Editing Metropolis (1927 film) (section)

==Restorations==
[[File:Metropolisnew.jpg|upright|thumb|Poster for the 2002 restored version, featuring the [[Maschinenmensch]]]]
The original premiere cut of ''Metropolis'' has been lost, and for decades the film could be seen only in heavily truncated edits that lacked nearly a quarter of the original length. This was the case even though cinematographer Karl Freund followed the usual practice of the time of securing three printable takes of each shot in order to create three camera negatives which could be edited for striking prints. Two of these negatives were destroyed when Paramount reedited the film for the US market and the UK market. UFA itself cut the third negative for the August 1927 release.<ref name=bennett /> But over the years, various elements of footage have been rediscovered.<ref>{{cite web|title=About Metropolis |url=http://www.alpha-omega.de/English/E_ReconstMetropolis.html |access-date=25 January 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070809144056/http://www.alpha-omega.de/English/E_ReconstMetropolis.html |archive-date= 9 August 2007 |url-status=dead }}</ref> 

=== East German version (1972) ===
Between 1968 and 1972, the [[Staatliches Filmarchiv der DDR]], with the help of film archives from around the world, put together a version of ''Metropolis'' which restored some scenes and footage, but the effort was hobbled by a lack of a guide, such as an original script, to determine what, exactly, was in the original version.<ref name=bennett />

=== Giorgio Moroder version (1984) ===
In 1984, a new restoration and edit of the film, running 83 minutes, was made by Italian music producer [[Giorgio Moroder]], who paid $200,000 for the rights, outbidding his ''[[Cat People (1982 film)|Cat People]]'' collaborator [[David Bowie]].<ref name=bennett /><ref>{{cite news |newspaper=[[The New York Times]] |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1984/08/05/movies/a-silent-classic-gets-some-80-s-music.html |access-date=17 May 2020 |date=5 August 1984 |first=Annette |last=Insdorf |title=A Silent Classic Gets Some 80's Music}}</ref> Although Moroder initially intended only to create a new soundtrack, he was surprised by the lack of a definitive print, and expanded his project to a major reconstruction. Moroder's version, which was made in consultation with the [[Munich Film Archive]] and their archivist, [[Enno Patalas]],<ref name=bennett /> was tinted to emphasise the different moods and locations in the film. It also featured additional special effects, replaced [[intertitle]]s of character dialogue with subtitles and incorporated a soundtrack featuring songs Moroder composed, produced and recorded with popular artists such as [[Freddie Mercury]], [[Bonnie Tyler]], [[Pat Benatar]], [[Adam Ant]] and [[Jon Anderson]]. It was the first serious attempt made at restoring ''Metropolis'' to Lang's original vision, and until the restorations in 2001 and 2010, it was the most complete version of the film commercially available. The shorter run time was due to the extensive use of subtitles for spoken lines instead of title cards, a faster frame rate than the original, and the fact that large amounts of footage were still missing at the time.

Moroder's version of ''Metropolis'' generally received poor reviews. Moroder responded to the critics who lambasted his production for not being faithful to the original in ''The New York Times'': "I didn't touch the original because there is no original."<ref name=bennett /> The film was nominated for two [[Golden Raspberry Awards|Raspberry Awards]], Worst Original Song for Mercury’s "[[Love Kills (Freddie Mercury song)|Love Kills]]" and Worst Musical Score for Moroder.{{sfn|Wilson|2005|p=286}} However, Bonnie Tyler was nominated for [[Grammy Award for Best Female Rock Vocal Performance]] at the [[27th Grammy Awards]] for "Here She Comes".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.grammy.com/grammys/artists/bonnie-tyler|title= 27th Grammy|date=23 February 1985|access-date=9 November 2019}}</ref>

In August 2011, after years of the Moroder version being unavailable on video in any format due to music licensing problems, it was announced that Kino International had managed to resolve the situation, and the film was to be released on [[Blu-ray]] and DVD in November. In addition, the film enjoyed a limited theatrical re-release.<ref>{{cite news| url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/rock-version-silent-film-classic-227317 | work=The Hollywood Reporter | first=Borys | last=Kit | title=Rock Version of Silent Film Classic 'Metropolis' to Hit Theatres This Fall|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140130123708/http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/heat-vision/rock-version-silent-film-classic-227317|archive-date=30 January 2014|date=24 August 2011}}</ref>

