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Metropolis - Fritz Lang, 1927

What version of Metropolis do you like best?


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Canon Editor

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I researched a thread for this title, but it doesn't seem to have one yet and I truly believe it deserves one.

So much to say, from the thematic richness of the material, to which of the two main versions you prefer (the almost-complete 150-minute restored version and Giorgio Moroder's 1984 "fanedit" ;) ), to the many theories birthed out of its name, such as the one that says the scientist Rotwang is the only jew character, and the one that ultimately leads to the destruction of the city of Metropolis (and this would be the reason as to why Adolf Hitler admired the film so much).  On the other hand, the themes and discussion the movie still raises after 90 years is astounding. 

The movie is simply immortal, and the influence it had on the history of cinema is ridiculous as is undeniable (re: Blade Runner, Star Wars, Batman, just to name a few).  
I would certainly place it next to cinema's greatest, such as Citizen Kane, The Sweet Life, The Rules of the Game, 2001: A Space Odyssey and The Godfather.   Its visual storytelling is breathtaking, and it deomnstrates how an image can say more than a thousand words, when done right.  
Its groundbreaking editing/special effects should be remembered too, I'd say.  The original score is wonderful but Gottfried Huppertz, by the way. 

And of course, from it spurred the "first fanedit" of sorts: Giorgio Moroder Presents Metropolis.  A shorter, revisited version of the film released in 1984 which contains updated sound efects, special effects, subtitles instead of intertitles and of course... a dance-pop soundtrack with songs sung by the likes of Freddie Mercury (Love Kills) and Bonnie Tyler (Here She Comes). 
Even though it takes a while to adjust to the new music, once you get immersed into the atmosphere, it serves well in favor of the film, and after one viewing you'll probably be dying to see it again.  The visual storytelling remains astoundingly good.  Although it ws critically panned when it premiered at the 1983-1984 Cannes Film Festival, a generation grew up with it (not necessarily watching it, but it was the only good reference for the movie.)
Despite the shorter runtime - only 83 minutes including credits - due to the removal of the intertitles and the speeding up of the frame rate, it has been the only attempt at completing the film with the help of reliable material, such as the original script, the novel the movie is based upon, stills and new material.  Although I believe the restored version has more breath and more to it narratively (as it lasts an hour longer, not accounting for the slower framerate), this version clearly testifies love and care that the movie had rarely seen prior, and had always deserved. 

All versions released between 1927 and 1936 have been either butchered by censorship seeking to downplay the political messages of the movie, or feature an imprecise/incompelte reconstruction of the movie's timeline.
In 2002, a 120-minute cut of the movie was released. 
In 2008, a complete reel of the movie was found in Argentina with over 25 minutes of lost footage.  Despite the different film format, all restorable footage was cleaned and integrated into the movie, and released in 2010.  The last 5 minutes we will probably never seen. 

The Moroder version was also unreleasable due to music licensing problems until Kino International, who detains the rights to the movie, resolved the situation in 2011.  The restored cut has been released in 2010 with the title "The Complete Metropolis" in 2010. 

Some versions can be found in YouTube in decent quality, but I won't be linking them here directly. 
Just know you can find both the 120 and the 150-minute versions on there. 
On the other hand, this is the YouTube link for Giorgio Moroder's version in high quality. 


Even though the film is in no way boring in its original version, I would probably recommend this version to dive in the movie for the first time, if only for its shorter runtime.  It truly looks and sounds like a modern remake of a silent-movie à la The Artist

Well, my rant on the movie ends here: bring on the discussion!

To kick things off... I'd say:

What version do you guys like best? :D
 

Jrzag42

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I still haven't watched Metropolis, but your thread has helped me figure out which version to watch. 
As curious as I am of the Giorgio cut, I feel more compelled to watch the 150 minute cut first to get the full experience.
 

Siliconmaster

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I agree with jrWHAG42- haven't seen either version myself, but your writeup definitely helped to inform and intrigue. I'll check this out when I get a chance.
 

Jrzag42

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There is a version on DVD at my library, next time I go I'll have to check which cut it is, though I presume it's the 120 minute cut or something less, but definitely not the Giorgio.
Though I'd only check the library out if curiosity as it's available online. 

I believe I read in these forums a while back that someone made a fully voice acted edit of the film.
 

Canon Editor

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@"jrWHAG42" 
Good choice!


Let me know what you think about
 

Duragizer

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I've only ever seen The Complete Metropolis. I never seriously considered watching the Moroder cut, but I'm starting to reconsider that stance.
 

Hymie

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The Lang version (120min) is one of my favorite movies.  Haven't watched the "complete" version yet but am looking forward to it someday.

Personally hated the "Moroder" version.
 

hbenthow

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"Metropolis" has been my all-time favorite movie for nearly a decade now. 

It's not just a movie; it's an experience. It's a perfect example of why silent film is a valid and underappreciated medium. The combination of the gorgeous, ultra-evocative, symbolism-laced imagery and Gottfried Huppertz's masterful original score lulls the viewer into a quasi-hypnotic state in which the story is conveyed almost as pure emotion, nearly free of the necessity for conscious thought, and yet, the story and themes conveyed thereby remain substantive and thought-provoking. Audible dialogue would break the spell.

