Comments | eric_hinkle: Fritz Lang's Metropolis as you've never seen it before -- for free!

eric_hinkle

Fritz Lang's Metropolis as you've never seen it before -- for free!

Nov 07, 2010 17:27

Tonight at 8 PM on TCM they will be showing the remastered German Expressionist SF classic Metropolis. This will be the first time in over 80 years that the full-length version will be shown, including 25 minutes once thought lost forever until discovered in Argentina a few years back ( Read more... )

television, science fiction, good movies

Comments 9

stokerbramwell November 8 2010, 04:59:11 UTC

GAAAAHHH!!! OF ALL THE TIMES NOT TO HAVE TV!!!

eric_hinkle November 8 2010, 05:25:07 UTC

I'm so very sorry to hear it. An all-night Fritz Lang festival!

But hey, the remastered version will be coming out on DVD soon. And I recommend getting it! Seriously, the level of storytelling, and some shockingly well done use of Christian themes, and my lord the LOOK of it all! I'll be cobevring this tomorrow as best as I can.

But the villain's name -- seriously, Herr Lang, you called him Rotwang?

stokerbramwell November 8 2010, 18:46:40 UTC

Got your heads-up about half an hour into the movie -- got to TCM just as the first of the "lost scenes" were screening. After the end, Iron Badger said the movie "drained" him. (I explained some of the symbology of the "shockingly well done use of Christian themes".) An 80-year-old silent.

An 80-year-old silent that has inspired both Queen and Madonna music videos. That as a 60-year-old silent had a new rock soundtrack written for it.

As for Rotwang, I know "Rot" is German for "red"; does "wang" mean the same as in English?

eric_hinkle November 8 2010, 19:08:40 UTC

After the end, Iron Badger said the movie "drained" him. (I explained some of the symbology of the "shockingly well done use of Christian themes".)

What mainly struck me was the 'Mouth of Moloch' with the workers marching/being hurled into it; the Tower of Babel parable (something else I liked, the movie didn't demonize or set halos on either the rulers or the workers; both are shown as having virtues as well as flaws); and False Maria (the false church of Naziism?) as the Whore of Babylon in the Yoshiwara nightclub. They even showed her riding a beast with seven heads and ten horns!

As for Rotwang, I know "Rot" is German for "red"; does "wang" mean the same as in English?

That I don't know; maybe a German speaker can help us out?

But I loved the depiction of him as an obsessive sorceror/scientist, so bitter with jealousy over having his beloved choose another man that he would destroy everything that man (Joh Fedrerson) built for revenge.

There will be MUCH more on all of this later when I do my own review of the movie.

Thread 7

redvixen November 8 2010, 15:59:19 UTC

Carvis and I saw Metropolis in the theatre when we were living in Toronto, 26 years ago. I'm wondering what was missing as it didn't seem that anything was missing from the film.

Guess we'll rent the dvd when it comes out and check it out.

As far as how things are going, no changes except we'll be heading up to Moncton to visit family next week. Health-wise, we're all the same.

eric_hinkle November 8 2010, 16:01:42 UTC

The extra 25 minutes of footage does a great job of making the story clearer. It's like you're watching a whole new movie.

Take care and enjoy the trip.