Charming. Excellent movie.
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2 days ago
14 June 2010
Quick Review: The COMPLETE Metropolis
Fritz Lang's Metropolis is oft considered one of the greatest movies of all time, despite having the picture butchered again and again by distribution edits. Cuts took the movie from 150+ minutes to 90. Sequences were tightened and entire subplots were cut. Most of this loss was thought to be permanent, but the last 80+ years have seen a number of restoration attempts. Finally, in 2008, a badly beaten 16mm dup neg was discovered in Argentina with an additional 30 minutes of footage. Painstaking care has been spent to restore the entire story, despite the battered footage. There are many excellent resources out there documenting this story, so I won't waste the pixels.
However, the restored version is making the rounds and I was lucky enough to catch a screening, so I will say one thing: Holy shit, it is awesome. I have seen various cuts of the film a number of times. Even these hampered versions can attest to how massive the production was, and how controling Lang was. However, the epic nature of the story and storytelling were sacrificed for ticket sales. This new version demonstrates how modern of a film Metropilis was. Even though it is silent, the visual storytelling is so strong that it is accessible to everyone. The story is cheesy, but no more so than The Blind Side or its ilk. See it.
Roger Ebert has an excellent write-up.
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However, the restored version is making the rounds and I was lucky enough to catch a screening, so I will say one thing: Holy shit, it is awesome. I have seen various cuts of the film a number of times. Even these hampered versions can attest to how massive the production was, and how controling Lang was. However, the epic nature of the story and storytelling were sacrificed for ticket sales. This new version demonstrates how modern of a film Metropilis was. Even though it is silent, the visual storytelling is so strong that it is accessible to everyone. The story is cheesy, but no more so than The Blind Side or its ilk. See it.
Roger Ebert has an excellent write-up.
More »
Quick Review: Maus Haus
My friend's band, Maus Haus, was in town on Saturday. Their sound is unique, though I have to divulge that I am not as versed in music as other topics. Driving, poppy, electronicy. Excellent, well honed stage show that is an excellent performance of their recordings—which is an accomplishment for how produced the sound is. Just wrapped up their mid-west mini-tour, but catch them if you can while in San Francisco or surrounding area.
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