When Fritz Lang's METROPOLIS was released in 1927, the original iteration of the film played only in Germany...and for a relatively brief time...before being whittled down for release in other markets. Some estimates suggest that nearly a quarter of Lang's film was lost in this streamlining process; the excised material was never seen again.
The METROPOLIS iterations we've enjoyed for years, Moroder's 1984 restoration...
...and the 2002 Kino project (website HERE), brought considerable enhancements to previously existing cuts of the movie. The Kino undertaking re-incorporated an amount of footage that had been located in archives, museums, etc. - but a great deal of material was still missing. In some instances, absent narrative was accounted for by title cards describing unavailable footage and what not.
Now comes word that the original, full-length edit of METROPOLIS has been located in Buenos Aires!
“No matter how bad the condition of the material may be, the original intention of the film, including all of its minor characters and subplots, is now once again tangible for the normal viewer. The rhythm of the film has been restored.”
...says THIS ARTICLE at Zeit Online, which goes on to outline the recovery of said footage in considerable detail.
To put this in perspective, reports place METROPOLIS' original running time at 210 minutes. Since the film's German release, the longest running time we've seen is 118 minutes. The reintegration of so much material could profoundly impact the film's tempo, cohesion, and occasionally even meaning.
I can't wait to see this...I really can't. I always figured a day like this might come around, but after a lifetime of waiting...it's easy to second guess one's self.
Apparently, this Zeit Online posting preceeds an article to be published tomorrow in ZEITmagazin. If anyone out there knows this magazine, has a scanner, and wouldn't mind... [CLICK HERE TO E-MAIL ME]!!
More news on this remarkable discovery, and on the new restoration's inevitable issuance to theaters and/or DVD/Blu-Ray, as more comes in.
