| |
 |
|
|
Movies Forum Index » Silent Movies Forum » Deutsche Welle: Long-Lost "Metropolis" Reels Hint at...
Page 1 of 1
|
| Author |
Message |
| Bruce Calvert... |
 Posted: Sun Jul 06, 2008 12:11 pm |
|
|
|
Guest
|
http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,,3460612,00.html?maca=en-rss-en-all-1573-rdf
Long-Lost "Metropolis" Reels Hint at Fritz Lang's Original Vision
Lang's vision of a mechanical society caught in a class struggle may
be seen in its entirety
A long-lost original cut of the 1927 silent film "Metropolis" found in
an Argentine film museum was shown to journalists for the first time.
The cut reveals some the extent of director Fritz Lang's original
vision.
The celluloid of the German classic was in private hands for 80 years
and then was in the Museum of Cinema in Buenos Aires where it was
discovered in April with never before seen scratched images.
Museum director Paula Felix-Didier said theirs is the only copy of
German director Fritz Lang's complete film.
Three reels, edited out and long thought lost, were part of the
discovery of the film that depicts a 21st century world divided
between an underworld working class and the above-ground thinkers who
control them.
Buenos Aires film distributor Adolfo Z. Wilson acquired a long version
of "Metropolis" in 1928 which survived as a copy, and finally ended up
in the archive of a local film museum, said Felix-Didier.
Rediscovered reels deemed authentic
Bildunterschrift: Großansicht des Bildes mit der Bildunterschrift:
Lang's original vision may finally be realized
A DVD of the version was brought to the Friedrich Wilhelm Murnau
Foundation in Wiesbaden, Germany, for analysis. Researchers at the
foundation, which owns the rights to "Metropolis," confirmed that the
scenes were original.
"We were overjoyed when we heard about the find," foundation head
Helmut Possmann told Reuters news agency. "We no longer believed we'd
see this. Time and again we had had calls about supposed footage but
were disappointed.
"We're not being fooled," he said. "The film can now be shown more or
less as Lang originally intended it. In terms of understanding what
it's about, we'll be seeing a new film."
Material expands characters and plot
Bildunterschrift: The film wasn't an initial success
Around 20 to 25 minutes of footage that fleshes out secondary
characters and sheds light on the plot would be added to the film
pending restoration, he added. But around five minutes of the original
were probably still missing, he said.
Due to the poor condition of the film stock, it was too early to say
how long restoration would take, Possmann said.
"It's taken several years with similar films," he added.
Written by Lang and his actress wife Thea von Harbou, “Metropolis” was
originally three-and-a-half-hours long but was cut into a shorter
version since seen by millions worldwide.
Commercial flop to influential blueprint
It was not a commercial success and nearly bankrupted the studio
behind it. According to some estimates, it still ranks as one of the
most expensive movies ever made once inflation is factored in.
With its cold, monumental vision of a vast mechanized society in the
middle of a tumultuous class struggle, "Metropolis" forged a template
for generations of science fiction cinema, and its enduring influence
has been cited on films from "Blade Runner" to "Fahrenheit 451" and
"Star Wars."
"Metropolis," was the first film to be entered into UNESCO's Memory of
the World Register -- which aims to preserve cultural achievements of
outstanding significance.
DW staff (nda)
Bruce Calvert
--
Visit the Silent Film Still Archive
http://www.silentfilmstillarchive.com |
|
|
| Back to top |
|
| |
|
Page 1 of 1
All times are GMT - 5 Hours
The time now is Mon Oct 06, 2008 8:19 pm
|
|