Credit: Jason Hawkes Photography

Tuesday 11 May 2010

Megatropolis


Things just ain't what they used to be. In my day etc etc.

A familar rant and one I am not immune to. However, in some cases it is immutably true and the cinematic world throws up plenty of exceptional examples.

Probably the star witness in any such case would be the improbably epic Fritz Lang film, Metropolis. Made in 1927 and featuring more than 38000 extras, this is the most expensive silent film ever made costing more than 5 million Reichsmark (not far off 1 million pounds, which considering that my grandma said that everything then cost a penny, is, officially, a fuckload). The special effects still resonate on any viewing as much as the plot still feels relevant and sharp and the original soundtrack featured the likes of Richards Wagner and Strauss.

I am therefore extremely excited to reveal that Metropolis will be given a cinematic re-release in the UK on the 10th September and be featuring a full 25 minutes of lost footage thus making it the film in totality that Fritz Lang always intended!

If you haven't seen this film already then whet your appetite with the trailer that is available here and be prepared to have improved your life a notch. If you have, then you will all know what I am making such a fuss about.

If ever the word spectacular could be applied to a moviefilm, then Metropolis would be at the head of the rowdy queue.