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Metropolis (1927)

A futuristic city powered by a single machine. An evil, seductive robot that's a lookalike for the heroine. A plot from the man in charge to destroy the uprising of the oppressed - while his son champions for change. No, this isn't a new movie about to be released - this film is 94 years old, and it marks the beginning of a little genre we like to call "science fiction".




"Metropolis" is a German Expressionism film, shot in Germany (of course) from 1925 - 1926, taking 17 months total. It cost approximately 19M of today's Euros (over $22M in USD). The project was headed by mastermind director Fritz Lang and his wife, writer Thea von Harbou. According to him, the entire film was inspired by his first views of skyscrapers when visiting New York City in 1924. Say what you will about NYC - if they gave us "Metropolis", they're not all bad! Fritz once said in an interview:

"I looked into the streets—the glaring lights and the tall buildings—and there I conceived Metropolis,"

Now, the fact that he and Thea had been working on the story for a year before that seems to have slipped his mind - but we'll allow him to have his voice on this. After all, it's their story!


Fritz and Thea (1924)


Fritz and Thea co-wrote "Metropolis" (the screenplay), but Thea herself finished the novel in 1925, with the intention that it would eventually become a film. Together, the husband-and-wife duo used the existing novel to write the script - although many things from the novel were dropped from the script.


ABOVE: the city being built in miniature, and brought to life on the screen


For whatever reason, Fritz chose two relatively unknown actors with very little film experience for the lead roles. In the finished product, we were captivated by their performances! The experience of filming the movie, however, was a draining experience for all concerned. Dictatorial director Erich von Stroheim may have met his match in Fritz...



ABOVE: behind-the-scenes versus the finished product


Much like Erich, Fritz would insist on shooting simple scenes again and again, once taking two days to shoot ONE QUICK SCENE where lead actor Gustav Frolich collapses at his co-star's feet. By the time Fritz was happy, Gustav couldn't even stand up anymore! For another scene in which the city was being flooded, lead actress Brigitte Helm and 500 child extras had to work in a low pool of water (that Fritz kept freezing cold) for TWO WEEKS STRAIGHT. Brigitte later said in an interview:

"The night shots lasted three weeks, and even if they did lead to the greatest dramatic moments—even if we did follow Fritz Lang's directions as though in a trance, enthusiastic and enraptured at the same time—I can't forget the incredible strain that they put us under. ...Once I even fainted: during the transformation scene, Maria, as the android, is clamped in a kind of wooden armament, and because the shot took so long, I didn't get enough air."

Side note: Brigitte's robot costume (shown below) gave her many cuts and bruises. Good times.


BELOW: the transformation scene that Brigitte referred to


Although it's considered a masterpiece by silent film aficionados today, audiences of 1927 had a mixed reaction, with criticisms that the message was naïve and even Communistic to some. While the fantastic special effects were sometimes met with spontaneous applause at its German premiere, other scenes were met with "boos and hisses"!


"Metropolis" was distributed by Parufamet - a German company owned by both Paramount Pictures and MGM. But Americans have their own way of making movies - and "Metropolis" was not originally seen as profitable. It's runtime of 153 minutes was seen as problematic, and the storyline was deemed too complex. The Parufamet company hired a playwright to write a simpler version of the film, using the existing footage. All references to an important character (named Hel) were removed, as the playwright felt that English-speaking audiences would confuse her name with "hell". After all, no competent English speaker could ever hope to distinguish a German woman's name from a place for the souls of the damned, right?!


Fritz took the changes to his film in typical director's fashion, saying;

"I love films, so I shall never go to America. Their experts have slashed my best film, Metropolis, so cruelly that I dare not see it while I am in England."

But wait, Fritz....they're not done yet....


In April of 1927, the German studio that Fritz worked at (UFA) went under new management. The new studio head stopped "Metropolis" from being shown in German theaters in its original form and length - and he, too, chopped up the movie! This time, the so-called "Communist" subtext and the religious imagery were removed. Considering how much of the film revolves around referencing the book of Revelation and story of the Tower of Babel from the Bible....we're guessing there wasn't much of a storyline!


BELOW: some of the jaw-dropping set designs


And what did U.S. critics think of "Metropolis" when it was released by Paramount (during Jesse L. Lasky's reign)? Well....noted writer H.G. Wells accused it of "foolishness, cliché, platitude, and muddlement about mechanical progress and progress in general", even calling it "quite the silliest film". Many other critics agreed with him. However, the New York Herald Tribune called it "a weird and fascinating picture", and there were a few others who saw the greatness that we plainly see today. Although the year is not specified in the original film, Paramount announced it was set in "2026". Try not to laugh...just...try not to.


Years later, Fritz himself seemed to resent the movie - even in it's complete form, calling it "silly and stupid" in an interview, making sure his (now) ex-wife Thea received credit for the writing. It's worth noting that Fritz may have grown unhappy with the film after seeing how fascinated the Nazi Party was with it, Hitler in particular. Yikes. In 1933, Thea became a member of the Nazi Party, and they were divorced. Fritz, born Jewish, fled to the U.S., while Thea stayed in Germany and wrote "state-approved" films there.


The most incredible thing about this movie (in our opinion) is it's restoration. Between 1968 and 1972, a film archive in East Germany attempted to re-assemble the film based on what little they had, lacking about 1/4 of the original length or even a guide on what scenes went where.


ABOVE: a poster from the monstrosity in 1984


In 1984, Italian music producer Giorgio Moroder collaborated with the Munich Film Archive to create a so-called "newly restored" version, still incomplete - but with an all-new, modern soundtrack featuring artists like Pat Benatar, Loverboy and Freddie Mercury. This version also had subtitles instead of title cards and additional special effects. Who decided this was a good idea?? In any event, the 1984 version ran 83 minutes and was poorly received because it (obviously) did not stay true to the original. Giorgio is on record as saying;

"I didn't touch the original because there is no original".

Well buckle up, Georgie Boy...


The 1984 version prompted other (better) attempts to restore the film, the most notable being in 2001, when previously missing pieces of film were discovered in film museums around the world. This brought the runtime of "Metropolis" to 124 minutes. But they weren't done yet...


In 2008, a negative of the original "Metropolis" had been discovered in the archives of the Museo del Cine in Argentina. This film included a good 25 minutes of footage that had not been seen since 1927! In 2010, "Metropolis" was available to the public, with only a few short pieces missing due to damaged film, at a runtime of 148 minutes (just 5 minutes shorter than the original).


For all of the complexity of the script, the main theme is surprisingly simple. It appears in the very beginning and the very end:

We wholeheartedly agree! Have a look at this masterpiece below!




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