Rating: 
Summary: FUTURE PAST AND PRESENT?
Review: A small but rising chorus of concerned voices in the U.S. suggest that in an age when we are eagerly surrendering our freedom for the illusion of more security, Big Brother may not be so far off. 1984, Michael Radford's adaptation of George Orwell's depressing premonition stars John Hurt and Suzanna Hamilton as lovers who must keep their affair a secret. Richard Burton, in his final role, is a government agent who exposes Hurt to the concept of resistance. Oceania is a country that outlaws sex, fabricates reality and reconstructs history so it can suppress the masses, who are brainwashed via TV. Sound familiar? Orwell was off a little on his dates, but some of his ideas have been boldly mirrored ... An almost great film that deserves to be reconsidered because of it's timely and relevant ideas.
Rating: 
Summary: PARANOIA PAST AND FUTURE
Review: Fritz Lang's spectacular, gargantuan and visionary METROPOLIS has been seen for over 75 years but only in edited editions. Now, digitally restored under the supervision of the Murnau Foundation, here is the most complete version ever. With the addition of the sometimes Wagneresque 1927 orchestral score by Gottfried Huppertz, Metropolis can finally be enjoyed in its full eye-popping glory. The story takes place in 2026 (hey, not so far off), when the class differences of the human race are dramatically divided between poor laborers who live underground in dark warrens and labyrinths and the rich who live above in the light of towering, futuristic splendor. The truly iconic images in this movie -- as famous as any in the 20th century -- have profoundly influenced the sets, ideas, props and themes in films like 2001: A Space Odyssey, Blade Runner and even Star Wars. A. O. Scott of the New York Times rightly called Metropolis "A fever dream of the future." This version is over one third longer than any previous release and is by far the most complete since its Berlin premier Worthwhile extras include a fine commentary by film historian Enno Patalas, great 5.1 surround sound of the newly recorded orchestral score, "The Metropolis Case": a wonderful 43-minute documentary, Photo Galleries of production stills, fascinating missing scenes, striking architectural sketches, posters and more. Highly recommended.
Rating:
Summary: An Oustanding Film, Ahead of its Time
Review: This restoration of Metropolis is a great achievement. I was astonished by the quality of the film; the picture is absolutely clear and undamaged for the entire length of the film. I am sure that the restorers had to resort to pieces of film collected here and there but the finished product is seamless and looks like an original print. This edition of Metropolis has the original orchestral score by Gottfried Huppertz. There have been several scores written for Metropolis over the year, and some viewers may feel the original lack drama. This is perhaps true with the scene where the Robot is transformed into Maria. The music is eerie but quiet. Some composers probably would have used a lot of brass to punctuate the change in the Robot, but the original score is more subdued. On the other hand, the theme representing the Metropolis itself is quite memorable and dramatic. The addition of a half-hour of film fills out the story beautifully and with the new inter cards relating the action of the missing footage, the action of the film can be followed easily. The older, more incomplete version of Metropolis suffered from a lack of context. One example that I recall is when Freder volunteers to take over the operation of a machine from one of the workers. I found this puzzling because the motivation of Freder was not clear, however, with the addition of the new footage it was easy to understand how idealistic Freder is and his quest of brotherhood with the workers was clear. The complexity of Freder's character as the one who will bridge the differences between the workers and his father, Joh Fredersen, is reflected in the visions he sees, as when he sees Moloch in the damaged machine and the workers marching into it as if becoming a sacrifice. In sum, this is the edition of Metropolis to have. The story is presented in a clear and uncomplicated way with the best available print. Unless someone finds more of the original footage this remains the authoritative version.
Rating: 
Summary: Union Propaganda?
