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METROPOLIS (Reconstructed and Restored)

ArtsHub | Wednesday, August 25, 2010

'METROPOLIS' (Reconstructed and Restored)  

MEDIA RELEASE COURTESY OF: Eureka Video

METROPOLIS (Reconstructed and Restored) released theatrically
10 September 2010 in cinemas nationwide

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, 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 conjures up 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 Frölich) 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.

In its full 150-minute glory, Fritz Lang's 1927 "director's cut" is available to cinema-goers for the first time in 83 years. Official reconstruction and restoration by the highly respected Friedrich-Wilhelm-Murnau-Stiftung.

Immaculate 2K digital projection, as screened at the 60th Berlin International Film Festival 2010 world premiere, Metropolis (Reconstructed and Restored) features a new 2010 symphony orchestra studio recording of the original 1927 Gottfried Huppertz score and newly translated English subtitles as well as the original German intertitles.

Metropolis (Reconstructed and Restored) will be released on DVD and Blu-ray as part of the Masters of Cinema Series later in 2010

For more information go to:
http://www.metropolis1927.com

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