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Product Description
With its dizzying depiction of a futuristic cityscape and alluring female robot, Metropolis is among the most famous of all German films and the mother of sci-fi cinema (an influence on Blade Runner and Star Wars, among countless other films). Directed by the legendary Fritz Lang (M, Das Testament des Dr. Mabuse,The Big Heat, etc.), its jaw-dropping production values, iconic imagery, and modernist grandeur it was described by Luis Buñuel as 'a captivating symphony of movement' remain as powerful as ever.
Drawing on and defining classic sci-fi themes, Metropolis depicts a dystopian future in which society is thoroughly divided in two: while anonymous workers conduct their endless drudgery below ground their rulers enjoy a decadent life of leisure and luxury. When Freder (Gustav Fröhlich) ventures into the depths in search of the beautiful Maria (Brigitte Helm in her debut role), plans of rebellion are revealed and a Maria-replica robot is programmed by mad inventor Rotwang (Rudolf Klein-Rogge) and master of Metropolis Joh Fredersen (Alfred Abel) to incite the workers into a self-destructive riot.
A'Holy Grail' among film finds, Metropolis is presented here in a newly reconstructed and restored version, as lavish and spectacular as ever thanks to the painstaking archival work of the Friedrich-Wilhelm-Murnau-Stiftung and the discovery of 25 minutes of footage previously thought lost to the world. Lang's enduring epic can finally be seen for the first time in 83 years as the director originally intended, and as seen by German cinema-goers in 1927.
SPECIAL FEATURES:
150-minute reconstructed and restored 2010 version (including 25 minutes of footage previously thought lost to the world)
- Wraparound embossed sleeve
- Pristine new HD transfer (1080p on Blu-ray)
- New 2010 symphony orchestra studio recording of the original 1927 Gottfried Huppertz score in 5.1
- Newly translated optional English subtitles as well as the original German intertitles
- Full-length audio commentary by David Kalat and Jonathan Rosenbaum
- Die Reise nach Metropolis (2010, 53 minutes), a documentary about the film
- 2010 re-release trailer
- 56-page booklet featuring archival interviews with Fritz Lang, a 1927 review by Luis Buñuel, articles by Jonathan Rosenbaum and Karen Naundorf, and restoration notes by Martin Koerber.
and more!
Drawing on and defining classic sci-fi themes, Metropolis depicts a dystopian future in which society is thoroughly divided in two: while anonymous workers conduct their endless drudgery below ground their rulers enjoy a decadent life of leisure and luxury. When Freder (Gustav Fröhlich) ventures into the depths in search of the beautiful Maria (Brigitte Helm in her debut role), plans of rebellion are revealed and a Maria-replica robot is programmed by mad inventor Rotwang (Rudolf Klein-Rogge) and master of Metropolis Joh Fredersen (Alfred Abel) to incite the workers into a self-destructive riot.
A'Holy Grail' among film finds, Metropolis is presented here in a newly reconstructed and restored version, as lavish and spectacular as ever thanks to the painstaking archival work of the Friedrich-Wilhelm-Murnau-Stiftung and the discovery of 25 minutes of footage previously thought lost to the world. Lang's enduring epic can finally be seen for the first time in 83 years as the director originally intended, and as seen by German cinema-goers in 1927.
SPECIAL FEATURES:
150-minute reconstructed and restored 2010 version (including 25 minutes of footage previously thought lost to the world)
- Wraparound embossed sleeve
- Pristine new HD transfer (1080p on Blu-ray)
- New 2010 symphony orchestra studio recording of the original 1927 Gottfried Huppertz score in 5.1
- Newly translated optional English subtitles as well as the original German intertitles
- Full-length audio commentary by David Kalat and Jonathan Rosenbaum
- Die Reise nach Metropolis (2010, 53 minutes), a documentary about the film
- 2010 re-release trailer
- 56-page booklet featuring archival interviews with Fritz Lang, a 1927 review by Luis Buñuel, articles by Jonathan Rosenbaum and Karen Naundorf, and restoration notes by Martin Koerber.
and more!
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
77 of 78 people found the following review helpful
Format:Blu-ray
I recently saw this newly restored version of Metropolis at Chichester Film Festival (in a Blue Ray presentation) and cannot recommend it highly enough - whether you know this film or not it should be seen. The inclusion of the previously missing 25 minutes (easily noticed due to the poor state of the source material) makes an enormous difference to the film, significantly changing the story line and the overall feel of the film. The poor quality of the inserted film does not diminish its importance and effect (ranging from a few seconds here and there, to whole scenes) but combines to effectively make a new film - or more accurately the resurrection of a lost one (the original 1927 premiered cut). Of course this version does not affect the obvious faults of the film but certainly makes for a more satisfying experience - it completes (apart from about 4 minutes apparently) and confirms the place this film has in the history of cinema. Whether you are interested in silent movies (then I'd highly recommend PiccadillyPiccadilly [1929] [DVD]), the development of cinema (then you should also see Fritz Lang's MM [Masters of Cinema] [Blu-ray] [1931]), special effects (and what incredible effects!) or the history of science fiction on film, this version must be seen.
207 of 215 people found the following review helpful
Format:Blu-ray
How do you get a balanced review of a new release when Amazon bundle old reviews of the DVD version (as old as 2001 !!!) with the new ones. CHUMPS. Get your act together Amazon this is a frequent fault.