In 2012, the [[Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Films]] gave ''Giorgio Moroder Presents Metropolis'' a [[Saturn Awards|Saturn Award]] for Best DVD/Blu-Ray Special Edition Release.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.imdb.com/event/ev0000004/2012/1?ref_=ttawd_ev_2|title= Saturn Award|website= [[IMDb]]|access-date=18 November 2019}}</ref>

====Soundtrack====
{{track listing
| extra_column = Producer(s)
| headline = 1984 soundtrack track listing
| title1 = [[Love Kills (Freddie Mercury song)|Love Kills]]
| note1 = [[Freddie Mercury]]
| writer1 = {{hlist|[[Giorgio Moroder]]|[[Freddie Mercury]]}}
| extra1 = {{hlist|Moroder|Mercury|[[Reinhold Mack]]}}
| length1 = 4:29
| title2 = Here's My Heart
| note2 = [[Pat Benatar]]
| writer2 = {{hlist|Moroder|[[Pete Bellotte]]}}
| extra2 = {{hlist|Moroder|[[Neil Giraldo]]}}
| length2 = 4:54
| title3 = Cage of Freedom
| note3 = [[Jon Anderson]]
| writer3 = {{hlist|Moroder|Bellotte}}
| extra3 = Moroder
| length3 = 4:40
| title4 = Blood from a Stone
| note4 = Cycle V – {{abbr|a.k.a.|also known as}} Frank Dimino
| writer4 = {{hlist|Moroder|Bellotte}}
| extra4 = Moroder
| length4 = 3:37
| title5 = The Legend of Babel
| note5 = Giorgio Moroder
| writer5 = Moroder
| extra5 = Moroder
| length5 = 3:55
| title6 = [[Here She Comes]]
| note6 = [[Bonnie Tyler]]
| writer6 = {{hlist|Moroder|Bellotte}}
| extra6 = Moroder
| length6 = 3:48
| title7 = Destruction
| note7 = [[Loverboy]]
| writer7 = {{hlist|Moroder|Bellotte}}
| extra7 = {{hlist|Moroder|Paul Dean}}
| length7 = 4:09
| title8 = On Your Own
| note8 = [[Billy Squier]]
| writer8 = {{hlist|Moroder|Squier}}
| extra8 = Moroder
| length8 = 4:09
| title9 = What's Going On
| note9 = [[Adam Ant]]
| writer9 = {{hlist|Moroder|Bellotte}}
| extra9 = Moroder
| length9 = 3:49
| title10 = Machines
| note10 = Giorgio Moroder
| writer10 = Moroder
| extra10 = Moroder
| length10 = 4:11
}}

====Charts====
{| class="wikitable sortable plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center"
|-
! scope="col"| Chart (1984)
! scope="col"| Peak<br /> position
! scope="col"| Ref.
|-
!scope="row"| [[Kent Music Report|AUS]] Australia Kent Music Report
|align="center"|69
|<ref name=ST>{{cite book|last=Kent|first=David|authorlink=David Kent (historian)|title=Australian Chart Book 1970–1992|edition=illustrated|publisher=Australian Chart Book|location=St Ives, N.S.W.|year=1993|isbn=0-646-11917-6|pages=282, 283}}</ref>
|-
!scope="row"|Eurocharts Top 100 [[European Top 100 Albums]]
|align="center"|31
|<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-Music-and-Media/80s/1984/M&M-1984-10-22.pdf |title= Music & Media|access-date=9 November 2019}}</ref>
|-
!scope="row"|Germany [[GfK Entertainment charts]]
|align="center"|50
|<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.offiziellecharts.de/album-details-168 |title= Gfk Charts|access-date=9 November 2019}}</ref>
|-
!scope="row"| Italy [[Billboard (magazine)|''Billboard'']] Hits of the World
|align="center"|13
|<ref>{{cite web|url=https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Billboard/80s/1984/BB-1984-12-01.pdf |title= Billboard Hits of World|access-date=15 October 2021}}</ref>
|-
!scope="row"|Swiss Charts [[Swiss Hitparade]]
|align="center"|30
|<ref>{{cite web|url=https://hitparade.ch/album/Soundtrack-_-Giorgio-Moroder/Metropolis-168 |title= Swiss Charts|access-date=9 November 2019}}</ref>
|-
!scope="row"|US [[Billboard (magazine)|''Billboard'']] Album Charts
|align="center"|110
|<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.com/artist/soundtrack/chart-history/tlp/|title= Billboard|magazine= [[Billboard (magazine)|Billboard]]|access-date=9 November 2019}}</ref>
|-
!scope="row"| US Billboard Rock Albums
|align="center"|21
|<ref>{{cite web|url=https://worldradiohistory.com/Archive-All-Music/Billboard/80s/1984/BB-1984-09-01.pdf |title= Billboard Rock Albums & Top Tracks|access-date=15 October 2021}}</ref>
|-
!scope="row"|US [[Cash Box]] Top 200
|align="center"|112
|<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-Cash-Box/80s/1984/CB-1984-11-03.pdf |title= Cash Box|access-date=9 November 2019}}</ref>
|-
|}

