MovieChat Forums > Metropolis (1927) Discussion > Restoration turned this from classic to ...

Restoration turned this from classic to one of the all time greatest?

posted 14 years ago by sxemax
15 replies | jump to latest

just got the blu ray, watched it and the features. I admit, I had only seen Metropolis once before. It was about 15 years ago at a theater with a live orchestra. I thought it was awesome, totally got it's influence, importance and everything. I know over the last 15 years, my taste, appreciation , exposure to and knowledge of film has vastly grown but still...

is it just me or did this work on the final cut make this much more into a whole and more? I was moved to tears a few times from the film alone and also keeping in mind all the work that has gone into restoring not just this edition but in the films history. what a great companion documentary that is included. it feels that it came straight out of the film vault in argentina to my doorstep.

after my second watch, metropolis for me catapulted from classic, influential, great film treasure to all that plus one of the best films ever made, most visionary film ever and one of my all time favorites. I can't imagine any greater reconstruction with all of the countries involved that were, either.

anyone else have a similar feeling?

[–] MJongo 14 years ago

I just finished watching the 2010 restoration on Blu-Ray just a few minutes ago. It was the first time I had ever seen the film, and I have never felt emotions so intense from cinema before. I do not know if the cut version would have made me feel the same way, but there is no doubt in my mind that the most recent cut is one of the greatest sequence of moving images of all time.

[–] Dejael 14 years ago

I purchased the COMPLETE METROPOLIS DVD over the holidays, and took some time to watch it and my opinion as a film critic is, this is by no means the complete, nor the definitive version of METROPOLIS.
I have seen several versions of METROPOLIS since the 1970s, having been talked into it by my friend and mentor Forrest J Ackerman: "You must see it by all means possible!" was his refrain.
The 2010 Restoration version leaves yet more to be desired in terms of a viewing experience; the edited-in scenes of lost footage are disjointed due to their ruined and degraded image quality, which needs further expense, digital computer enhancement, to remove all the spots, scratches, lines and problems with fogging and matching of grayscale, and do not match the fine-grain crisp and clear 35mm digital film images of the KINO 2001 release, which I still consider to be the better, more definitive version of the Fritz Lang classic. This newer version belongs with a film student, filmmaker, director or producer, and not with the general viewing public.
Until they find the still-missing estimated 5% of footage, and then integrate ALL the images with finer digital computer enhanced compositing, this version is still going to look unfinished and incomplete.
I recommend the 2001 KINO release version of METROPOLIS instead, released on DVD in 2002, or the Giorgio Moroder Rock Musical version of 1984, which at least breathes more life into the film as a living work of art.

Dejael

[–] sxemax 14 years ago

'Until they find', I'd say unless they find. Not complete, yes, but what else besides the miracle of finding the uncut version in Argentina are you expecting to happen? One person in the documentary states they had looked at a few image restoration techniques and nothing was considered worthy. Yes, they could restore each frame and fill in all of the scratches, but then it becomes altered in a way that puts things into the image that are not original.

Do you really think if they spent all of the time and money (which sadly has to always be a concern) on doing a complete reconstruction of the images and matching all of the shading, it would be lapped up by the 'general viewing public'? Who knows how much of a profit they make from the release of this version, anyways. I doubt it is on the radar of mainstream culture right now. If a 'totally digitally restored' version came out, I don't think many more people would care.

I don't really know if I can go back and watch another version. I'd go so far as to say the Moroder version is not a different version of the film, but a different film altogether. My wife appreciates movies as much as I do. She watched the blu ray with me for the first time and saw the footage of the Moroder version and her lip curled at the difference.

any version that exists besides this one, in terms of content, is what major studios edited it down to. I can't remember what (if any) scenes are out of order, but it's obvious it was meant to be seen as it is in the newest version. Original complete score, original intertitles, the complete plot, don't understand why someone would prefer another version than this. I love movies, and I can be a picky purist, but my opinion is that you may be too good at being a critic...

[–] DrAngst 14 years ago

I'll have to disagree with you concerning the importance of this version versus the 2001 incomplete restoration.

The simple fact is that, now with 95% of the missing footage restored, as badly deteriorated as it is, the STORY presented by Metropolis now makes complete sense.

Personally, since the story told by Metropolis may now be fully understood, it's now truely a complete film and not simply a study in amazing, for their time, special effects.

[–] deusfaux 13 years ago

"I recommend the 2001 KINO release version of METROPOLIS instead, released on DVD in 2002, or the Giorgio Moroder Rock Musical version of 1984, which at least breathes more life into the film as a living work of art."

obvious troll is obvious

[–] HulotderSpeiler 14 years ago

First saw it about 18 months ago, then saw restoration about 6 months ago. First time through, I was wishing for more, but after the restoration, I was completely stunned. It moved up a good 30 places in my all time rankings.

black and white movies were better

[–] marco_ccs 14 years ago

I saw it a few times over the years (I considered it a very good movie) and then again last week, the new restoration is a GREAT improvement in my humble opinion.

Deal with it, Cate Blanchett!

