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Fritz Lang's Metropolis, the different versions appreciation thread

chrisisallchrisisall Brosnan Defender Of The Realm
edited January 2015 in General Movies & TV Posts: 17,837
@Birdlelson, much thanks for pointing me to Netflix for the fully restored version! It was truly awesome. It's the difference between a novella & a novel.
And I find a strange parallel between Metropolis and Ridley Scott's Legend.
Both had long & shorter versions, both had classical & pop musical scores, and both were fascinating in both their incarnations IMO.
Regardless of my arguably silly comparisons here, any fan of science fiction *MUST* see this restored version of Metropolis.
AND, OMG, so much visual influence on Burton's Batman....
:)>-

Comments

  • fire_and_icefire_and_ice
    edited January 2015 Posts: 6,432
    Quick point on Legend I think I have seen 3 versions of the film, watched the shortest version on HD recently, first time I have seen any version in HD, a truly stunning visual experience. I had metropolis many years ago, that movie as well as Things to come certainly captured my imagination as a child. Will certainly look out for the restored version, being a Queen fan the music video to Radio Ga Ga was probably the first time I became aware of Metropolis. ^:)^
  • Some_Kind_Of_HeroSome_Kind_Of_Hero
    Posts: 6,844
    Metropolis is a marvelous feat of filmmaking, one of my favorite films of all time, and yes, the restored version looks and sounds absolutely stunning (as if the film had been made just yesterday). Sincerely recommended for any fans of science fiction or cinema history.

    I have a big, funny nostalgic thing for Legend from my childhood. Especially that haunting Tangerine Dream score. It really was interesting for me hearing Jerry Goldsmith's original score restored after all those years. The movie certainly didn't feel right with TD's music missing, but I'm sure that in time, when I revisit the JG version again (Legend isn't a movie I watch very often), I will appreciate it much more.
  • MooseWithFleasMooseWithFleas Philadelphia
    Posts: 3,370
    Ah! I love Metropolis. We watched a version in my German class in H.S. that had a really cool industrial soundtrack theme when they were in the factory. It was very powerful and I have never been able to find this version. Great movie! If only I could find that one version.
  • bigladiesmanbigladiesman
    edited February 2015 Posts: 1,009
    I own two versions in BluRay: the long one and the Moroder one. One is a masterpice, the other a gigantic music video whose success started in fact the global search for the full version available. I love the two of them.
  • bigladiesmanbigladiesman
    Posts: 1,009
    Birdleson wrote: »
    It sounds like many of us were sparked to find the truest version after seeing Moroder's take on it. I had already been a film major by then, I'd seen Fritz Lang's M, I was aware of METROPOLIS (and had seen stills), but I went in with no real concept of it's power or what it was about.

    I read about Metropolis for the very first time on those beautiful Dorling Kindersley books about cinema, but my first actual contact with the movie and Fritz Lang was the Moroder version, back in music class on high school.
  • chrisisallchrisisall Brosnan Defender Of The Realm
    Posts: 17,837
    Seeing the Moroder version on the big screen was pretty awesome, I must say.
  • DarthDimiDarthDimi Behind you!Moderator
    Posts: 24,271
    @Birdleson, of the three you put in bold, I prefer Dr. Caligari. I'm a sci-fi fan, so naturally I'm very much into Metropolis, but there's a visual quality about Dr. Caligari that I find hard to resist.

    The other day, I was asked by my students what constitutes a typical German Expressionist film. I had been enthusiastically discussing Dr. Mabuse the Gambler and so the topic was swiftly raised. But since I'm a chemistry teacher and certainly not an expert on movie art, merely a fervent watcher, I credit myself with very little legitimate knowledge on the subject besides what I have thus far read in books.

    This thread seems like a pretty good occasion to learn more. Could you summarize a few things about German Expressionism for me, please? :)
  • DarthDimiDarthDimi Behind you!Moderator
    Posts: 24,271
    I'd be much obliged, sir.

    I have an entire collection of books on the subject of horror films, but they mostly start with the Universal talkies of the early 1930s, e.g. Dracula and Frankenstein. Only on a rare occasion do I find any clear mentioning of the great German films of the 20s and 30s. I regret this, since I count films like Dr. Caligari, Metropolis and especially M among my favourites. I know a couple of things about the downfall of the German movie tradition of those times, naturally attributable to the rise of the Nazi terror and its peculiar censorship. But actual in-depth analyses of the genre seem to come in limited supply. I think I know a lot more about 80s slashers than I do about German Expressionism. So I want to thank you in advance for your effort, @Birdleson.
  • DarthDimiDarthDimi Behind you!Moderator
    Posts: 24,271
    @Birdleson, thank you, sir! I'm interested now. And so far, I'm still with you. ;)
  • chrisisallchrisisall Brosnan Defender Of The Realm
    Posts: 17,837
    This is my college art history class all over again! =D>
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