=== Munich Archive version (1987) ===
The moderate commercial success of the Moroder version inspired Enno Patalas, the archivist of the Munich Film Archive, to make an exhaustive attempt to restore the movie in 1986. Starting from the version in the Museum of Modern Art collection,<ref>Codelli, Lorenzo (November 1984) "Entretien avec Enno Patalas, conservateur de la cinémathèque de Munich, sur Metropolis et quelques autres films de Fritz Lang" in ''Positif'' n.285, pp.15 sqq.</ref> this version took advantage of new acquisitions and newly discovered German censorship records of the original inter-titles, as well as the musical score and other materials from the estate of composer Gottfried Huppertz. The Munich restoration also utilized newly rediscovered still photographs to represent scenes that were still missing from the film. The Munich version was 9,840 feet, or 109 minutes long.<ref name=bennett />

=== ''Restored Authorized Edition'' (2001) ===
In 1998, [[Friedrich-Wilhelm-Murnau-Stiftung]] commissioned film preservationist Martin Koerber to create a "definitive" restoration of ''Metropolis'' by expanding on the Munich version. Previously unknown sections of the film were discovered in film museums and archives around the world, including a [[Nitrocellulose#Film|nitrate]] original camera negative from the [[German Federal Archives|Bundesarchiv-Filmarchiv]], as well as nitrate prints from the [[George Eastman House]], the British Film Institute and the [[Cineteca Italiana]]. These original film elements, digitally cleaned and repaired to remove defects, were used to assemble the film. Newly written intertitles were used to explain missing scenes.<ref name=bennett/>

The 2001 restoration premiered on 15 February 2001 at the [[Berlin Film Festival]], with a new score by Bernd Schultheis, performed live by the [[Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Berlin]].<ref name=bennett /> For theatrical and DVD release, it featured a new recording of Huppertz's original score performed by a 65-piece orchestra. The running time is 124 minutes at 24 fps, and it was released internationally on various DVD editions beginning in 2003.<ref name=DVDCompareDVD/>

=== ''The Complete Metropolis'' (2010) ===
On 1 July 2008, film experts in Berlin announced that a 16&nbsp;mm reduction negative of the original cut had been discovered in the archives of the [[Museo del Cine Pablo Ducros Hicken|Museo del Cine]] in Buenos Aires, Argentina.<ref>{{cite web|title =Metropolis: All New Restoration| url = http://www.kinolorber.com/metropolis/restoration.html| work =[[Kino Lorber]]| access-date =16 February 2016|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20151005093216/http://www.kinolorber.com/metropolis/restoration.html|archive-date=5 October 2015}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title =Film: Long lost scenes from Fritz Lang's Metropolis found in Argentina| url = https://www.theguardian.com/film/2008/jul/04/features.sciencefictionandfantasy| work =[[The Guardian]]| date = 4 July 2008| access-date =9 February 2016|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20151009203144/http://www.theguardian.com/film/2008/jul/04/features.sciencefictionandfantasy |archive-date=9 October 2015 }}</ref> The negative was a safety reduction made in the 1960s or 1970s from a 35&nbsp;mm positive of Lang's original version, which an Argentinian film distributor had obtained in advance of arranging theatrical engagements in South America. The safety reduction was intended to safeguard the contents in case the original's flammable nitrate film stock was destroyed.<ref name=bennett /> The negative was passed to a private collector, an art foundation and finally the Museo del Cine.