Review: Because others have already done so, I won't elaborate on the film's visual enhancements (I agree it was an excellent tranfer to DVD with the same caveats used by other reviewers). However, I'm baffled by the fact no one apparently wants to go out on a limb and call this what it is - union propaganda. Could "Management" be portrayed in a more sinister light? Could the workers have been portrayed in a more drudgelike, hang-dog fashion (or did they seem like the Israelites were portrayed while enslaved in Egypt)? Essentially the workers were awaiting their Messiah - in this case the "Mediator" (make that union boss Freder) and finally got their Mediator after the boss's son was smitten by the "Union Organizer" Maria (or Mary much like Mary the Virgin gives birth to Jesus, so Maria essentially gives birth to the Messiah (i.e., union boss Freder). And the fact that technology (i.e., the "Evil Maria" that is the robot changed physically by the mad scientist Rotwang to resemble Maria) leads/incites the union people to commit horrible and stupid acts (much like the character in the Ten Commandments movie that incites the Israelites that followed Moses to behave poorly while Moses was away getting the Ten Commandments) was equally appalling. I could go on but you get the drift.
Rating: 
Summary: Box Doesn't tell what movie is about
Review: The blurb from the box doesn't tell what the movie is about so it must have no plot. That sounds just postivilt wonderful doesn't it? Lets all rave about how great this movie is, telling nothing about why I should spend thirty dollars on it. It only matters that the "effects" are "great". How great could special effects from the twenties possible be?
Rating:
Summary: Correct running speed
Review: With regard to the comments of an earlier reviewer complaining about the projection speed on this release, I would refer him to Walter Kerr's excellent essay on the subject in his book THE SILENT CLOWNS. It is the SLOWING DOWN of silent films that is incorrect. This edition of METROLOPOLIS is shown at the correct speed, and the speed that FW Murnau specified. Slower speeds cause the film to become ponderous and grotesquely overlong.
Rating:
Summary: Monumental movie but still *not* an original transfer.
Review: Let me start by saying that a movie of this stature can't be praised highly enough. Having said that I beg to differ with all the five star rave reviews concerning the DVD transfer. I'm quite the Metropolis fan and my toes curled when I saw that the newest and latest official release has its intertitles translated into English up to the point of actually changing the original images as well.(The address card Freder shows Josaphas, the Hel memorial plaque, the tower of Babel sequence, a business card picked up by Freder, etc, are all English translations inserted by digital or other means into the film.) So, claiming that this version is original is dubious to say the least. Why not benefit from DVD's technology to leave it up to the viewer to choose between the (original) German or English intertitles? If it can be done with subtitles, I'm sure intertitles can't pose a problem. Imagine the frustration of the German movie buffs who have to watch one of their greatest movies of all time with English intertitles and German subtitles! What really made me frown is that in the scene selection section on the DVD you can make out the original German intertitles in some of the preview windows! The frustrating part about this is that even when using DVD's technological advantages to choose between intertitles, changes made onto the print by substituting English text over the images are permanent. Furthermore I challenge any film technician or any of the members on the restauration team of the Friedrich Wilhelm Murnau Foundation to tell me that this version of Metropolis is transfered at the correct speed. And by that I mean the speed at which any normal human being walks, runs and can gesticulate without looking like an episode from Comedy Capers. Have a look at the final scene where Rotwang chases Maria up the Cathedral. It is actually comical and embarassing to see, taking into account the enormous effort the F.W.M. Foundation took in restoring this monument. Trust me, you don't have to be an animation student or an expert in locomotion to see that the actor's movements are sped up. Even the big clock's second hand in Frederson's office races by at exaggerated speed. When Joh Frederson stands opposite of Rotwang (Hal statue sequence), Rotwang waves his hands frenetically in Fredersen's face to gesticulate refusal. For a moment his hands elude me because of motional blur. Eureka's 1999 release of Metropolis had much better and natural movement of the actors. What very few people know is that Fritz Lang under-crancked the camera for some of the shots in his movie to add drama and weight to some scenes. These little moments of genius gave Metropolis some of its extraordinary atmosphere and appeal and are now completely lost with this release. In 1927 the German production company UFA ordered the film to be cut for the US release. The American editor charged with this operation also exchanged the German intertitles and scenes with German texts for English substitutes. It's an irony that this release has been labeled "Restored Authorized Edition" for it perpetuates the act of defacing the original print as the editor did in 1927. The claim Kino makes this being a restored edition is at least misleading. Apart from footage that must be considered permanently lost, the claim holds no truth. The Merriam Webster dictionary defines "restore" as: "To put or bring back into a former or original state." Metropolis is a German movie. It used German text and titles. So let's get over the five star rave and try to be at least a little critical. I mean we're talking about one of the most influential and monumental movies of all time. Too bad its fantastic restauration is marred by such obvious flaws. My first copy of Metropolis was Eureka's 1999 release which runs at 139 minutes on region 2 equipment. Although the image suffers from a very bad transfer and even more missing footage in comparison with this release, it is so much more the viewing experience you want and ultimately can't forget. Speeding up a film destroys the director's artistical vision together with the movies ambience and atmosphere. Needless to say I immediately returned my recently acquired Restored Authorized Edition for a refund.
