Metropolis on DVD |
Metropolis is, of course, one of
the greatest science-fiction films ever made. If it appears filled with visual and plotted
clichés to us as modern viewers, that's because 75 years' worth of sci-fi movies have
purloined giant sections of it -- almost always putting them to lesser use.
For all its classic film status, however, none of us has
ever seen the complete film that Fritz Lang shot -- or even the one he premiered in Berlin
on January 10, 1927. That film was rumored to run 180 minutes. In March of that year, a
badly edited, far shorter version opened in the U.S. Later, the filmmakers went bust and
the original version was lost to history -- only the American print survived. Over the
years, there have been many attempts to restore the missing footage to Metropolis,
but the film most people have seen is the 90-minute cut that was shown throughout the '70s
and '80s (often with a Georgio Moroder score, fer pete's sake). Kino's new DVD is
based on the 147-minute "restored authorized edition" assembled by the F.W.
Murnau Foundation. It runs 124 minutes and, yes, there are still holes in the plot and
inexplicable jumps in the action, but this is the version you've got to see.
Why, you are probably asking, is this a 124-minute DVD of a
147-minute edition? Ah, that's where the controversy arises. That time-discrepancy is due
to the playback speed of the film, which was apparently shot at 20 frames per second and
is played back at 24 frames per second. There is some evidence -- although its validity is
a matter of debate -- that the original was shown at the faster speed. The practice was by
no means uncommon. Some viewers find the resultant jerky, fast-motion movements a serious
distraction -- I don't, but I've seen the effect in many silent films and can
mentally switch it off, just as I do the blue and sepia frame tints.
Other than that, there's nothing to cavil about in Kino's
new DVD edition. The picture is phenomenally clear and the special effects are still
astonishing. The film is accompanied by a newly recorded 5.1 version of Gottfried
Huppertz's original musical score, and it offers a slew of (for a change) significant and
fascinating extras. There's an extremely academic commentary track by film historian Enno
Patalas and a bang-up 43-minute featurette delineating the movie’s production ups and
downs over the years. This last features side-by-side comparisons of the unrestored and
digitally enhanced frames, which vividly demonstrate the superb restoration job done by
the Murnau Foundation.
In all of film history, there has never been a film that
looks quite like Metropolis -- except for those that imitated it (and even they
missed by a mile). The mise en scene ranges from the Gothic spires and grandeur of
the Metropolis of the upper-management class to the darkly dystopian underworld inhabited
by the workers -- and all of it is suffused with a bravura visual style that combines old
world Gothicism with a futuristic bent.
There are numerous theories concerning the movie's plot --
one school sees it as a prescient rejection of communism, and maybe it is -- but mostly
it’s a ripping yarn that pits the exploited masses against the pampered few. It's
filled with brilliant images and bold visions, and it ends on an optimistic note that
still thrills, even though we know what the future really held in store for Germany in the
'20s.
Metropolis is truly one of the great movies of all
time and Kino's new "restored authorized edition" is the DVD it has deserved --
and the best it has looked in 75 years. We've had to wait to get it, but don't wait
any longer than necessary. Buy it now.
