Metropolis (1927) Directed by Fritz Lang
INTRODUCTION
One of the real tragedies of film history is that there is no longer an original, authoritive print of Fritz Lang's seminal film "Metropolis". This review offers some observations on this very important silent film, and includes comments on the various versions currently available on video.
The closest to a truly authoritive film version today is probably the recent Filmmuseum Munich version, restored by Enno Patalas; unfortunately, that version is not yet available on video.
"Metropolis" has been released under a number of video labels. Videos released by Third Coast and by Allied Artists are out of print, and the author would appreciate any information about these releases. Currently, the following versions are available: The Kino Video version, available from Kino[1] and a number of other suppliers; Giorgio Moroder's version, out of print but still fairly easy to come by from used video dealers[2]; and a new DVD release by Classic Media Holdings, available from the XOOM Website[3].
METROPOLIS: HISTORY AND CRITIQUE
Fritz Lang produced "Metropolis" in 1927 at the German UFA studios. This was a hugely ambitious project, involving the proverbial cast of thousands. The expense of this project nearly bankrupted UFA.
The film suffers from a rather disjointed story, which is complicated by the fact that different versions with different intertitles exist. These different versions change details of the story, although the framework of the narrative is the same. The whole point of "Metropolis" isn't about the story, anyway, it's about visual style. Like "Star Wars" or "Blade Runner", "Metropolis" defined a visual style. Many of the shots in "Metropolis" are still jaw-droppingly beautiful. In 1927 they must have been nothing short of amazing.
The story, in a nutshell, is about a city in the future with two populations: A ruling class who live above ground in splendor, and a working class who live below ground in squalor. By accident, Freder (Gustav Froehlich), the son of John Fredersen (Alfred Abel), the Master of the City, pursues Maria (Brigitte Helm), the daughter of a worker, into the depths. Here, Freder becomes allied with the working class, and takes the place of an worker who drops from exhaustion at his machine. Freder attends an assembly presided by Maria in which she preaches to the workers that they should exercise patience and wait for a Mediator, a Messiah who will forge a link between the ruling and working classes.
Meanwhile John discovers strange drawings in the possession of workers and requests that the mysterious scientist Rotwang (Rudolf Klein-Rogge) decipher them. In his lab, Rotwang reveals to John his latest invention: A robot (in the form of a woman). Rotwang determines that the drawings are plans of ancient catacombs beneath the city. John and Rotwang descend into the depths and witness Maria's meeting. John instructs Rotwang to kidnap Maria and give her likeness to the robot (which Rotwang does in an absolutely brilliant sequence of silent-film acting and special effects); then, to send the robot to the workers to disrupt their organization. John's motives for this are not really made clear, and differ from version to version.
The robot, in Maria's form, incites a riot. The workers destroy the city's generator room, causing their underground residences to be flooded. Meanwhile, Freder rescues the real Maria and the workers' children, saving them from being drowned. Once the workers realize there homes have been destroyed, the turn on the robot, and burn it at the stake; this action reveals the robot for what it is. Freder pursues Rotwang to the roof of the cathedral, they fight and Rotwang falls to his death. Freder becomes the Mediator who bridges the gulf between the rulers and the ruled as they both realize neither can function without the other.
"Metropolis" is a silent film, and Silent Film is a separate art form from Modern Film. The acting is closer to mime than in sound films, and is, by necessity, more melodramatic than to what modern audiences are accustomed. Nonetheless, Klein-Rogge, playing the part of Rotwang, gives a brilliantly subtle performance. For example, in one scene, Rotwang is about to lead John into the Catacombs. In one gesture, Rotwang nods toward the door. This gesture speaks volumes: Rotwang is contemptuous of John but must obey his master. He doesn't really want to go into the depths, but he must and he will.
Brigitte Helm brilliantly plays the dual role of the true and false Marias. As Maria, the worker's daughter and the workers' teacher- preacher, she is the demure girl-next-door. As the false Maria, the evil Maria, she looks more lascivious, more voluptuous, less virginal.
The real stars of the film are Lang's sets, the special effects, and Lang's incredible sense of visual composition. Lang was trained as an architect, and he designed a future city that was as organic as any real city. His special effects director (Eugen Schuefftan) invented new techniques for integrating models with live action, and produced magical results. Interiors, such as John's office, are marvelous interpretations of the future, overlaid with Art Deco elements, and they foreshadow developments such as computer displays and two-way video conferencing. The climatic flood scenes as the workers' riot destroys their residences remain powerful today.
