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Original Metropolis Lives On In Berlin
The First Ever Gynoid Is Now Complete At Last!
Metropolis Was the Silent Film Blockbuster That Inspired Pat Benatar
Must See: Metropolis

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Bootknife-Jackson
10/30/09

In reply to Original Metropolis Lives On In Berlin
oh my god! this is HUGE! wow... this might even be up there with Joan Of Arc resurfacing in an insane assylum after all prints were thought lost to the ages.

now, if they could find a print of Her Friend The Bandit, i would be happy....

(Her Friend The Bandit is an early Chaplin film (1914), made at Keystone with Mabel Normand. it holds the distinction of the only Chaplin film of the over 80 he made, that no known print exists). #metropolis
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Bootknife-Jackson was starred

gorehound
10/30/09

In reply to Original Metropolis Lives On In Berlin
I am excited by this news and will love seeing this restored version more than 90% of the new films i see coming out.this is awesome.a real great example of scifi #metropolis
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gorehound was starred gorehound was unstarred

rotwang
10/30/09

In reply to Original Metropolis Lives On In Berlin
As you might expect, I'm quite excited by this news. #metropolis
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rotwang was starred rotwang was unstarred

Marcelo
10/30/09

In reply to Original Metropolis Lives On In Berlin
A lot of people don't realize that the version of Metropolis that they're probably most used to (the ones from the 80's with the modern music or anything that isn't the Kino DVD from a few years back) is a completely re-edited, re-written, re-titled film that was taken from Lang's hands by Paramount and cut in half. The American editors assigned to do the cutting wrote a completely new plot and used the old footage with new title cards to sell a 90 minute version of the movie. They could do this because they cofinanced the production through an alliance called Parufamet. If all you've seen of the film are these old cuts you haven't seen Lang's film AT ALL.

Only the Kino DVD has Lang's original plot, which is FAR better than the American cut. It also has the original score, re-recorded for the DVD, and the restoration is simply beautiful. It looks like it was shot yesterday (unlike those old 80s releases which are absolutely awful in quality).

The Kino DVD was 2 and a half hours long, and contained missing scenes (mostly involving a sideplot with Metropolis's red light district and a chase sequence between the Thin Man and some other characters). On the DVD these scenes are described in title cards. This new release restores all but one of those missing scenes.

I am sad that there's one scene beyond repair. Maybe they can include the beyond repair scene as damaged as it is so that we may at least see it? #metropolis
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gods-n-clods promoted this comment Marcelo was starred Marcelo was unstarred

gods-n-clods
10/30/09

@Marcelo: I always wondered how that sorted out; I thought I watched the Kino version afew years ago, but it too lacked cohesion (maybe just a dvd pressing of the shorter corrupt version). #metropolis
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gods-n-clods was starred gods-n-clods was unstarred

Marcelo
10/30/09

@gods-n-clods: I should be clear: The Kino DVD restored a ton of old material, but it was still missing some scenes, which are the red light district ones, etc. This new Buenos Aires print restores all but one of those missing scenes, apparently.

The Kino DVD has the robot on the cover and a ton of extra features and stuff. If you look on Kino's website you'll find a picture of the cover and a trailer and it's night and day compared to the earlier versions. #metropolis
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Marcelo was starred Marcelo was unstarred

k4man
10/30/09

In reply to Original Metropolis Lives On In Berlin
This is all "pre-code" stuff, isn't it?

Or maybe it should've been. #metropolis
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NotChoinski promoted this comment k4man was starred k4man was unstarred

NotChoinski
10/30/09

@k4man: I think the code you refer to was the 'Hollywood Code' which only applied to films made in or viewed in the US. However, Hitler did have his own film codes which affected content. In either case, yes, this film was before either. #metropolis
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NotChoinski was starred NotChoinski was unstarred

k4man
10/30/09

@NotChoinski: Supposedly there were more scenes of cyber-Maria doing the electronic hootchie kootchie. Close up so that you could see that she was indeed nude under the fringe and costume.

Tame by Ibiza standards today but back then... #metropolis
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k4man was starred k4man was unstarred

phoghat
10/30/09

@NotChoinski:
code = 1934 #metropolis
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phoghat was starred phoghat was unstarred

Motoki
10/30/09

In reply to Original Metropolis Lives On In Berlin
Finally. I've been waiting for this release for some time now since I first heard of the re-discovery of that footage.

Of course I'll still have to wait for a home video release, or if we're lucky, a stateside theatrical release, but at least it's done and out there now. #metropolis
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Motoki was starred Motoki was unstarred

LittleDragon
10/30/09

In reply to Original Metropolis Lives On In Berlin
"Almost-unseen footage". All I can think is, its that footage you see out of the corner of your eye and your not sure if you saw it or not.

