Metropolis (Giorgio Moroder Version) [Import anglais]

REVIEW: PRODUCT;High-quality DVD. Arrived in excellent condition. Arrived faster than advertised.•••REVIEW: MOVIE RE-CONSTRUCTION;Full-length of what-remains of the 1927-original-movie (118 min).Correct-sequence of scenes.Inter-titles of missing-scenes blend story-line perfectly.Original orchestral-music-score.•••REVIEW: PERSONAL COMMENTS;Silent movie (no audible dialogue).Inter-titles for dialogue & missing-scenes.Orchestral music throughout.Very enjoyable movie.As the film progresses I was surprised how good the effects were (considering it is 97 years old as@2024) - sidebar: it is set in 2026.I also noted the subtle-use of first-person-perspective in one-scene (game-players will appreciate this modern-day usage), when Freder retrieves a dropped item belonging to Maria.The movie gets more involved as it progresses, & you will get emotionally-invested.The action-scenes also pick-up the pace, & you will have empathy for the character’s plight.Note: the acting is “of the day”. Freder’s acting is better in the action-scenes, & overall was forgiven for the over-acting initially.The characters of Maria / Man-Machine were played well; Maria being gentle, & the Man-Machine having the darting-eyes / head-movements - along with the mischievous-smile - which meant they didn’t need to identify them separately by using alternative-clothing, etc..•••NOTE: as yet, I have only watched the first of a 2-DVD set.Also, I quickly had a look at the option to have the narration / sub-titles switched-on with the movie… it seemed it would be very good to watch it like this for a second-viewing, so I will be doing so very soon. I am looking forward to the 2nd-DVD with great anticipation.•••SPOILERS ALERT: the narrated version immediately pointed-out something I missed at the beginning regarding the two-clocks; one was 24-hr, the other was 10-hr (relevant to the day-&-night shift-workers). Nice little touches to the movie.•••I will be reading the book at some point, so I can glean more details.•••REVIEW: OVERALL;Regarding the 2-DVD, digitally-restored, 118 min version.Is it worth the higher asking price of £30+ … yes.•••

One of the most important events of film history has been realised with the editing together of Lang's masterpiece.It was the first time that I had seen Metropolis in 30 odd years, and seeing it today illustrates, to me, how much it reflects the confusion of modernity; making it a work that also taps into our own times.One of the works that it brought to mind was Mahler's 3rd symphony, with its quote from Nietzsche's `Also sprach Zarathustra' (`O man! Take notice'). Like Mahler, Lang introduces us to the ethereal as well as the mundane. Even Huppert's score echoes Mahler (as much as the music of new romanticism did at the time, composers such as Zemlinsky, for example).Enough words have been said about the style of the film, and the impact that it has had on later filmmakers ( It is suggested that Stanley Kubrick based Dr Stranlove - the character played by Peter Sellers - on Rotwang, but I wonder if he may have also had Lang in mind; when one sees the interview with Lang on this disc, the comparison is quite stunning).Though I don't want to dwell on Lang's biography too much there has always been this image of Lang as some sort of progressive, whilst his wife (of the time), Thea von Harbou, who wrote the novel and screenplay for Metropolis, is portrayed as some Nazi-loving bitch who stayed behind when Lang `escaped' to the USA. Jonathan Rosenbaum, writing in the accompanying booklet, compounds the image by referring to Metropolis' `[naïve]' socialist notions' [p.11] and though the compromising of capitalist and workers interest fits in with the reforming socialist ideals of Social Democracy, much of the film seems to be a product of the ideology of the rising Nazi party.In hindsight we can see the clips where the workers go to and come off their shifts as the later images of Jews being herded into concentration camps (even the dream-like image of workers being thrown into the furnace/mouth of Moloch, reinforces that). But there are other aspects of the film that makes it understandable as to why Hitler loved Metropolis and could say of Lang: "Here is a man who can give us great Nazi films!" Rotwang can be seen as the cause of all the problems of the city and although he does not appear as a caricature Jew, we do see a star (though not the Star of David, exactly) on his door, suggesting the Jewish conspiracy theory, so loved by anti-Semitics. Added to that Rotwang can easily be seen as a Rabbi Lowe figure who, using one of the Nazi's theories of the Jewish Bolsheviks, creates an evil Maria, who later stirs up trouble amongst the workers (and it is wondered if Lang and von Harbou had the murdered revolutionary, Rosa Luxemburg, as the model for the `evil' Maria).But if anything, it is the elitist fear of `the mob' that dominates the second half of the film. The workers are portrayed as mindless `idiots' for allowing themselves to be swayed by the `evil' Maria, and, as if to reinforce the contempt for `the mob' taking revolutionary action the music during the scenes of the workers destroying the machines is a twisted `La Marseillaise'.The story itself is, to put it mildly, garbage, but the ending (seen as being one of the worst conclusions to a film) seems to me to be the only one available. It works as a compromise between the totalitarian ideals of Nietzsche inspired Nazism and a liberal democracy where `we are all in this together'.To reject Lang's German films on the basis that they were applauded by Hitler and Goebbels and, to some extent, acted as Nazi propaganda, would be wrong. Art calls on whatever is available at the time and this was the climate of Germany during the period when Lang was making this film.I think that this film (though I prefer `M') is one of the greatest films ever. It matters little about the politics (except for analytical purposes)for an appreciation of the work as a whole. Like Wagner's Ring Cycle, Metropolis did not bring about the rise of the Nazis, the Nazis exploited those things that, ideologically, the could relate to in those works.Metropolis not only reflects the confusion of Modernity (a confusion much abound these days as well) it portrayed that confusion in the most far-seeing manner that the time allowed.It became the benchmark for other films (mainly, but not solely, science fiction _ there is a scene where the water pours through a crack in the ground, which made me think of the bleeding walls in Kubrick's `The Shining') and even the recently found scenes, that are scratched and of poor quality, still seem amazing.But for me, I find that the film is the height of modern aesthetics. Whilst life for the workers is brutal, the architecture of the city, that dominates the film, is simply beautiful.This film has suffered the worst butchering of any work of art I can think of. Not only having so much cut out from it but also having to be put through the indignity at the hands of Mororder in 1984. It is indeed a great pleasure that we have been given this version today. The film world and audience should be forever grateful to those that found and worked on this restoration and then released it.