The print was investigated by the Argentinian film collector/historian and TV presenter {{ill|Fernando Martín Peña|es}}, along with Paula Felix-Didier, the head of the museum, after Peña heard an anecdote from a cinema club manager expressing surprise at the length of a print of ''Metropolis'' he had viewed.<ref name=bennett /><ref name="key">{{Cite news | title = Fritz Lang's ''Metropolis'': Key scenes rediscovered | work = [[Die Zeit]]| date = 2 July 2008| url = http://www.zeit.de/online/2008/27/metropolis-vorab-englisch |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140624195628/http://www.zeit.de/online/2008/27/metropolis-vorab-englisch|archive-date=24 June 2014|access-date=28 August 2009}}</ref> The print was indeed Lang's full original, with about 25 minutes of footage, around one-fifth of the film, that had not been seen since 1927.<ref name=bennett />

Under the auspices of the Friedrich-Wilhelm-Murnau-Stiftung, Berlin's [[Deutsche Kinemathek]] and Museo del Cine, a group of experts, including Anke Wilkening, Martin Koerber, and [[Frank Strobel]] began combining the newly discovered footage with the existing footage from the 2001 restoration. A major problem was that the Argentinian footage was in poor condition and had many scratches, streaks, and changes in brightness. The group was able to repair some of this damage using digital technology that had not yet been developed in 2001. The reconstruction of the film with the new footage was once again accompanied by the original music score, including Huppertz's handwritten notes, which acted as the key resource in determining the places in which the restored footage would go. Since the Argentinian print was a complete version of the original, some scenes from the 2001 restoration were put in different places than previously, and the tempo of the original editing was restored.<ref name=bennett />

In 2005, Australian historian and politician [[Michael Organ]] had examined a print of the film in the [[Ngā Taonga Sound & Vision|National Film Archive of New Zealand]]. Organ discovered that the print contained scenes missing from other copies of the film. After hearing of the discovery of the Argentine print of the film and the restoration project, Organ contacted the German restorers; the New Zealand print contained 11 missing scenes and featured some brief pieces of footage that were used to restore damaged sections of the Argentine print. It is believed that the New Zealand and Argentine prints were all sourced from the same master. The newly discovered footage was used in the restoration project.<ref name="Cinema's Holy Grail">{{Cite news | title = Cinema's Holy Grail | author = Pennells, Steve | newspaper = Sunday Star Times| location = New Zealand| date = 14 February 2010| page = C5}}</ref> The Argentine print was in poor condition and required considerable restoration before it was re-premiered in February 2010. Two short sequences, depicting a monk preaching and a fight between Rotwang and Fredersen, were damaged beyond repair. Title cards describing the action were inserted by the restorers to compensate. The Argentine print revealed new scenes that enriched the film's narrative complexity. The characters of Josaphat, the Thin Man, and 11811 appear throughout the film and the character Hel is reintroduced.<ref>{{cite web|title=A Tale of Two Cities: Metropolis Restored|url=http://www.filmcomment.com/article/a-tale-of-two-cities-metropolis-restored/|work=[[Film Comment]]|access-date=16 February 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160216182103/http://www.filmcomment.com/article/a-tale-of-two-cities-metropolis-restored/ |archive-date=16 February 2016}}</ref>

The 2010 restoration was premiered on 12 February 2010 at the Berlin [[Friedrichstadt Palast|Friedrichstadtpalast]]. Huppertz's score was performed by the Berlin Radio Symphony Orchestra, conducted by Frank Strobel, who also re-recorded it for theatrical and home video release. The performance was a gala screening as part of the 60th [[Berlin International Film Festival|Berlinale]] and had several simultaneous screenings. It was also shown on an outdoor screen at Berlin's [[Brandenburg Gate]], as well as at the [[Alte Oper]] in [[Frankfurt am Main]]. The Brandenburg Gate screening was also telecast live by the [[Arte]] network. The North American premiere took place at the 2010 [[Turner Classic Movies|TCM Classic Film Festival]] in [[Mann's Chinese Theatre]] in Los Angeles on 25 April 2010.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2010/feb/11/metropolis-fritz-lang-berlin|title=Metropolis, mother of sci-fi movies, reborn in Berlin|work=The Guardian|date=11 February 2010}}</ref><ref name=bennett/>The restoration has a running time of 148 minutes (or nearly 2.5 hours) and is released internationally on various DVD and Blu-ray editions beginning in 2010.<ref name=DVDCompareDVD/><ref name=DVDCompareBlu-ray/>