The film is usually considered an example of the German Expressionist sub-genre. Expressionist artists endeavored to invoke a mood or emotion at the expense of realistic representations, and no one did it better than the post-W.W.I Germans. "Metropolis" definitely has Expressionist elements, although Lang kept the sets and the characters more realistic than in highly stylized Expressionist films like "The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari". The only strongly Expressionist character in "Metropolis" is Rotwang. Expressionist films carry their own set of codes and symbols. Some of the stilted acting style in "Metropolis" is simply a realization of the Expressionist codes.
"Metropolis", as originally released ran nearly three hours. The studio immediately demanded that it be cut, and cut again. The result is that many original scenes are lost forever, and that no authoritive print remains. A complete discussion of the various versions, and of the somewhat conflicting plot interpretations between the film's screenwriter (Thea von Harbou) and Fritz Lang, can be found elsewhere on the Web[4].
THE KINO VIDEO VERSION
Today (early 1998), the most widely available version of "Metropolis" on video is from Kino Video. It is probably the closest to an authoritive print as is currently available on VHS tape. The film runs for 90 minutes, and looks like it was mastered from a back and white print that includes a jazz orchestral score on an optical sound track. The film appears to have been mastered at 24fps. Since the original film was intended to be shown at somewhere between 18fps and 20fps, the action in the film is 20% to 30% too fast.
The intertitles in the Kino version establish that John assigned Rotwang the task of creating the robot in order to create a race of mechanical workers that would never tire, would never need pay raises, and would never revolt; and, that John also commanded the robot to incite the insurrection that destroyed the workers' subterranean city.
The soundtrack is monaural and contains gaps and breaks that appear to be the result of splices in the film master. The sound quality is roughly equivalent to AM radio. The video quality is good, if not excellent.
I strongly dislike the musical score included in the Kino print: It is a dark, lugubrious, ugly-sounding jazz score that casts an overall gloomy tone to the entire film. The score is punctuated with dark electronic tonalities that, in my opinion, add little to the enjoyment or understanding of the film.
GIORGIO MORODER'S VERSION
In the early '80's, Oscar-winning composer (for "Flashdance") Giorgio Moroder came across a negative for "Metropolis" in the archives of the Museum of Modern Art in New York City. He funded the preservation of this negative by having it copied from nitrate to safety stock. He then proceeded to adapt the film, to add a modern, pop score, and to give his version a brief theatrical run. The video of this version is now out of print, but it is still fairly easy to come by from used video dealers, and it also can be found (rarely) as a laserdisc under the Vestron label.
Moroder's version creates strong feelings in the film's fans. They either love it or hate it, there seems to be no middle ground. The film's advocates believe that Moroder resurrected a gem and made it accessible by updating the film and adding a score that the modern audience can relate to. The film's detractors believe that Moroder is guilty of crass commercialism, and that he butchered a piece of Art.
The Moroder version differs from the Kino version in three main areas:
1) Color. Moroder claims to have restored Lang's original tinting schemes. By the time "Metropolis" was made, common practice was to add an element of color to otherwise black and white films through the use of tinted filmstocks[5]. It's clear that Moroder could not resist the temptation to go beyond merely restoring the tints: He added a number of visual effects (such as moving clouds, and the robot's gleaming eyes) that aren't found in other prints; these additions cast doubt on the authenticity of his tinting efforts.
2) Score. Moroder commissioned a number of tunes by well-known and less-well-known pop and rock artists of the early '80's. These artists include Pat Benatar, Adam Ant, Freddie Mercury (from Queen), and others. The result is a score of rock vocals, heavy with synthesizer and drum machine beats. To some viewers, this makes "Metropolis" play like a long music video, and I have been told by a practitioner of the art of silent film accompaniment that Moroder's score violates every rule of that craft[6]. This may be true, but Moroder's score appeals to me in a way I can't quite explain. And, trust me, I'm no fan of any of the featured artists.
3) Story. In Moroder's version, John (called "Joh" in this version) and Rotwang were once rivals for the same woman, Hel. Hel wed Joh, and then died giving birth to Freder. Rotwang, in his madness over losing Hel, created the robot in an effort to recreate his love. Joh then takes the robot from Rotwang (who has now lost his love twice). The robot runs amok, eventually (if indirectly) destroying its creator: This is the Frankenstien plot. Moroder's story more or less follows an East German reconstruction of the film done in 1969[7], and Moroder recreates some lost scenes, including a clumsily-done still of a monument Rotwang built to Hel.