Arrived quickly. Well packed . Not watched yet but looking forward to it , a classic

Reliving my childhood, I am not as old as the film but it still holds its own today, great.

A great release of a classic film

Riprodotto a colori e musicato da un grande musicista un film di alto valore e spessore cinematografico sulla repressione e alienazione operaia e la conseguente rivolta per un mondo migliore dove amore e lavoro trionfano e camminano insieme

What a wonderful film. The picture quality is quite good, the additional footage inserted into the film is quite poor in quality but it is easily forgiven when you understand how they achieved the “lost footage” and the original state of that film.As a huge movie fan, I could see that many of our modern day film makers have been influenced by this outstanding piece of cinema. The costuming and sets are way ahead of their time.If you love cinema then this is an essential film to make a part of your collection.

Je voudrais insister sur le contenu du produit DVD que je viens d''acquérir dès sa sortie.La très belle jaquette en relief comporte 2 DVD et un livret de 16 pages.DVD 1. Le film.Cette restauration inclut les images superbement restaurées de la précédente édition, parue en DVD en 2004, et le matériel issu de la copie 16 mm retrouvée à Buenos Aires. La différence de qualité d''image entre ces deux matériels est très grande : le responsable de la restauration indique, dans un sourire, qu''il n'a jamais travaillé sur une pellicule aussi détériorée !Le montage est celui qu''avait voulu Fritz Lang, l''ordre des séquences est celui de la version d''origine. Le récit devient parfaitement clair, et on découvre les trouvailles dramatiques d''un des plus grands créateurs de ce cinéma qui s''inventait. Le film acquiert une cohérence parfaite, dans laquelle l''implication physique des comédiens prend toute sa signification.Le film est soutenu du début à la fin par la musique. La partition originale a été réenregistrée, pour « coller » au montage. L''orchestre et le chef sont différents de la version 2004, la prise de son est magnifique. La musique unit ainsi tous les éléments : séquences parfaitement restaurées, images provenant de la copie de Buenos Aires, cartons'...DVD 2. Les compléments.On y trouve un long documentaire et trois sujets plus courts. Tout est très intéressant. Aucun de ces bonus ne figure dans l''édition de 2004. C'est une des raisons pour lesquelles je conserverai les deux versions : elles se complètent parfaitement.Depuis un demi-siècle, je rêve de voir un jour le Metropolis qu''avait voulu Fritz Lang. On en est maintenant tout près et, peut-être, nous ne pourrons pas nous en approcher plus. Cette très belle édition rend justice à Metropolis, chef d''œuvre d''un des plus grands génies du cinéma.

初めてこれを観たのが2＊年前の高校生の頃でした。その当時メトロポリスというタイトルの映画がある、とても古い映画であるといった程度の知識で3日間?限りの上映があると聞き劇場に足を運びました。あの当時(映画製作当時)にこんな内容の映画があるなんてと感動しきり、BGMもとても心に響くものでした。同級生の友人にも薦め、彼もVHSで鑑賞して同じような感想を漏らしていました。当時のメディアはLDだったので手に入れようと探してみましたが見つからず、LDからDVDに移行してもなおこのモロダー版がない。なにやら版権の問題でどうのこうのという話を聞いたので正直デジタルメディアでは入手するのは無理かと思ってました。先日ふとアマゾンからおすすめ商品のメールが届き、そこにこれのリンクが。飛んでみるとずっと探していたものがそこに。でもなんで今更これがここに？という疑心暗鬼もありましたが、商品説明を読んでもあの高校生のときに観たあれに間違いないだろうと購入、2＊年前の感動が蘇ってきました。映画におけるBGMというのはこんなにも大事なものなんだなと再認識しました。ストーリーは今更私が語るまでもないので割愛します。画質についてですが、そりゃ汚いよりはきれいな方がいい、でも1926年の映画で画質がどうのというのもおかしな話な気がします。いいじゃないですか少々汚くても、現代の作品から比べれば間違いなく汚いんですから。こんな具合の画質なのでBlu-rayで出す必要性がいまいち感じられないのですが、そこは時代の流れでしょうか。もう1つ、他の方も言われていますがリージョンが「1」なので日本で普通に売られているプレーヤーでは再生できません。PCを持っている方なら外付け（内蔵でも可）のDVDドライブを1台調達して、設定でリージョン1専用にしてしまえば手っ取り早く再生できますよ。家でもそうしてます。