other hand, would do things like playing it faster or slower to fit their agenda. "We run classic movies for people who love movies...and they don't mind our cutting in with commercials every 2 minutes." I think if they ever ran Gone with the Wind, their version would run approximately four days...but being Ted Turner's favorite movie, you're never going to see it anywhere else but TBS and TCM, thank goodness.