Metropolis (1927)

Rev. Powell · October 04, 2007, 11:32:08 PM

I didn't see a thread devoted to this seminal silent science fiction epic, I'd like to introduce myself and extend the right hand of love to this board by starting one devoted to Fritz Lang's METROPOLIS.

This one has been on my "must see" list for almost 20 years, and I just got around to watching it, which means either that I watch too few movies, have too long of a list, or that there are so many worthwhile films to see it can take a lifetime to watch them all. It got pushed ahead in my queue because it came in the Mill Creek "Classic Horror" 50-pack. (Paired on the same disk with Dwain Esper's crazed exploitation film MANIAC: a double-feature that would be the ultimate mind-bending trip from the ridiculous to the sublime). This public domain version whets my appetite to see the restored version with the original score.

The usual disclaimers about silent films apply; slow paced, melodramatic emoting, good long attention span needed.

PLOT (minor spoilers): Set in a mythical, industrialized city of the future called Metropolis. The city is ruled by a capitalist Master (a combination dictator and CEO) named Joh Frederson. His son Freder becomes aware of the plight of the exploited workers when he ventures into the bowels of the city and witnesses several of them scalded to death while working on the mysterious machines that run the city. Freder also falls in love with the beautiful Maria, a sort of prophetess of the working class who preaches a message of peace and the coming of a "mediator" to the masses. Meanwhile, the Master visits a cranky old "inventor" (mad scientist) who has created a robot that can not only replace the workers, but can also assume the appearance of a human being. (Sound like a B-movie plot yet?) The Master and the inventor kidnap Maria, transfer her form to the robot, and send her out to preach a message of rebellion to the workers. The fake Maria advises the laborers to rise up and destroy the machines, which causes a flood that destroys their houses. The real Maria escapes and chased to the top of a cathedral by the inventor and the son, and they engage in a climactic rooftop battle while the distraught and repentant Master looks on.

The movie has a minimalist, mythical plot and is loaded with memorable, iconic images: the art-deco robot surrounded by levitating rings of light, and absurd clock-like machine with heavy arms that must be rotated in seemingly random directions when a bulb lights, a recreation of the Tower of Babel story, the false Maria imagined as a belly-dancing Jezebel, and death playing a femur like a flute, just to mention a few. The mixture of high art and surreal spectacle has probably never been equaled.

It's also interesting to think about the political climate in Germany when this film was made: the Communists had thrown out the Russian czar ten years earlier, and the Nazis, positioning themselves as a "workers party," were rising to power. The movie features a devilish demagogue who leads a worker's revolt that ends in ironic tragedy and destruction. Hitler would be elected chancellor six years after the movie's release.

dean · October 05, 2007, 03:41:39 AM

This is a great film, one of my favourites in the silent film period. Also been one I've been toying with the idea of messing around with my own soundtrack as practice scoring. Of course its one of those 'when I have more time' things...

RCMerchant · October 05, 2007, 04:59:04 AM

Iv'e always been a fan of Fritz Lang's work,but must confess I'm more attached to his MABUSE series of films. Not taking from METROPOLIS,of course! Rudolf Klien Rogge is great. Seems to me Peter Sellers had a little of Rotwang in him as DR.STRANGELOVE!

Love your avatar! Believe it or not...I have the same tatoo on my left hand! Was going to put 'HATE" on the other..but it seemed a little too hardcore-so I made the 'LOVE" into "I LOVE BEER".

Yeah...real dumb. I was 23...and pretty drunk at the time....

Doc Daneeka · October 05, 2007, 05:24:32 AM

QuoteThe usual disclaimers about silent films apply; slow paced, melodramatic emoting, good long attention span needed.

Dozens of scenes missing...

As a strict completeist (I refuse to watch Strangelove again until I see piefighting!), I don't like it when they say "nearly 3 quarters of this movie have been restored" and treat it like a good thing!

Rev. Powell · October 05, 2007, 06:41:31 PM

Quote from: RCMerchant on October 05, 2007, 04:59:04 AM
Iv'e always been a fan of Fritz Lang's work,but must confess I'm more attached to his MABUSE series of films. Not taking from METROPOLIS,of course! Rudolf Klien Rogge is great. Seems to me Peter Sellers had a little of Rotwang in him as DR.STRANGELOVE!

Love your avatar! Believe it or not...I have the same tatoo on my left hand! Was going to put 'HATE" on the other..but it seemed a little too hardcore-so I made the 'LOVE" into "I LOVE BEER".

Yeah...real dumb. I was 23...and pretty drunk at the time....

The Mabuses are also on my long list. I have to say, I love the tattoo idea, except I'm not sure how I'd overcome the "I LOVE BEER" message when I went for a job interview. Unless I only applied at Anheuser Busch, Coors, and Miller Brewing.

