Editing Metropolis (1927 film) (section)

=== ''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 />