Metropolis / Movie

Studio: Alpha Video
Product Type: DVD

Metropolis (Restored Authorized Edition)

Average customer rating:

Metropolis
Let your head mediate between your heart and hands
For those few who care. . . .
An aged classic
interesting

Metropolis (Restored Authorized Edition)
Starring: Alfred Abel , Gustav Fröhlich , Rudolf Klein-Rogge , Fritz Rasp , and Theodor Loos
Director: Fritz Lang
Manufacturer: Kino Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B00007L4MJ
Release Date: 2003-02-18

Amazon.com essential video

Fritz Lang's Metropolis belongs to legend as much as to cinema. It's a milestone of sci-fi and German expressionism. Yet the story makes minimal sense, and the "theme" belongs in a fortune cookie; to experience the film's pagan power, you have to see the movie. But for decades we couldn't, not really--not with so many versions, all incomplete, often in public-domain prints like smudged photocopies. This Murnau Foundation restoration changes all that. Some shots, scenes, and subplots may be lost forever, but intertitles indicate how they fit into the original continuity and the characters' individual trajectories. Most crucially, the images are crisp, vibrant, and three-dimensional instead of murky and flattened. The composite sequences (the Tower of Babel, a sea of lusting eyes) have been restored to their hallucinatory ferocity. And there's one moment when you can see a bead of sweat roll down a man's cheek--in medium long-shot. --Richard T. Jameson

Customer Reviews:

Metropolis.......2007-06-18

One of the most influential films ever made, Lang's "Metropolis" was inspired by the director's awestruck glimpse of the 1920s Manhattan skyline. Visually astonishing and darkly surreal, "Metropolis" is a flawless example of German Expressionism on film, with its heavily stylized, futuristic production design, odd camera angles, and bleak, shadowy evocation of the not-so-harmonious techno-industrial future. Rudolf Klein-Rogge is especially captivating playing sadistic capitalist Rotwang, who engineers a slave revolt against the reformers. A hypnotic, enthralling silent masterwork by the legendary director of "M" and "The Big Heat."

Let your head mediate between your heart and hands.......2007-06-06

Let your head mediate between your heart and hands, June 5, 2007

I'm not going to be buying this film. "What?", you say, "But you rated it 5 stars!!!"

'Tis true. This is a case where my mind and heart are at war much as the Metropolis "planners" are using their power to keep down the "workers".

Intellectually I'm drawn to this film by the innovative use of special effects (I still wonder how the "face stealing machine" lightning and light discs were done), its plot (Heavy with double entendre and symbolism with its classic "David vs. Goliath" allusion as well as Biblical allusions with its saviour and Virgin Mary figures). My mind even secretly feels a bit smug because it's a "foreign film". (Not that it matters that much since all the subtitles are in English and there's no dialogue)

Emotionally I never get swept away though. My heart never REALLY cares all that much about the workers' plight or feels shock at the callous disregard of them by the planners. You don't really find out WHY Frederson falls in love with Maria...he just DOES. They also don't seem to go into the motivations of Freder to be the king figure he strikes in the film.

In the end, my hands decide it's not worth shelling out the spoils of my time "fighting the clock" to have this in my collection.

BOTTOM LINE:
Just because *I* don't plan to buy it doesn't mean I don't understand why there are those who would. Enough filmmakers were influenced by this that merely seeing it will help you understand how visuals from other films came about and it really is a visual feast even if this jaded age of CGI animation and billion-dollar explosion fests. I'd advise this edition if you DO choose to buy because of the explanatory commentary that left me a lot less befuddled than I'd have been without it, as well as an interesting albeit too short talk about the restoration process with the German archivists involved (it's subtitled in English). There are also some production stills that give you the flavor of some of the many scenes that have been lost to time after the film was edited after release.

Even if you don't buy it, do borrow from your local library or an artsy friend...

For those few who care. . . ........2007-05-27

We all have many reasons for being interested in movies. Or in film. Or in cinema. Or today in video. Most of us seek laughter, pathos, or sheer entertainment. Yet since the establishment of American Movie Classics & more particularly Turner Movie Classics, there has been some growth in what might be called aficianados of film -- those who are truly interested in how modern film developed. (There are also groups who have strong interest in one or more actors -- such as Cary Grant, Katherine Hepburn, Spencer Tracy -- or certain directors John Ford, Howard Hawks, Orson Welles, or Alfred Hitchcock.

To the true film student, a video copy of the original METROPOLIS is viewed more for its groundbreaking cinematic techniques than for its story alone. There are many unique techniques & effects in METROPOLIS that have since been give further advancement. Clearly, we would never have had the STAR WARS series had it not been for the earlier METROPOLIS. Yet METROPOLIS somewhat pales in comparison to any of the STAR WARS series (particularly the first). Somehow the first of any series is normally the best. And many find pioneering initial films too simplistic for true appecition. It is much like watching Johnny Weismuller or Elmo Lincoln as TARZAN & trying to compare this shaky, fuzzy film with a more modern, slck color GREYSTOKE.