Rating:
Summary: METROPOLIS as you've never seen it
Review: I'll assume you've seen STAR WARS, or at least you're familiar with it. Suppose that STAR WARS was available only in a severly mutilated version shortened by a quarter, omitting key plot elements regarding the relationship of Luke Skywalker, Darth Vader and Obi Wan Kenobi. Then for whatever reason portions of the dialog were rewritten, redubbed and the John Williams score was replaced with generic classical selections, or perhaps a contemporary rock score. To add insult to injury, let's suppose that even this mutilated version is only seen in blurry, faded and sometimes unwatchable prints. Well, that's precisely the treatment that Fritz Lang's METROPOLIS has received over the years. The new restoration gives fans of science fiction film, silent film, german expressionist film, classic film music and the magic of the cinema reason to rejoice! Though, sadly, the portions which were cut seem to be irretrievable, the remaining elements have been restored using state-of the art techniques and re-edited into their proper sequence with the original title cards. The results are accompanied by the stirring score prepared for the film's premiere in the 1920's and the final presentation is nothing short of breathtaking. I've seen the film many times over the years and watching this restoration is like seeing it for the first time.
Rating:
Summary: As good as it gets
Review: All previous releases of "Metropolis" are going to seem remarkably grungy compared to this one. Kino Video, Transit Film, the Murnau Foundation, and a small army of dedicated people have put a great deal of work and care into producing the most complete version of "Metropolis" that anyone has seen since its premiere. Although about a quarter of the footage is still missing, the new restoration restores not only the surviving footage but a great deal of the story line as well. We learn (among many other things) why the Robot is female, why 'she' tries to destroy the city, and why Rotwang appears to go mad toward the end of the film; secondary characters like Josephat, 11811, and 'Slim' are fleshed out, and Alfred Abel's character Joh Fredersen is given much more depth. The picture quality is now comparable to that of a well-preserved '40s or '50s sound film; some of the effects scenes were entirely reconstructed from the original optical elements, and unobtrusive intertitles have been added to fill us in on parts of the film for which the footage has been lost. The soundtrack is the original orchestral score-- something for which I am extremely grateful. There have been several releases of "Metropolis" with soundtracks that had nothing to do with the film (random selections of old foxtrots or classical music)-- the original score holds the film together in a way that I've never experienced before. This is now a movie! The DVD contains some nice extras; production and advertising art, two featurettes ("The Metropolis Case" and "The Restoration"), and various bits of background info. There is also an audio commentary by Enno Patalas, which is both informative and insightful and makes many relevant references to Thea von Harbou's original novel. In short: if you want a copy of "Metropolis", this is the one to get.
Rating:
Summary: Spectacular, must-have DVD for any film buff
Review: Metropolis was quite a stunning film for its time. It had "Star Wars" quality special effects which were unheard-of back then--all amazingly done by hand and combined with tedious optical effects. Considering the massive effort and talent required, it was far more ambitious and deserving of praise than Star Wars, which had the luxury of more modern technologies to fall back on. If you view Metropolis in this context, and consider the time period, you can't help but be impressed. In fact, as you watch it, imagine the amazed reaction it must have received in theaters back in the 1920's. Audiences at that time had never seen anything like it. For at least the next 50 years, this film held its own--quite a feat. The Kino-produced DVD is in itself impressive. It is the absolute best version of the film ever to be made available in any form to the public. The video quality is astonishing considering the difficulty they must have had finding good prints to work with. The audio, too, is superb. You'll really enjoy the extra bonus material as well. So get this DVD, pop up some popcorn, turn out the lights, and transport yourself back to the 1920's. You're really going to love this one.
| 
