Metropolis: The Restored Authorized Edition

Metropolis: The Restored Authorized Edition
[DVD Metropolis]

This 1927 film is one of the best-known and most influential of all the silent films from that era. Directed by famed German auteur Fritz Lang, and influenced in part by the 1920 science fiction play R.U.R. by Czech playright Karel Capek, Metropolis is a marvelous look at social class differences, the liberating and restrictive influence of technology on society, and the dreams of what the future could look like. The movie is beautifully filmed, with emotional performances from the main actors, and some of the most elaborate set pieces you'll ever see in a silent film. Over the years, several differently edited versions have appeared, and the movie is occasionally show in some theaters with live piano accompaniement. For a long time, the copies being shown were of very poor quality, however a restoration edition was released in 2002, which included the original 1927 orchestral score. That is this Kino Video edition, available from the libraries. This particular set also includes several nice "extra features", including a 43-minute documentary on the making of the original film, and a featurette on the 2002 digital restoration. I highly recommend this film for fans of the silent film era, as well as for science fiction fans who want to see one of the earliest and most influential films of that genre. -- recommended by Scott C. - Bennett Martin Public Library [If you enjoy this, you may also wish to try F.W. Murnau's silent film Noseratu, no longer in the libraries' collection, but available through InterLibrary Loan.]

[ Internet Movie Database entry for this film ] | [ official 2002 Metropolis Restoration web site ]

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