25 of 26 people found the following review helpful
Format:Blu-ray
Don't take the title literally, of course cinematic Sci-Fi existed before Fritz Lang filmed METROPOLIS... However, for most people the Sci-Fi we enjoy today have this film as their Primer so basically yes, this is where it all began. Having been a fan of the film for years I was lucky enough to receive my limited-edition Steelbook early from Eureka! themselves, so I can report exactly how this film looks in 1080p, and the extras it contains.
Firstly, it's a print that is comprised of many different sources so don't expect a pristine experience from start to finish... the original METROPOLIS that premiered in Germany was 40 minutes longer than the version most commonly seen (I'm going to forget Giorgio Moroder's synth-pop mutation ever existed, thanks), which was butchered and truncated after bombing at the box-office. Thanks to a recent discovery of an almost-complete print in Buenos Aires F.W. Murnau-Stiftung in Munich was able to take the extra footage from this print, splice it in to the familiar version and presto... Cinema History back where it belongs. It must be remembered however, that the Buenos Aires print was in exceptionally poor condition and it shows when these frames are shown, and a scene detailing Maria's escape from Rotwang is still absent and is simply narrated via text... But so what? The film is 83 years old and it's a privilege to see it again, especially if we remember that we may have never gotten the chance to see it.
Extras-wise, I found the extras on the Blu-Ray slightly lacking from MOCs usual banquet, comprising of a commentary, trailer and German documentary on history of the film and it's restoration. This could be due to the size of the high-definition movie file however. You do get the usual sumptuous MOC booklet which I shall be reading from cover-to-cover as per usual, German Impressionist Cinema seems to be their favourite subject (See the booklet for Murnau's FAUST, for example). And the steelbook itself? Those who buy the standard DVD/Blu are missing out I can tell you, it's by far the most gorgeous case in my collection now. So, hands up for Masters of Cinema, our own Criterion Collection, they've triumphed again. Essential Purchase.
Firstly, it's a print that is comprised of many different sources so don't expect a pristine experience from start to finish... the original METROPOLIS that premiered in Germany was 40 minutes longer than the version most commonly seen (I'm going to forget Giorgio Moroder's synth-pop mutation ever existed, thanks), which was butchered and truncated after bombing at the box-office. Thanks to a recent discovery of an almost-complete print in Buenos Aires F.W. Murnau-Stiftung in Munich was able to take the extra footage from this print, splice it in to the familiar version and presto... Cinema History back where it belongs. It must be remembered however, that the Buenos Aires print was in exceptionally poor condition and it shows when these frames are shown, and a scene detailing Maria's escape from Rotwang is still absent and is simply narrated via text... But so what? The film is 83 years old and it's a privilege to see it again, especially if we remember that we may have never gotten the chance to see it.
Extras-wise, I found the extras on the Blu-Ray slightly lacking from MOCs usual banquet, comprising of a commentary, trailer and German documentary on history of the film and it's restoration. This could be due to the size of the high-definition movie file however. You do get the usual sumptuous MOC booklet which I shall be reading from cover-to-cover as per usual, German Impressionist Cinema seems to be their favourite subject (See the booklet for Murnau's FAUST, for example). And the steelbook itself? Those who buy the standard DVD/Blu are missing out I can tell you, it's by far the most gorgeous case in my collection now. So, hands up for Masters of Cinema, our own Criterion Collection, they've triumphed again. Essential Purchase.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
worth every penny
a must for anyone even vaguely interested in cinema. beautifully designed and shot, good music and interesting extras. Read more
Published 1 month ago by matt. butcher
Metropolis - the most complete so far
The restored version of Metropolis is the most coherent version of the film so far. Although the scenes that have been recovered still show a lot of damage, it is easy to ignore as... Read more
Published 2 months ago by Mr. John Jeffrey
Brilliant for the time
I bought this recently for my son's xmas present and he enjoys science fiction. He loves it and the extras plus the small booklet enclosed with the DVD are value for money.
Published 5 months ago by Mrs J Eling
Fritz Lang's classic
Reviewer John Roberts has a valid point about old and new reviews of books/DVDs/etc being collated into one product set; in the past, I have given product details in the review to... Read more
Published 6 months ago by RR Waller
Great edition of a rediscovered masterpiece
I have nothing to say about the movie and how lucky we all got that it's been re-discovered that hasn't been said already - this time the praise goes to the release itself. Read more
Published 6 months ago by starful
A great classic film
Most enjoyable, as a scifi film, and a a social comment of the times. Much of what was predicted has come to pass.A cinema organ would be better as sound accompaniament. Read more
Published 8 months ago by W. D. Priestley
The first Science Fiction movie?
This was bought as a birthday gift for my Dad, and he couldn't wait to watch it and tell me all about it when he had finished! Read more
Published 9 months ago by Ms. Elise Hey
une référence de la SF en version quasi-intégrale
Effectivement 80 ans après sa sortie une copie presque complète avec 25mn en plus a été retrouvé à buenos Aires malheureusement dans un... Read more
Published 10 months ago by Felix Emmanuel
The as real as possible Metropolis
A top quality version of this film, with the correct and great sounding orchestral soundtrack to match. Read more
Published 10 months ago by DavidGreen
Fritz Lang ~ The George Orwell of silent cinema?
Having noticed that this film was to be shown at my local cinema, my interest was considerably piqued and I trubdled off to watch is one Sunday afternoon not really knowing what to... Read more
Published 11 months ago by Ian Thumwood
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