To anyone who is considering watching it for the first time, I would recommend starting with "The Complete Metropolis" (2010), ideally on Blu-ray. It's the truest representation of the movie as Fritz Lang intended it that we're ever likely to see, and contains the most full and satisfying telling of the story. Also, watching it with the Gottfried Huppertz score (included with both the 2002 and 2010 restorations) is an absolute must. It's a musical masterpiece that's not only wonderful on its own, but is also perfectly matched to each moment of the movie. To me, watching "Metropolis" without the Huppertz score would be like watching "Star Wars" without John Williams' music.

Canon Editor said:
to the many theories birthed out of its name, such as the one that says the scientist Rotwang is the only jew character, and the one that ultimately leads to the destruction of the city of Metropolis (and this would be the reason as to why Adolf Hitler admired the film so much).

I've never heard that particular theory, but I have known for years that "Metropolis" has been the subject of much speculation in Illuminati conspiracy theory circles. Many people who believe in the existence of the Illuminati claim that much of the symbolism in the movie is connected to the Illuminati, and that its story may even be a blueprint for (or an intentional "hiding in plain sight" reveal of) the Illuminati's schemes to control society.

For instance, they claim that the shot below is All-Seeing Eye/Eye of Horus symbolism, and that the evil robot/imposter Maria is symbolic of Illuminati mind-controlled celebrities that are supposedly being used to influence the population. They cite the fact that pop stars like Beyonce, Lady Gaga, Madonna, etc, often pose with one eye covered or closed (and also often have homages to "Metropolis" in their music videos, album covers, and stage costumes) in order to posit that they are Illuminati MK-Ultra mind-controlled "robots" like the robot Maria.

giphy.gif


The theory also contains speculation about the upside-down pentagram in the laboratory scene, the various Biblical references (the Great Whore of Babylon and Moloch imagery, etc). It's all pretty weird and "out there" stuff, but if you're interested in that sort of thing, you can read about the theory in detail here:

https://vigilantcitizen.com/musicbu...metropolis-and-its-importance-in-pop-culture/
 

TM2YC

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Let's all try and keep the discussion on the movie, before we disappear any further down the conspiracy rabbit-hole. That way madness lies... quite literally.

I was working on a Metropolis project idea a year ago (but didn't get further than 20-30 mins) because I was somewhat dissatisfied with some of the creative decisions taken for the 2010 restoration (2 or 3 posts discussing).

https://forums.fanedit.org/showthread.php?tid=8056&pid=282234#pid282234
 

Canon Editor

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Thanks for posting! 
Interesting theories, but @"TM2YC" is right in not ventilating the speculation. 
I was wrong in kick-starting that.

I liked your ideas on the movie, though, @"hbenthow"
 

hbenthow

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TM2YC said:
Let's all try and keep the discussion on the movie, before we disappear any further down the conspiracy rabbit-hole. That way madness lies... quite literally.

I just posted that (with a link for more information) in case anyone is interested in reading up on that sort of thing, as a response to the OP's mention about various theories about the movie, not to provoke any kind of discussion on the subject. Personally, I like to read all sorts of weird and conspiratorial rumors and theories out of curiosity, even though I'm very skeptical about most of them (including the theory about "Metropolis" that I mentioned). But I agree that it's best to keep the thread's overall focus on the movie itself, and in retrospect, maybe it would have been best to let the mention of various theories in the OP be the only one.

(In case anyone reading this post is confused, the quote below is from the thread linked to in TM2YC's post above.)

Also, call me a philistine but I'd much rather have the intertitles in English and not German (with the necessary ugly digital subtitles spoiling the experience). A "De-constructed" version ;) .

The UK Masters of Cinema Blu-ray (which is what I assume you have) has the original German intertitles, but the US Kino Blu-ray has English ones instead. You could order it from the US quite cheaply. Some sources claim that it's locked to region A, but DVDBeaver tested the disc and confirmed that it's actually region-free (click here for more information).
 

Jrzag42

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New thread for movie conspiracies?
 

TM2YC

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hbenthow said:
The UK Masters of Cinema Blu-ray (which is what I assume you have) has the original German intertitles, but the US Kino Blu-ray has English ones instead.  (click here for more information).

Interesting, thanks for that link. It's a shame they've just used a generic font, instead of replicating the hand italics of the German titles and the translation (from the shot they show) doesn't scan very well (plus it doesn't have same look, size and placement either). e.g.

32398205268_dc31e904c2_z.jpg


44453119240_ed96a54133_z.jpg


A screenshot of my translation for comparison:

32398175568_c6b73bb866_z.jpg
 

Last Impressions

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I also can confirm the Eureka version does have the original intertitles on the 2hr 30minute version as TM2YC said. I currently own the 90th Anniversary box set which is a lovely and very informative package.

I do have a soft spot for the Moroder version and truth be told it is the version I watch the most. I know some would say its almost blasphemous but it is the version I first watched when I was a ten year old and I suspect a hint of nostalgia keeps me going back to it...and hey Jon Anderson is on the soundtrack.

 Was the the Moroder version the first ever fan edit?

A project for the future maybe to take the longer version 2hr 30minute and add in some similar 80's music in line with the Moroder version - a full story Moroder version.
 
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