Last year Kino Classics released Fritz Lang’s Metropolis on Blu-ray in its near complete state. Discovered in Argentina, the almost pristine print of Metropolis used to strike the new Blu-ray gave audiences something thought forever lost — a near perfect approximation of the movie Frtiz Lang first introduced to audiences in 1927.
While Metropolis fans cheered at this new restoration, there remained a dedicated, if admittedly smaller, segment which still felt jilted. There was another version of the film still out there in movie limbo — not available on home video since the days of VHS and Laserdisc. Well, Giorgio Moroder fans, Kino has done it again.
The newly released Giorgio Moroder cut of Metropolis is a startlingly fun time capsule of film preservation in the ‘80s. The version of Metropolis assembled by Moroder, a famed musician and film scorer, was, at the time, the most complete version of the movie available. Painstakingly assembled from various prints from around the world, Moroder’s cut of the film offered audiences a classic movie spruced up for the MTV generation.
Released in 1984, this version of Metropolis featured a rock and roll soundtrack featuring artists such as Billy Squier, Freddie Mercury, Bonnie Tyler and Adam Ant. A score by Moroder tied the songs together and offered a pulsating, synth-driven backbone to the movie’s new musical identity.
This version of Metropolis is very much a movie of the ‘80s. The soundtrack is like a headtrip through the best of ‘80s dance synth. Rhythm, beats and a heavy dose of power chords offer a new identity to Lang’s classic film of warring social classes.
Along with the new soundtrack, Moroder used the art of rotoscoping to give the film a curtain of color. While the look resembles many of the music videos floating in the ether of ‘80s public consciousness, the art of giving film a color tint, as Moroder did with Metropolis, was actually a technique dating back to the time of the film’s original release. In fact, Moroder was inspired to colorize the film after discovering a print of the movie in Australia that had been tinted.
The end result is a movie awash with colors — like a monochromatic watercolor painting. Moroder uses the color to help tell the story and set the mood for the various levels of society that dominate Metropolis.
With its new soundtrack and monochromatic color washes, Metropolis was ready to introduce its timeless tale to the ‘80s generation. Fritz Lang’s film is still as relevant now as it was then. In the world of Occupy Wall Street and the One Percent, there is still poignancy to Metropolis‘ story of a young man from the upper crust who learns of the struggle of the working class and defies his father’s plan to use robotics to suppress a burgeoning revolution.
The only thing that may not have aged quite as well is the music Moroder assembled for Metropolis. Audiences who can’t appreciate a good ‘80s tune will find themselves unable to dive into Moroder’s cut and might be better off sticking to Kino’s earlier Complete Metropolis release.
For those wanting to take a trip back to the ‘80s — where Freddie Mercury could belt out the song “Love Kills” and audiences weren’t consumed by cynicism or hipster-infused irony — Moroder’s Metropolis is a fun, quicker paced version of the original film. Nothing has changed about the film’s story and it’s only the package and presentation that has gotten a buff around the edges. As far as fan edits go, Giorgio Moroder’s Metropolis is pretty near perfect.
The film is presented in a 1:33:1 aspect ratio in 1920 X 1080 p resolution. The score is available either in 2.0 stereo (accurate to the film’s original release) or a new DTS HD Master Audio 5.1 soundtrack. The film itself looks fantastic in its aged beauty — a clever replica of what it’s like to experience watching an “experienced” 35mm print. There are scratches and nicks in the print but these — when seen with the film’s color tinting process — just help sell the experience of the movie. The film’s image, scratches aside, is sharp and the detail crisp. The soundtrack sounds amazing. Blast up your volume with the HD 5.1 soundtrack and just try not to get your feat tapping. As a bit of trivia, Moroder’s score was one of the first to use the digital recording techniques that are standard today.
The Fading Image: A nearly twenty minute documentary, this rarely seen featurette is from 1984 and was produced by Moroder. Featuring many of the same color tinting techniques, the documentary is as much of a treat to look at as it is informative. The segment explores the origins of Moroder’s cut and the steps he went through to restore the film to its near complete state.
Gallery: A great collection of posters and prints used to advertise both the 1984 Moroder version and the original cut of Metropolis throughout its many releases.
Original Trailers: Included on the disc are both the trailer for the original theatrical Moroder cut of the film and Kino’s new complete cut of Metropolis.
Kino Classics presents Giorgio Moroder Presents Metropolis. Directed by: Fritz Lang. Starring: Gustav Frohlich, Brigitte Helm and Alfred Abel. Written by Thea Von Harbou. Running time: 82 min. Rating: N/A. Originally released in 1984. Released on Blu-ray: November 15, 2011. Available at Amazon.com.
