Okay, it is high time I intersperse all of these depressing obituaries with an actual post. Last night I ventured out into the Portland night life to catch the new "completely restored" (a misnomer since, as I felt jaded to discover before the screening, certain scenes were still missing) Metropolis. The missing scenes in question probably lasted no more than a full minute, so I'll give the newspapers and film scholars and archivists a break by agreeing this is the first time Fritz Lang's sci-fi masterpiece is being shown in full form since its Berlin premiere in 1927. 
Some 25 minutes of "lost" footage was found and restored by two Argentinian film archivists who will, hopefully, have it made from now on as far as film restoration and preservation. Though the found footage was too damaged to perfectly sync in with the pristine crispness of the rest of the film (seriously, some of the fully restored scenes are jaw-droppingly gorgeous) they definitely add to the plot and overall comprehension of Lang's vision. To get a peek at the restoration, here is the official website: http://www.kino.com/metropolis/
and a wonderful article on the SF screening, which was introduced by none other than Eddie Muller, and included a visit and commentary by the now quite famous archivists: http://twitchfilm.net/interviews/2010/07/sfsff-2010-metropolis-1927--onstage-interview-with-eddie-muller-paula-felix-didier-and-fernando-mart.php
(After Portland, I believe the film returns to SF's the Castro Theater next week. I highly recommend it.)
1 comment:
It's playing at the PFA and, even better, The Rafael next week, for four nights. I'll be attending one of the evening screenings!
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