Moroder's version clocks in at 80 minutes, and is also mastered at 24fps. Moroder added animated intertitles (which WERE common in silent films). He also converted many intertitles into subtitles, and re-edited many of the scenes. His version includes the sports arena scene at the beginning of film, which is missing from the Kino version. Since the film master is so close to the original negatives, the video quality is excellent. Enno Patalas, responsible for the newly restored Munich version, served as a consultant for Moroder's efforts. It is obvious that much of Moroder's print shares a pedigree with the Kino print as the two films contain many of the same blemishes.
The audio quality in this version is excellent. The sound track is recorded in high-fidelity stereo and includes some sound effects. Viewed on high-end home theatre equipment that includes a big screen, this video is really quite striking.
Although I agree with Moroder's critics on an intellectual level, on a visceral level I enjoy his version very much. Moroder's version reaches me in a way the Kino version doesn't. I discovered visual details that I had missed in viewing the Kino version, and I felt more involved and engaged in the film. I can only attribute this to Moroder's use of color and to his score. The Kino score kept me distant from the visuals, while Moroder's score drew me in. It's a phenomenon that I'm at a loss to explain.
Had there been an intact, original version of the film, then I agree that Moroder would be damnably guilty of Desecration of Art. The bottom line is, that lacking that authoritive version, Moroder's reconstruction is as valid (or, as invalid) as anyone else's, and that someone outside the Ivory Tower of Academia would be audacious enough to attempt this is really guilty of nothing worse than causing a bad case of sour grapes.
THE METROPOLIS DVD by CMH
Classic Media Holdings, Ltd[8] is offering Metropolis on a new DVD. This disc is an example of how the new, digital video technology is a sword that cuts in two directions.
The good news is that DVD technology is indeed ready for Prime Time. It is also a technology that lowers the entry barrier for video producers and distributors to create videophile-quality recordings that are very reasonably priced. A glance at the LaserViews[9] newsletters reveals many more DVD labels producing product than there are Laserdisc labels. Eventually, DVD technology will be available to nearly anyone, even in small production runs, much as Compact Disc technology is today.
The bad news is that DVD technology is accessible to producers with little or no real experience addressing the videophile market. Contrast this with Laserdisc manufacturers: There are only a handful of plants in the world capable of producing laserdiscs. The expense and difficulty of making a laserdisc that must retail for $40.00 or more per copy has meant that laserdisc producers have sought out the highest quality original material for mastering purposes.
CMH's DVD of "Metropolis" was mastered from what looks like a 16mm black and white print that is many generations removed from the original negative. It is a very badly worn print at that. The high quality video reproduction that DVD is capable of ends up reproducing all the scratches and gouges in the film with extremely high resolution. Unfortunately, the resolution of the image itself was lost long ago during many generations through the optical printer and many trips through the projector. The result is the video equivalent of releasing old, worn, scratched 78RPM phonograph discs on CDs without bothering to clean up the sound. It may be that CHM's DVD is intended not for the videophile but for computer multi-media applications utilizing DVD-ROM drives on PC's.
This version of "Metropolis" includes a mono orchestral score that sounds like it is from a soundtrack on the film. I like this score better than the one on the Kino version. The intertitles are animated and have an old-time look that is more authentic than the static titles in the Kino version. The film runs for 95 minutes, is probably derived from the original US release cut, and does include the sports arena scene missing from the Kino version.
CONCLUSION
Film enthusiasts looking for a high-quality, definitive version of "Metropolis" on video are out of luck, at least until someone ponies up the big bucks that the holders of the video rights to the Munich version want. The video versions that are available all leave something to be desired, but they all do give the viewer a glimpse of this great film.
NOTES: (All links were valid as of 3/98.)
[1] Kino Video, 333 West 39th Street, New York, NY 10018. http://www.kino.com [2] I purchased my copy from http://www.bodawg.com [3] http://orders.xoom.com/dvd/metro/metro.html [4] http://www.paulist.org/doug/metro/about.html [5] Monaco, James, "How To Read A Film", Oxford University Press (1981), pp 91-92. [6] http://search.dejanews.com/getdoc.xp?AN=320462992 [7] http://www.paulist.org/doug/metro/versions.html [8] Classic Media Holdings, Ltd. 930 Tahoe Blvd, Suite 802-336, Incline Village, Nevada 89451 [9] http://www.laserviews.com/dvd-news.html
Review copyright (C) 1998, David M. Arnold. All rights reserved.
David M. Arnold darnold@Xexecpc.com
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