The Complete Metropolis

2 Responses to “The Complete Metropolis”

1. SRFireside says:

   September 10, 2010 at 3:34 pm

   If you want to see the movie that has spawned inspiration for films and shows like Star Wars, Blade Runner, The Fifth Element, Batman, Dark City, Star Trek, Equilibrium, and a score of others this is it. It’s the silent movie made in the 1920′s that ended up creating the whole dystopian/cyberpunk genre that became popular generations later. At the time the movie was only a moderate success and was even panned by many critics and science fiction writers. With hindsight being 20/20 there has been much recanting. Still I can understand some of the criticism. Either way today Metropolis is considered a foundation film that launched a genre of films (at least visually if not conceptually).

   Metropolis the story is essentially about the struggle involving the social and economic class structure. You have the working class toiling away on the bottom of the city so that the upper class can live in luxury and ease. Somebody from the privileged class sees the inhumane treatment of the workers and tries to help. At the same time a mad scientist and his machinations create a revolt of the underclass that threatens to destroy the city.

   So what makes this movie great? It’s the visuals and special effects that stand out the most. You can almost say this is the first special effect blockbuster style movie. The cityscape was impressive model work for its time. The sets (especially the Heart Machine) were also pretty impressive (and big for being inside a studio). The scenes with the creation of the robot were amazing then, and the robot itself is still an iconic image in sci-fi. The story is also a winner as it’s the classic dystopian conflict that has been told again and again in other shows and books.

   So why did the critics pan the movie back then? Well to be frank why do critics pan the current special effects blockbuster Avatar? “Too much focus on special effects and not enough on story”, “it’s the same plot as (in Metropolis’ case Frankenstein)”, “it’s too cliche”. Well you get the idea. Metropolis relied on basic man vs. man and man vs. machine conflict elements without trying to be too complex on that vein. Also the running time for Metropolis is 90+ minutes (depending on what version), which can get pretty drawn out for a silent film. Many of the scenes play out longer than they may need to as far as keeping the attentions of the average viewer. One reviewer (sci-fi author) even panned the special effects showing propeller powered airplanes when he figured the future would hold different technologies. So yeah the movie is not perfect by any stretch of the imagination. However the good this movie has does outweigh the bad in terms of how much movie history came from it.

   Metropolis is a public domain film. Which means nobody owns the copyright. Which means everybody and their dog can obtain a copy and sell it. That’s exactly what has been happening over the years. With the advent of DVD technology it was a veritable minefield of versions out there ranging from adequate to so-crappy-it-doesn’t-deserve-to-be-put-on-dvd. It wasn’t until 2003 when an authorized version was restored and made the gold standard for DVD. This version also sported the original score for the film, which many of the others lacked to the point where the music actually made the experience worse. So the Restored Authorized version on DVD was the best you can get and deservedly so… until now.

   What we have on The Complete Metropolis is not only an authorized remaster done on Blu-Ray (1080p), but 25 minutes of additional footage have been uncovered after 80 years and put back into the film. This is the most complete version of Metropolis you will ever find! It’s even more complete than what moviegoers in America saw in the theaters. Now the new footage is seriously old and nowhere nearly as well preserved as the rest so you will notice the differences between the cuts. A small price to pay really. On top of that you get the original score in DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 performed by the Rundfunk Symphony Orchestra in Berlin (Frank Strobel conducting). In other words this will be the best looking, best sounding, most complete version of this movie that ever existed.

   Extras are sparse, but worth it. You get a high definition 50 minute documentary, Voyage to Metropolis, that goes over the making and restoration of the film. You also get an interview with Paula Felix-Didier, who is curator of the museum that uncovered the lost footage. And to top off the extras list a recent movie trailer. The only downside on this is the extras that were on the Restored Authorized edition are not to be found. That one had two featurettes (one on the making of the movie and one on the restoration) in multiple languages, production stills, cast and crew biographies, commentaries and more. If you ask me this “complete” edition can use some more meat when compared.

   If you want the most complete footage of Metropolis in existence, AND in high definition, then now is your chance. While this disk may be sparse on the extras it does make up for it in the treatment of one of science fiction’s most prized treasures.

   Rating: 5 / 5
2. J. Rae says:

   September 10, 2010 at 3:34 pm

   This new 147-minute version includes an extra 25 minutes of footage, previously thought lost.
   
   The film benefits from being remastered in 1080p and has a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 soundtrack.
   
   Extras include a 50-minute documentary on the making and restoration of the film and an interview with Paula Felix-Didier who is the curator of Museo del Cine, Buenos Aires, where the missing footage was discovered in 2008.
   
   The restoration took a year and returns the film to the original release version seen by German cinema-goers in 1927.
   
   This release comes in a Limited Edition Collectible 3-D Lenticuar Box Packaging.

   Rating: 5 / 5