I remember watching this when I was about 9 and being intrigued but so tired I fell asleep then re-watched it and thought it would be so cool with industrial music. #metropolis
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LittleDragon was starred LittleDragon was unstarred

Allen_Richards
10/30/09

@LittleDragon: In this case, the museum the had the print actually screened the movie from time to time, and that was how it was discovered to be the most completely version available. #metropolis
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Allen_Richards was starred Allen_Richards was unstarred

LittleDragon
10/30/09

@Allen_Richards: That is really cool. I need to go back and read the news stories to see what happened and do a little research about the film and the people involved. Its such an interesting film for different reasons.
I enjoy the film but now have the urge to MST3K it. #metropolis
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LittleDragon was starred LittleDragon was unstarred

Allen_Richards
10/30/09

In reply to Original Metropolis Lives On In Berlin
This still isn't the "complete" version. In this print, one scene was beyond repair. I can deal with one scene.... #metropolis
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Allen_Richards was starred Allen_Richards was unstarred

RavenNemain
10/30/09

In reply to Original Metropolis Lives On In Berlin
It seems almost unbelievable that they actually found it, like the holy grail or something. I am so desperately hoping that Criterion or someone releases a special edition of the full cut for those of us who aren't Berliners. #metropolis
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Allen_Richards promoted this comment RavenNemain was starred RavenNemain was unstarred

Allen_Richards
10/30/09

@RavenNemain: it's set to be released on BluRay by Kino, who delayed their anniversary edition when the footage was discovered. the last i heard, it wasn't announced if the footage would be incorporated or just included as an extra, it depended on the the condition. At this point, I'd venture a guess that both versions will be on the disc. #metropolis
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Allen_Richards was starred Allen_Richards was unstarred

jabber
10/30/09

@RavenNemain: I'm still waiting for the other holy grail, Orson Welles' cut of "Magnificent Ambersons." Somewhere in the world there's a copy untouched by the studio. #metropolis
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Allen_Richards promoted this comment jabber was starred jabber was unstarred

Allen_Richards
10/30/09

@jabber: This was my exact thought the second I read about METROPOLIS. Although, if you read the circumstances surrounding AMBERSONS, that sounds far more unlikely.
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Edited by Allen_Richards at 10/30/09 9:17 AM Allen_Richards was starred Allen_Richards was unstarred

Sunshineyness
10/30/09

@jabber: *Sigh* I know... but with our luck it's probably in that wearhouse with the Ark of the Covenant.

I actually can't bring myself to watch the re-cut version because I worry it's disrespectful to Welles's memory. #metropolis
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Sunshineyness was starred Sunshineyness was unstarred

atrus123
10/30/09

In reply to Original Metropolis Lives On In Berlin
Time for a roadtrip to Berlin. But I have no money right now. :(

This is quite exciting. Metropolis is such an epic film that gets better every time I see it. #metropolis
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atrus123 was starred atrus123 was unstarred

lostarchitect
10/30/09

In reply to Original Metropolis Lives On In Berlin
Wait, wait. They FOUND that footage? Why was I not informed? #metropolis
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Allen_Richards promoted this comment lostarchitect was starred lostarchitect was unstarred

Allen_Richards
10/30/09

@lostarchitect: it's been all over the net for the last year or so. i'll see if i can find my old facebook links. #metropolis
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Allen_Richards was starred Allen_Richards was unstarred

lostarchitect
10/30/09

@Allen_Richards: It's OK, I am working the Google now. #metropolis
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lostarchitect was starred lostarchitect was unstarred

Allen_Richards
10/30/09

@lostarchitect: [www.zeit.de]

[www.thelocal.de]

already had them pulled up #metropolis
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Allen_Richards was starred Allen_Richards was unstarred

John Hazard
10/30/09

In reply to Original Metropolis Lives On In Berlin
Metropolis is one of my two favorite movies (next to Bride of Frankenstein). I've been waiting impatiently for this lost footage to be restored since I heard about it.

If you haven't watched the movie, and you're a little shy about silent or b&w films (my kids always complain) I recommend the Giorgio Moroder's 80's Pop-Rock version. Purists find it apocryphal, but I love it- Queen, Adam Ant, Pat Benetar, etc. with a little color tinting (which was actually done back in the day). #metropolis
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Allen_Richards promoted this comment John Hazard was starred John Hazard was unstarred

Allen_Richards
10/30/09

@John Hazard: I think this was how I was introduced to the movie on VHS back in high school during the late 80's. #metropolis
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Allen_Richards was starred Allen_Richards was unstarred

Anto103
10/30/09

In reply to Original Metropolis Lives On In Berlin
So has this film reached public domain yet? #metropolis
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franklinshepard promoted this comment Anto103 was starred Anto103 was unstarred

franklinshepard
10/30/09

@Anto103: There are versions that are in public domain. That's why it's taking so long to restore - a lot of companies don't think it's worth restoring a movie you can see for free on the internet. #metropolis
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franklinshepard was starred franklinshepard was unstarred

goldfarb
10/30/09

@Anto103: in the US it went into the public domain in 1953 #metropolis
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goldfarb was starred goldfarb was unstarred

Allen_Richards
10/30/09

@Anto103: This particular restoration will most likely receive a new copyright. #metropolis
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Allen_Richards was starred Allen_Richards was unstarred

belassoff
10/30/09

@Allen_Richards: That makes no sense, unless someone is subverting copyright law. If this film originally was presented in 1927, it should not be allowed to be copyrighted again, regardless of whether it was sitting in a vault in South America. You can't just say "but I spent a whole bunch of money to restore it, so I own its copyright." #metropolis
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Allen_Richards promoted this comment belassoff was starred belassoff was unstarred

Allen_Richards
10/30/09

@belassoff: It's been done before in cases of extensive restoration. And you're right, that's how the companies involved will sometimes recoup their investment, and isn't dissimilar to recent companies releasing colorized version of older titles, or Wade Williams' claim on Plan 9 where he copyrighted a print from which all subsequent copies were made.

It's going to be tricky in this case in that I'm willing to bet this version was never submitted for copyright (although, I could be wrong). I remember reading something about Scorsese's involvement in the restoration, and I was always under the impression his foundation was non-profit, so who really knows what'll happen.. #metropolis
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Allen_Richards was starred Allen_Richards was unstarred

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