Glaubst Du, der Verlust einer Hand sei zu hoher Preis für die Wieder-Erschaffung der Hel—?!

[sovay]

Tonight I saw the newly restored print of Fritz Lang's Metropolis (1927) with a new live score by the Alloy Orchestra at the Coolidge Corner Theatre.

All I got was this lousy T-shirt and two hours and twenty-eight minutes of some of the best film and music I've seen together in my life.

(No, really. I got a Metropolis T-shirt. Someone make sure I don't wear it to death in a month.)

There may be a review tomorrow, or at least some kind of coherent writeup; mostly I will note that I cannot imagine how anyone ever thought it was a good idea to cut this film, because the missing footage is not in any way incidental or padding, it's crucial plotlines and backstory and small character moments and atmosphere and it was not even slightly clear from earlier cuts how awesome the ex-secretary Josaphat is. I thought in 2005 that I would never see the full version of Metropolis. If you count those five minutes of apocalyptic preaching and the confrontation between Rotwang and Joh Fredersen, I still haven't. But I'm a lot luckier than everyone who never lived to see this restoration—including Fritz Lang. Thank God for small museums in Buenos Aires. And for the kind of people who sell out an entire theater to see a movie made eighty-two years ago.

Mittler zwischen Hirn und Händen muß das Herz sein!

Comments

[nineweaving.livejournal.com]

That was fabulous--images and music. Maria/Anti-Maria rocks. And I think some con somewhere should hold a Yoshiwara Night.

Nine

[sovay]

Maria/Anti-Maria rocks.

I am aware that the film's moral is Mittler zwischen Hirn und Hände muß das Herz sein, but it should perhaps be Oh, my God, Brigitte Helm.

Reportedly she was James Whale's first choice for Bride of Frankenstein. I would not trade Elsa Lanchester, but I'd love to be able to borrow the DVD from that universe.

[nineweaving.livejournal.com]

Truly.

Oh, my God, Brigitte Helm.

Religions have been founded on less.

Nine

[spatch]

Oh, holy cats. I knew the restored version was coming around, but not when.

The first time I saw Metropolis on the big screen was at the Coolidge. I eagerly look forward to seeing More of it!

[sovay]

The first time I saw Metropolis on the big screen was at the Coolidge. I eagerly look forward to seeing More of it!

I hope to hear your thoughts on it. Have an excellent time!

[kenjari.livejournal.com]

Yes, it was amazing. Thank you so much for the ticket (and the chance to hang out)!

[sovay]

Thank you so much for the ticket (and the chance to hang out)!

You're very welcome. It was wonderful to see you!

[ap-aelfwine.livejournal.com]

I'm delighted to hear! Looking forward to reading your review/writeup.

Off to a ribfest, which should be fun, if less profound. And I still haven't figured out what the Irish is for "catgirl". Oh well, someday...

[sovay]

And I still haven't figured out what the Irish is for "catgirl". Oh well, someday...

Irish can't do compound nouns?

[ap-aelfwine.livejournal.com]

Irish can't do compound nouns?

It does, but it's a matter of coming up with a compound that's natural/fits the intended sense, and I'm not sure if this one shouldn't be a phrase, anyhow. Cailín cat just doesn't sound quite right, and I'm having trouble thinking of a native speaker to ask who wouldn't be either confused or altogether weirded out.

[steepholm.livejournal.com]

Did you see the NYT (quoted in Ansible) saying that the restored Metropolis should no longer be regarded as a science fiction film? Can that be made to sound any more sensible than it appears at first sight?

[sovay]

Did you see the NYT (quoted in Ansible) saying that the restored Metropolis should no longer be regarded as a science fiction film?

I did not. Someone will have to break the news to the alchemist and his robot.

[joshwriting.livejournal.com]

Don't know if you saw this news squib, but figured to pass it along:

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/06/07/movies/07silent.html

[sovay]

Don't know if you saw this news squib

No! Sweet.

[strange-selkie.livejournal.com]

The fact that a nanny showed a cut of that film to me when I was four or five demonstrably changed my life. I'm almost afraid to watch it as it is now, with more of the Scary Man (tm 4-year-old Selkie) in it, etc...

But I'm so glad you got to see it.

Come visit now! The baby is cute and the swamp is fine.

[sovay]

I'm almost afraid to watch it as it is now, with more of the Scary Man (tm 4-year-old Selkie) in it, etc...

You could wait for the Alloy Orchestra DVD, where the incredibly awesome music might help amend the traumatic childhood memories.

Come visit now! The baby is cute and the swamp is fine.

I don't know if it can be managed this month—are you going anywhere in July?

[moon-custafer.livejournal.com]

They found even more of it?! I'd been watching different versions for years, and the restoration I saw a few years back was a revelation (as in, Wow, the makeup is much less Expressionist than I thought, now that the images aren't blurry! Hey, that's not just some random guy, it's the guy Freder switched places with earlier!).

I always liked Josaphat.

Also, the novel is pretty cool, if you can find it (it helped me follow the plot back when I only had the Queen version.)

[sovay]

They found even more of it?!

They found all but five minutes of it. (And it may be that they found those five minutes, they were just too badly damaged to restore to a screenable print.) In a closet in a small museum in Buenos Aires. It's magnificent. I had the earlier, eighty-percent Kino restoration, but there are two entire new subplots here!

Also, the novel is pretty cool, if you can find it (it helped me follow the plot back when I only had the Queen version.)

I hadn't been sure whether to check out the novel or not—is it reasonably close to the screenplay?