[–] Dumb_Pirate 14 years ago

Well I had never seen it until last night, when I watched the fully restored version. And yes, in this rapidly growing film lover's opinion the restoration is one of the greatest moving pictures ever depicted. I haven't seen everything, I admit. But I have it about 3rd on my all time list behind Casablanca and Godfather I & II (which I view as one entity) ...

It's been over a day since i finished my first viewing of this film, and I still can't get enough of the film. I watched the extras earlier this afternoon to gain more insight into the film. I'm listening to the music as we speak. I am an artist and creator, and it's not hard to imagine at all why film visionaries like Lucas & Ridley Scott were so inspired by this film's visual style.

It's hard to explain, but I almost loved this film even more bc it was a silent film. And this was the first silent film I've ever seen. I was somewhat skeptical about the idea of a silent film, but I decided I'd dive right in and I felt myself drawn completely into the story... As it played out I found myself so much more drawn into it due to the different style of telling a story... Different in the way that you see what's happening, you hear the music, you see the character's mouths moving, and you're given a few split moments to ponder what they must be saying... And then you're rewarded with the subtitles. I was so drawn in. Again, this was a different experience for me, and I really enjoyed it. I wish I could experience the feeling of viewing it again for the first time, that's for sure.

I'm interested to see how it holds up on repeated viewings. Thanks to the execution and incredible music by Huppertz, I have no doubt it will be enjoyable when I watch it again some day in the future.

I wish my friends liked this type of stuff... But I'm almost certain they would not. My older brother might though

---
Louis, I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship.

[–] sxemax 14 years ago

It really does show what power a silent film can have, and I think that's a reason why it is so much more powerful than most films with sound.

I'm lucky my wife likes film. She really enjoyed it too, and was fascinated more by the documentary. It does stand to to repeated viewings. I watched it three times the week I it arrived in the mail...

[–] sxemax 14 years ago

plus the fact that at two and a half hours, many films nowadays struggle to come up with a good 90 minutes. it did that plus an hour, and without dialogue.

I also love watching what they are saying and then getting an intertitle. It's like you can already hear what they are saying and the text is just another way of seeing the image of what is actually happening. wonderful...

[–] Dejael 14 years ago

Yes, I love it as a silent film too, it works so well in that 1920s milieu.
However, in a contemporary sense, the film is so powerful because of its evocative archetypal images which grab hold of an audience and can sweep you away...
I love this film, all the best versions of it, but I believe there is still room for improvement for a complete digitally remastered version, perhaps by the time its centenary anniversary arrives in 2026!
METROPOLIS has a large audience of filmmakers, critics, film historians, artists, musicians, and ordinary people who are enchanted by Fritz Lang's incredible imagery.

You know, Fritz Lang was planning on releasing a new version of METROPOLIS around 1933 at UFA when he fled Germany. He wanted to add a music and sound effects track to it like MGM had done with their 1925 silent version of BEN-HUR. However, it never was realized due to the Fuehrer taking power in the Reichstag and forcing Lang to flee to Paris, London and New York.
And then during WW2, I believe it was 1943, UFA Studios in Berlin was bombed by the Allied Forces, and all the original negatives and prints in their vaults were destroyed, burned to ashes. What a supreme tragedy is war!

Dejael

[–] marco_ccs 13 years ago

Agreed, this new version improves the experience of watching the movie. Amazing.

Deal with it, TSN!

[–] mattohmss 13 years ago

I have to agree with DreadPirateFlynn up above; the Huppertz score is something that's never ever mention when you hear of Metropolis, but it lends it so much power -- from the first time I watched it on DVD (the 2001 KINO restoration) to the last time I saw it (the Definitive Version, last year, to a packed house in a small theatre) -- that I cannot think of the film without that glorious overture rising to a crescendo in my mind.

I can scarcely picture what New-Wave atrocities Moroder inflicted upon it, such is my love for the restored film and its music....

[–] profh-1 11 years ago

I loved the Moroder version when it came out, but then, it was the first time I'd ever seen it, it was the most complete available at the time, and I loved the rock music as well.

Funny enough, while sitting in the theatre, I found myself thinking, "Now if only someone would do this with the Lon Chaney "PHANTOM OF THE OPERA". Then in 1990, someone DID!

However, there's a big difference here. With "METROPOLIS", the "rock" version is mising lots of the story. The rock version of "PHANTOM" is identical, except for the score. And I remember about 10 years back looking online and finding there were about 10 DIFFERENT versions of the Chaney film available, each one with an entirely different score! It's the Rick Wakeman version for me. I watched a more recent restoration of the film on TCM (basically, better picture quality), but in this case, without the rock score, I find it's just "missing" something. Every time I watch the Wakeman version, I have a smile on my face for the entire running length of the film.

[–] MisterKorman 10 years ago

I felt that the previous major restoration pretty much made it one of the greatest films of all time, but the 2010 restoration was absolutely incredible. I still remember sitting in front of my computer in February of 2010 and watching ARTE's livestream online for the first time and being completely moved by the experience.