Towards a More Complete Metropolis

Fritz Lang's 1927 silent masterpiece Metropolis is a landmark in science fiction. But the story of its release, editing, and rediscovery is almost as compelling. When is premiered in Berlin, the film was 210 minutes long. It was almost immediately edited and sped up (due to the change over to faster running sound projectors) for 1928 showings in Europe and the United States. Archivists through the years , working from edited 90-minute versions, managed to piece together a somewhat definitive 118-minute version, which was lovingly restored for a 2002 DVD release.

The original 210-minute version, however, was thought lost to the mists of time. Until earlier this month, when a film archivist in Argentina (acting on a tip from her ex-husband) discovered a complete copy of the 1927 version of the film (NPR interviews her here). The print, which is nearly unwatchable at this point, is being restored for a future release.

All of which makes me a little bit giddy, even if it means I'll have to buy another version of DVD. At least it will hopefully be the version that Lang always wanted us to see.