As the lights came up in Salle Wilfred-Pelletier at 10 pm on July 28th, the capacity crowd rose to their feet in unanimous approval. Movie lovers of all ages had turned out in droves to take in the final film of this year’s Fantasia festival, and from the five-minute long standing ovation, they clearly felt they’d seen their money’s worth. Which classic picture were they applauding with such gusto? Why, the restored version of Fritz Lang’s 1927 masterpiece Metropolis of course!
The simple truth of the matter is this newly restored cut of the film is nothing short of a miracle. After premiering in Germany in 1927, the original, 153-minute long Metropolis underwent drastic re-edits upon the insistence of the distributors, who sought to streamline the plot and shorten the running time. Over the years, several attempts were made to recreate Lang’s original director’s cut, but it wasn’t until July 1st, 2008 that the dream became possible. A nearly complete print of the film was discovered in the archives of the Museo del Cine in Buenos Aires and an extensive restoration process was begun.
The new 2010 cut is four minutes short of the version that debuted in Germany over 80 years ago, and yes, there are quite a few shots marred by scratches and blurriness … but all things concerned, Metropolis has never looked better. It’s the most expensive silent film ever made, costing some five milliion Reichsmark, and all the money is up on the screen. From the cast of 36,000 to the revolutionary film techniques pioneered by Lang’s special effects expert, Eugen Schüfftan, Metropolis is an epic, visual feast that undeniably shaped the course of the history of cinema.
Echoes of the film’s Art Deco stylings can be seen in everything from contemporary architecture and comic books to, of course, movies. Tim Burton’s Batman is similar in scope and story, with its monstrously industrial Gotham City and climactic finale set in a cathedral. A lightning-filled sequence near the end of the first Ghostbusters movie mirrors the explosive destruction of the stylized “Heart Machine” at the hands of Metropolis’ oppressed workers. And if you ever come across something called Star Wars, you’ll get a pretty clear sense of what may have inspired all those futuristic cities, a robot named C-3PO and a villain with a mechanical hand. At the end of the day, whether you’re talking horror (The Bride of Frankenstein), sci-fi (Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow) or disaster movies (The Day After Tomorrow), you’re sure to find a touch of Metropolis.
For all that can be said about the style of the film and its impact, the underlying message of the story leaves something to be desired. Lang later said, of the tale he’d co-written with then-wife Thea von Harbou (who later joined the Nazi party), “I was not so politically minded in those days as I am now. You cannot make a social-conscious picture in which you say that the intermediary between the hand and the brain is the heart. I mean, that’s a fairy tale — definitely.”
A DVD/Blu-Ray version of the restored Metropolis will hit stores later this year.
