Audience Member
This loving 2010 restoration of Fritz Lang's groundbreaking 1927 silent film shows us the beginnings of epic science fiction. Visually arresting and stunningly grand in scale, Lang's film set the standard for subsequent portrayals of dystopic urban futures. Yes, the overacting and heavy-handed moralism common to silent film detracts. But Brigitte Helm still stands out movingly in the female lead.
Rated 4.5/5 Stars •
Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars
02/06/23
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I had the opportunity to watch this version before looking at other more incomplete editions of the film. I have to say I was very impressed by the details of this silent standing in comparsion to many more recent Science Fiction films. Thea von Harbou's story is still quite current, which I think adds a lot to the film being such a masterpiece.
Rated 5/5 Stars •
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
02/07/23
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Audience Member
Kyseinen elokuva on kohta sata vuotta vanha, mutta silti tästä voi aistia vieläkin tuoreelta tuntuvia vivahteita. Huomaa, että on oltu esikuvana aika monelle scifi-elokuvalle. Jopa tarina ennustelee hienosti myöhemmin maailmassa tapahtuvia asioita.
Rated 4/5 Stars •
Rated 4 out of 5 stars
01/12/23
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Metropolis (Fritz Lang, 1927)
What is there to say about the magical Metropolis that has not already been said? Not a damn thing, most likely, which is going to do something very rare: shut me up. I'm just going to point you to everything from Roger Ebert's Great Films entry on the 2010 restoration, which adds almost half an hour of footage long believed to be lost (it was found in Buenos Aires in 2008; it had been cut from the original by German censors, who found it objectionable-not terribly surprising in interbellum Germany), or Jonathan Rosenbaum's 2002 review from the Chicago Reader or Thomas Elsaesser's book-length deconstruction of the film and for my part, I'm going to simply implore you to watch the silly thing, in its full, restored glory, and if you are at all a fan of fantasy, science fiction, or horror film, marvel at how incredibly influential this movie has been-you will recognize the source of dozens, maybe even hundreds, of things you've seen in movies since then. [note: sorry to those not reading this at Popcorn for Breakfast, who aren't getting all the links above.]
Note when I say "restored" that I don't mean the new footage is as pristine as it was in 1927. Far from it-the footage recovered in Argentina was not handled all that well (in fact, there was over an hour cut from the film; half of it was not salvageable from the Argentinian print, and what happens in those bits is supplied to us via intertitles), and the difference between the bits included here from the 2001 remaster, which look very good indeed, and the bits from the 2010 restoration is palpable. And it doesn't matter one bloody bit, ghosts of hairs and scratches on the celluloid and dust motes abound and it's still riveting stuff, the kind of movie you can watch in the 2010s and still understand that when people went to the movies in the 1920s, some of them thought they were seeing actual honest-to-filmstock magic happening. And perhaps they were. One of the all-time greats. **** 1/2
Rated 4.5/5 Stars •
Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars
02/11/23
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Audience Member
Whenever somebody whose interests in film are highly overrated, complains of the why I always top -Metropolis- as the greatest sci-fiction film of them all...Well, that's when my blood boils as steam and magic blows from my tyrannic mouth; Ideas that are already overrated and still fresh and hypnotically odd, but that's the power of silent film: to use imagery as the main source of its own filmmaker's idea of good storytelling, sometimes exquisite cuts, or just junk. Metropolis is not a film that rises ideas of psychological treason, or mind blowing endless dilemmas as more modern "space-odysseys". It is an odyssey by its narrative and epic by its scale, and an inspiration for those films that today challenge more than what meet the eyes, It is a biblical epic, and for me that's original and brilliant enough to rise debates of topics that are not even there in shape, but in soul, and that's of course "Maria". It is the greatest sci-fiction epic, and a Masterpiece, it reminds me to Lean's "Mr. Lawrence". This film is the term Sci-Fiction, if you debate with me, you say Sci-Fiction, I say Metropolis. What else is to say, that's how much I adore this feature.
Rated 5/5 Stars •
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
01/16/23
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Audience Member
Over the years, there have been many different cuts of Metropolis bestowed upon the world, be it in Germany where the film originated, or in the rest of the world where it was both lost and found many times. As of today, we now have substantially three different official versions of the film. We have the 2002 restoration release, the 2010 near-complete version, and last but not least, the 1984 Giorgio Moroder version. I cherish all three versions of the film and consider them all equally valuable, especially in the absence of a pristine complete version of the film (although the 2010 effort comes close). No matter which version I choose to watch, I'm in it for the story, the majesty of the special effects and the effort it took to make the film in the first place. Make no mistake about it: this is an amazing film, and anyone with half a brain will understand its themes and get caught up in its timeless story. Definitely a masterpiece in any form.
Rated 5/5 Stars •
Rated 5 out of 5 stars
01/26/23
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