In 2024 restoration was again completed on the NUMBER9INE and Shadowland Projects NEUN METRO (METRO9) directly from the notes, early pre released publication articles including and original novel by author [[Thea von Harbou]]. By the early 1920s, von Harbou had become an established literary figure in Germany. Her transition into cinema came naturally as Germany’s burgeoning UFA (Universum Film AG) industry sought epic stories and high-concept narratives that could reflect the nation’s ambitions and anxieties following World War I. Meeting Fritz Lang, a dynamic and ambitious director with a background in painting and architecture. They married in 1922, beginning one of the most influential artistic collaborations in Weimar cinema. Together, they created some of the most monumental silent films of the era: "Dr. Mabuse the Gambler" (1922) – a psychological crime epic that explored themes of chaos and control."Die Nibelungen" (1924) – a two-part mythological saga, adapted by von Harbou from the Germanic epic."Metropolis" (1927) – their magnum opus, both a novel and a screenplay written by von Harbou. Von Harbou becoming the principal screenwriter for Lang’s productions, often acting as both creative muse and structural architect. Her detailed, moralistic writing style lent grandeur and gravitas to Lang’s visually expressive direction. 


Novel and Film Origins and Inspirations
Von Harbou began writing Metropolis in 1923, publishing it in serialized form in Illustriertes Blatt before its complete publication in 1925. The novel was completed before filming began. Though credited equally, von Harbou is the primary originator of the story and philosophical arc, while Lang envisioned and directed the visual spectacle. Key inspirations for Metropolis included: The Babel myth and Biblical eschatology German Avant grade and Expressionist Art and Philosophy, The class struggles of post-WWI Germany. Utopian and dystopian literature (Frankenstein, Erewhon, The Time Machine) Hindu philosophy and mystical archetypes (evident in the recurring mediator motif).

Von Harbou crafted Metropolis as a moral allegory: the tale of a technologically advanced but spiritually bankrupt society, where the elite lived in sky-high towers and the laboring masses toiled in subterranean machines. She embedded key themes: The division of labor and capital and the need for a spiritual mediator between the "head" (planners) and the "hands" (workers) Khristic mysticism, especially seen in the character Maria and her mechanical double, the anxieties of mechanization and the human soul under industrial capitalism

The famous line—“The mediator between the head and the hands must be the heart”—is von Harbou’s signature moral vision.
The restoration of the original von Harbou vision premiered on 29 September 2024 at various venues and public spaces on [[La Canebière]] offer a variety of pre viewing opportunities, orchestrated and filled with anticipation as the screens dim and METRO9 begins, with newly restored scenes seamlessly integrated into the original. The audience is captivated, leading to a standing ovation at the events conclusion. Interviews between the curators, restorers and prominent local reporters follow, capturing the electricity of the night. METRO9 a major event in the films restoration to it original vision by [[Thea vo Harbou]],  archival and public space blends [[classic cinema]] [[Art|artistry]] with modern [[technological]] [[innovation]]. [[METRO9]] [[FritzLang]] [[Film]][[Film restoration|Restoration]] [[Europe|European]] [[Premiere]] [[ArtplexeCanebière] [[Cannes]] [[festival]] O'le (Opera Electronica) score the neo post expressionist restoration performed by Case Trick <ref>{{cite web|title =METRO9: buzzslayers| url = https://www.buzzslayers.com/post/case-trick-returns-with-the-metro9-soundtrack}}</ref><br />, conducted and produced by Arthur, who also re-recorded it for theatrical and home entertainment <ref>{{cite web|title =METRO9: filmhub| url = https://app.filmhub.com/titles/ig9d-new8}}</ref><br /> release. Additional 2024 performances include the gala screening as part of the [[Berlin Kiez Film Festival]] and simultaneous screenings globally. Including, as well as at the [[FLIFF]] in [[Orlando, Florida|Orlando]], Florida. <ref>{{cite web|https://fliff.com/events/metro9arebirthofmetropolis147minuteversion/}}</ref><br />. The North American premiere took place at the [foxtheatre|foxtheatreatchison]] in Atchison, Kansas on 21 March 2025.<ref>{{cite web|https://www.foxtheatreatchison.com/movie/metro9/}}</ref><br />, origin of sci-fi NEUN METRO. Reviving in vibrant color with operatic depth, this Post Neo Expressionist masterpiece honoring Thea von Harbou’s vision and Fritz Lang’s legacy. 

This masterfully restored version has a running time of 147 minutes and is released internationally on various DVD and Blu-ray editions beginning in 2025. <ref>{{cite web|title =METRO9: filmhub| url = https://app.filmhub.com/titles/ig9d-new8}}</ref><br />