Canon Editor
Well-known member
- Messages
- 1,730
- Reaction score
- 80
- Trophy Points
- 53
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?
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?