Rating: 
Summary: Swooping Epic of a Film killed by an unsympathetic modernity
Review: Metropolis the movie and Metropolis the video are two entirely different entities. The former represents a genesis in science fiction film-making and should be respected universally as being the fruit of a team of visionary geniuses (principally in terms of art-direction). In 1926, this two hour-plus release was a swooshing epic of light, machinery and action, taking audiences who had been only used to watching films in the cinema with tinny piano accompaniment into the far future world of robotics, mass-transit, etc. The actors were good but they didn't have a chance of flourishing in the shadow of the sheer excellence of set design and production. This was the world of the year 2,000 (so far off back then that the comma means something in the writing of the figure). Lang's direction brought out a sci-fi exposition fused with parable fused with philosophy. Grandiose by the standards of any time, the film cost over 2 million USD (in 'then' money) and nearly bankrupted UFA, the backing company. That alone proves that this was a work of intense sacrifice and conviction: a mind-blowing excursion into the far-future (then a lifetime away) which, despite its explicit critique of both Marxism and Capitalism, revealed the likely development of a mammoth pleasure era to come. The spoilt offspring of the Commercialist dictator sights the beauty of the People's girl and is smitten to the point that he will try to change his side of the machine. At the same time, the girl becomes known to the dictator who, in turn, commissions Rotwang the inventor (analagous as being the amoral scientific community) to construct a mechanical replica of the girl to undo the damage and keep the rumblings low. The girl is abducted, duplicated and retained for the pleasure of the scientist. Her robotic alter-ego malfunctions and becomes a Lenin-Hitler, inciting the workers to rise up and destroy the metropolis of their enslaver......and their own. That is the meaning of 'Metropolis' the film. Sadly, not many people have been able to afford the same respect to 'Metropolis'. In terms of its versions on video, only 2 are worth seeing at this time. This tape and its brethren listed here are not amongst them. What you should search for is either the 1984 Giorgio Moroder film (85 mins including a hard rock soundtrack-score, tinting, visual additions and a brilliant general score which I recorded onto a 90-min audio tape it was so good) or the 1992 release by the British Eureka corporation (on PAL, sadly). The latter claims to have all 139 minutes and although I haven't yet bought it (after buying 3 'Metropolis' VHS tapes, I'm becoming a little weary of waste), I can see from the thickness of the reel that there really could be all 139 minutes on there. All others are a waste of money and should be avoided like the plague. This tape has an unsuitable soundtrack which kills the aesthetics of the film and the print itself lacks high resolution and is grained in areas. For the 1920's, an orchestral or piano soundtrack had to do but 'Metropolis' should not be classified as being a silent film per se. It is a generic 'Metropolis-film' and demands better academic appreciation. It is sad to see that the minds behind doing the re-releasing of 'Metropolis' just lack that respect. Either that, or......or perhaps it's a conspiracy to assassinate the film's image.
Rating: 
Summary: Landmark movie with the worst conversion possible!
Review: This movie is a touch stone for sci-fi and social commentary on modern society.The transfer is the absolutely worst one they could have used! It was a silent movie, watch it that way! . It is also the shortest version available at 83 mins (the original was 139 mins). I got it because of its importance to me as a film maker, not for the technical merits of the transfer to DVD, which looks worse than the VHS dub I had!
Rating:
Summary: Lies and butchery
Review: Why oh why don't they just settle on one good print with a synchronized soundtrack that matches the futuristic feel of the film and then make it play out for the full 139 minutes! The number of times I've seen 139 mins of the back of the box and then wound up playing 86mins on my VCR to get from start to finish on each version is insane! This movie has been shat on by mindless marketeering and lab people with no taste.
Rating:
Summary: Sad version.
Review: The only thing I can add to the other excoriating comments on the DVD is that the two-channel sound appears to be unidentified mono recordings of various classics (e.g. Mendelssohn's Italian symphony, Prokofiev's 1st symphony), from the early electrical days, judging from the poor quality (performances OK), prepared by recording the channels with opposite phase. This gives a very strange sound, depending on your system. I ended up using the L-R mode of my preamp for a semblance of centered mono. I got this as a gift, but I had asked for it; I should have read Amazon's reviews first. I can't imagine how this ever got produced or marketed.
Rating:
Summary: 1984 re-release of Metropolis is the only version of quality
Review: The 1984 re-release with the Georgio Moroder music score is the only version worth buying and it is no longer available. The '84 release originally came out in VHS and eventually Laser Disc--a demonstration that exceptional quality is possible. I wish I knew what studio produced the Laser Disc and that they would re-release the '84 version of Metropolis with Georgio Moroder's music score on DVD with the same quality that was given to the Laser Disc. It seems that when Laser Disc went out of style in favor of DVD, the public lost the only consistant quality product available to a cheap, mass-produced, entity. I guess if you have not seen the '84 version of this movie or have not seen it from Laser Disc, then you have nothing to compare the the junk being offered currently!
Rating:
Summary: Terrible, terrible, terrible print DO NOT BUY!!!
Review: I knew I was in for trouble when the opening words were out of focus and half cropped off by the edges of the screen, then the music began and it got worse. This DVD is a crime against a classic. Someone call 911. The people responsible should be forced to watch this over and over again with the sound turned on.
Rating:
Summary: The Movie Is Great...But this release is terrible
Review: Thank god I saw this before I bought it. I was not impressed with this version at all. The quality was just not there, for picture & music. I'll stick to my 80's version of the classic, it was released though "Vestron Video", and its been modified. But this version has some cool groups from the 80's that performed on the soundtrack, such as Bonnie Tylor, Queen, Jon Anderson, Lover Boy, ect, and I do belive it is a classic to be experienced. Now, this is not the fully restored version, but it is very clear and clean.
Rating:
Summary: Bad transfer of a brilliant movie
Review: The music is terrible, and the quality is horrendous! The music just didnt fit the scenes at all. I sure hope Criterion picks this title up and restores it with the "original soundtrack".
Rating:
Summary: Great Movie--Painfully bad transfer.
Review: Metropolis is one of the greatest movies of all time. Visually, it is still ripped off almost on a daily basis. Unfortunately, this DVD version is agonizing to watch. I lasted about 20 seconds and the disc was stored away. Hopefully someone will release a copy with both "traditional" and Georgio Moroder soundtracks. A perfect opportunity to utilize the capabilities of DVD
Rating:
Summary: you won't believe your eyes (cause the print is that bad)
Review: Metropolis is a great film, and it's shocking that a print quality this bad is out there. Wait till a better print comes out, don't buy this one.
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