Product Description

It is the future & humans are divided into two groups: the thinkers who make plans (but dont know how anything works) & the workers who achieve goals (but dont have the vision). One man from the thinkers dares visit the underground where the workers toil & is astonished by what he sees.. Studio: Kino International Release Date: 11/09/2004 Run time: 124 minutes

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #9091 in DVD
• Released on: 2003-02-18
• Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
• Formats: Black & White, DVD-Video, Full Screen, NTSC
• Original language: English
• Subtitled in: Spanish, French
• Dubbed in: English
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 117 minutes

Amazon.com essential video
Fritz Lang's Metropolis belongs to legend as much as to cinema. It's a milestone of sci-fi and German expressionism. Yet the story makes minimal sense, and the "theme" belongs in a fortune cookie; to experience the film's pagan power, you have to see the movie. But for decades we couldn't, not really--not with so many versions, all incomplete, often in public-domain prints like smudged photocopies. This Murnau Foundation restoration changes all that. Some shots, scenes, and subplots may be lost forever, but intertitles indicate how they fit into the original continuity and the characters' individual trajectories. Most crucially, the images are crisp, vibrant, and three-dimensional instead of murky and flattened. The composite sequences (the Tower of Babel, a sea of lusting eyes) have been restored to their hallucinatory ferocity. And there's one moment when you can see a bead of sweat roll down a man's cheek--in medium long-shot. --Richard T. Jameson

From the Back Cover
Perhaps the most famous and influential of all silent films, METROPOLIS has for 75 years been seen only in shortened or truncated versions. Now, restored in Germany with state of the art digital technology, under the supervision of the Murnau Foundation, and with the original 1927 orchestral score by Gottfried Huppertz added, METROPOLIS can be appreciated in its full glory. It is, as A.O. Scott of the New York Times declared, "A fever dream of the future. At last we have the movie every would-be cinematic visionary has been trying to make since 1927."

METROPOLIS takes place in 2026, when the populace is divided between workers who must live in the dark underground and the rich who enjoy a futuristic city of splendor. The tense balance of these two societies is realized through images that are among the most famous of the 20th century, many of which presage such sic-fi landmarks as 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY and BLADE RUNNER. Lavish and spectacular, with elaborate sets and modern science fiction style, METROPOLIS stands today as the crowning achievement of the German silent cinema. Kino is proud to present the definitive, authorized version of this towering classic, at a length over one third longer than any previous release, for the first time on DVD and VHS.

Customer Reviews

1st Time Seen and I Love It
I have never seen Metropolis before but this genre of old classic films really intrigue me especially the silent films. I saw all the reviews of Metropolis and figured it might be worth a see. This company Kino always deliveries quality in their movies and as I watched this one I was happy to see a nice picture without a bunch of distortion or fuzz. The audio is 5.1 surround sound and it sounds great. The music is very good and it really captures the mood of whats going on.

I don't know what the original was like but I am very happy with what I saw and heard. Like I said this is my 1st time seeing this so I don't know whats missing or what versions are available or whatever. Most movies from the silent era never really grab me as much as this film did. What is going on onscreen really captivated me and I was amazed at the time it came out and what it had accomplished. For being such an old movie it was still enjoyable for me to watch today so I know it will be a classic favorite in my collection. The subtitles when active give a somewhat glimpse of whats trying to be conveyed and some stuff I would never of thought of like seeing doors shut behind people as a relevance to something. The subtitles are very helpful if you have no idea of what you are watching or even if you do the insights are still a very nice extra.

Though the special features are a little light it does give a little insight into the restoring process. There is also a documentary that goes into the German film industry at that time and scenes that were left out. These extra features though kind of short but still were interesting to watch.

Odds are if you don't like silent films or films that require a open mind to whats going on or even a respect for the time period you probably won't like it at all. There is a lot of weird imagery going on so you kind of have to think sometimes about what is happening and if it has some other meaning. I found the subtitles to help in this regard. Overall I know some people would not have patience for a silent movie nor care for them but I have a great respect for older films and when I find one that I enjoy I know its worth my five star rating. Everyone should see it at least once either for love or hate.

Restoration Looked Like a New Release
Let me say unequivocally, if you're looking to add "Metropolis" to your DVD library, Kino's Metropolis (Restored Authorized Edition) is the one you want. Hands down. This restoration rendered the print so clean, and the movement so smooth, it looked as if it were made yesterday. It's as restored to its original construction as well as it can be accomplished, with intertitles to explain the missing elements that were never recovered. This is a finely produced disc, satisfying on at least two levels. First it satisfies the wish to see the film it its pristine condition, as it must have appeared in the theater when it was new. Second, the extra features tell you everything you could possibly want to know about it, with two very well produced documentaries, which include interviews with lots of film historians and technicians and people upon whom the film has had an influence. The first documentary is about the movie itself, how it was made, the people involved, how it ended up in such neglect, and so forth. The second one focuses on the restoration process, and it's very informative, giving you the inside track of the technology utilized. It was very interesting stuff, and I'm very glad that there are people in the world who possess such dedication. The new print is the product of an amazing attention to minute details, and it's a process I wish they'd apply to more films. For what you get out of this disc, it's worth every last penny. It's an education in a cultural achievement.

And I would like to add one more point: It upconverts beautifully. This is a somewhat new concern for a lot of us these days, who've found ourselves disappointed with how some of our SD DVDs looked when upconverted for HDTV. Let me assure you, this edition looks great on an HDTV.

An mini-education in film criticism
The commentaries accompanying films can range from awful (WALKABOUT) to very good (SHOOT THE PIANO PLAYER) to "gotta own it" (METROPOLIS). The critic who did this commentary obviously knows Lang's work like the back of his hand and does a marvelous job of pointing out the significance of Lang's cinematic choices. I suggest you see it, then watch the commentary version, after which you may want to see it yet again. It's that good!
Indidentally, it annoys me that neither Amazon nor Criterion always mentions when a DVD has a commentary and who does it, to me one of the most important reasons for buying a DVD.