RCMerchant · October 05, 2007, 07:57:13 PM

Quote from: Rev. Powell on October 05, 2007, 06:41:31 PM
Quote from: RCMerchant on October 05, 2007, 04:59:04 AM
Iv'e always been a fan of Fritz Lang's work,but must confess I'm more attached to his MABUSE series of films. Not taking from METROPOLIS,of course! Rudolf Klien Rogge is great. Seems to me Peter Sellers had a little of Rotwang in him as DR.STRANGELOVE!

Love your avatar! Believe it or not...I have the same tatoo on my left hand! Was going to put 'HATE" on the other..but it seemed a little too hardcore-so I made the 'LOVE" into "I LOVE BEER".

Yeah...real dumb. I was 23...and pretty drunk at the time....

The Mabuses are also on my long list. I have to say, I love the tattoo idea, except I'm not sure how I'd overcome the "I LOVE BEER" message when I went for a job interview. Unless I only applied at Anheuser Busch, Coors, and Miller Brewing.

Well...believe it or not...when I got the tat-in 1984-I was homeless in NYC...And me and my buddy made a homemade tat gun-I tatood 'F#ck You on his inner lower lip,and I did the knuckle tat on myself-plus 'I wrote "HOWDY" on the ankle of of my leg! I blame it on massive booze and listening to too much Ramones and the Cramps at the time. Ah well...! Maybe a black Rotwing glove would cover it?

CheezeFlixz · October 05, 2007, 09:50:05 PM

I can only dream that one day somewhere someone opens a box or vault and finds a mint copy of the full length original release of 210 minutes, but alas over a hour of the film is lost to time. It's a great film.

Rev. Powell · October 06, 2007, 03:29:14 PM

An extremely detailed history of the various versions can be found here:

http://www.alpha-omega.de/English/E_ReconstMetropolis.html

I think I would have appreciated the lost red light district scenes even more than the lost subplots.

dinosaur_jr. · October 19, 2007, 10:48:34 PM

Metropolis..Great one.

Haven´t seen any Mabuse tho..

the master · August 30, 2008, 11:32:39 AM

Quote from: CheezeFlixz on October 05, 2007, 09:50:05 PM
I can only dream that one day somewhere someone opens a box or vault and finds a mint copy of the full length original release of 210 minutes, but alas over a hour of the film is lost to time. It's a great film.

it was found 2 months ago

Doc Daneeka · August 30, 2008, 06:09:47 PM

Quote from: the master on August 30, 2008, 11:32:39 AM
Quote from: CheezeFlixz on October 05, 2007, 09:50:05 PM
I can only dream that one day somewhere someone opens a box or vault and finds a mint copy of the full length original release of 210 minutes, but alas over a hour of the film is lost to time. It's a great film.
it was found 2 months ago

Ohhhhh, yeahhhhh

akiratubo · August 30, 2008, 06:22:09 PM

I love Rotwang. In fact, I would humbly nominate him as one of the five best movie characters of all time. Everything about him is perfect, from the actor, to his robot hand, to his weird-ass house, to the way he "activates" Mecha-Maria. I don't think I've ever seen another character, period, portrayed so spot-on.

Doc Daneeka · August 30, 2008, 06:25:24 PM

Quote from: akiratubo on August 30, 2008, 06:22:09 PM
I love Rotwang. In fact, I would humbly nominate him as one of the five best movie characters of all time.

You can make/add to a top 100 on the main board

Rev. Powell · August 30, 2008, 08:59:05 PM

Quote from: the master on August 30, 2008, 11:32:39 AM
Quote from: CheezeFlixz on October 05, 2007, 09:50:05 PM
I can only dream that one day somewhere someone opens a box or vault and finds a mint copy of the full length original release of 210 minutes, but alas over a hour of the film is lost to time. It's a great film.
it was found 2 months ago

Coll, the first thread I ever started here is still alive.

Some of the footage was found, but there may still be more out there someshere. I hope we see the extra "red light district" footage.

the master · September 01, 2008, 04:15:24 PM

Quote from: Rev. Powell on August 30, 2008, 08:59:05 PM
Quote from: the master on August 30, 2008, 11:32:39 AM
Quote from: CheezeFlixz on October 05, 2007, 09:50:05 PM
I can only dream that one day somewhere someone opens a box or vault and finds a mint copy of the full length original release of 210 minutes, but alas over a hour of the film is lost to time. It's a great film.
it was found 2 months ago

Coll, the first thread I ever started here is still alive.

Some of the footage was found, but there may still be more out there someshere. I hope we see the extra "red light district" footage.

i thinks it is 5 minutes on the print that were unwatchable when freeder talks to a priest in his dream about a apolcoplse