It may now be difficult to appreciate METROPOLIS or the CABINET of DR, CALIGARI or D. W. Griffith's BIRTH OF A NATION in the same way these films were appreciated when issued. Bear in mind, usually we see these classics only on a tiny TV screen. Consider how much more effective they might have been with sharp prints, on a huge theatre screen, & with majestic musical accompanyment of an organ or perhaps a full symphony orchestra.

Also there is no power like the power of an idea encountered the first time. So while I cannot recommand METROPOLIS or any classic silent film to the average film viewer of today complete with mounds of popcorn & gallons of soft drinks, it is a brilliant film. It is still brilliant, & still offers us a world of tomorrow that may yet prove closer to reality than we might wish.

Certainly no student of film as a medium should fail to see and to study METROPOLIS. It offers far more film vistas and futuristic life dilemmas than perhaps any other film of its time & type

David L. Woods, PhD, Adjunct Professor of Film, Communication, & Mass Media, Marshall University, WV

An aged classic.......2007-04-19

In 1927 my mother was 17 years old. Like most of the country at that time she would have been living a largely agrarian lifestyle, a countrified life, filled with cornpone and over-cooked green beans. Her simple cotton clothes would have smelled of some borax-like detergent and her nails would have been short and split from hard work around the farm. Had she made it to town to see this picture show on some muggy Saturday night in 1927 with my father, she would have stared agog at the screen as the phantasmagoric images swam past in futuristic splendor. For a brief hour and a half or so it would have lifted her away from the washboards and wringers and pump handles and udders and brooms and clotheslines. When she came out she would have shaken her head in disbelief and laughed with wonder that such a world could have been created. Imagine yourself in 1927 when you see this film and share the wonder of this, one of the very first films in (and the likely fertile progenitor of) the cinematic genre called science fiction. Its cost, they say, was over $200 million in adjusted dollars - quite an extravagance for the time, two-thirds the cost of Titanic.

interesting.......2007-04-17

I've been watching a lot of different genres of movies lately, and as my exposure to silent movies has been pretty limited, I thought this one would be good to watch. It was a very interesting movie. I'd never seen anything quite like it. The plot was interesting and and the special effects were good considering when the movie was made. The themes in the movie, such as the haves versus the have-nots, problems of mob psychology, and corruption that comes with power, are timeless. However, I found it hard to follow at some parts and there were some segments that didn't seem to have anything to do with the overall storyline. (For example: What was the point of the part where the imposter of Maria becomes an exotic dancer?) In spite of that, this is definitely a movie worth seeing.

Average customer rating:

AMAZING
A great movie, and like many, its easy to miss the point
If you enjoyed the premise behind Astro Boy, you'll enjoy this.
Darn fine film, slightly odd packaging...
METROPOLIS --- the BEST!!!!

Metropolis
Starring: Yuka Imoto , Kei Kobayashi , Kouki Okada , Jamieson Price , and Gô Nagai
Director: Rintaro
Manufacturer: Sony Pictures
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B00005V4XG
Release Date: 2002-04-23

Amazon.com

Adapted from Osamu Tezuka's 1949 manga, Metropolis (in Japanese with English subtitles) is an opulently beautiful film that fails to present a coherent story worthy of its extraordinary visuals. Evil Duke Red (voice by Taro Ishida) plans to rule the world from Ziggurat, his newly completed art deco tower. A new robot is being developed by his henchman Dr. Laughton (Junpei Takeguchi) to control all the machines in the world from Ziggurat. Japanese detective Shunsaku Ban (Kousei Tomita) and his nephew Kenichi (Kei Kobayashi) arrive in Metropolis in pursuit of Laughton and are plunged into Red's plot. When the duke's maniacal adopted son Rock (Kohki Okada) attacks Laughton's hidden lab, Kenichi and the waiflike android Tima (Yuka Imoto) flee into the city's subterranean slums and fall in love. Despite a protracted series of chases and violent shootouts, there's little excitement and less character development. Director Rintaro (Hayashi Shigeyuki) borrows heavily from Fritz Lang's 1926 Metropolis, Ridley Scott's Blade Runner, and Katsuhiro Otomo's Akira, but his staging makes much of the action hard to follow. The film takes an unintentionally hilarious turn when Ziggurat crumbles to Ray Charles's "I Can't Stop Loving You." The computer-generated skyscrapers, machines, and airships offer dazzling vistas of an overscaled and sinister deco-dystopia. But Tezuka's flat little characters, with their big eyes, round noses, and bubble-shaped feet, don't fit into that realistic three-dimensional environment. MPAA rating: PG. Contains considerable violence and grotesque imagery. --Charles Solomon

Customer Reviews:

AMAZING.......2007-06-25

THE MOST MOVING ANIMATED MOVIE I HAVE SEEN IN MY 30 YEARS.

BEAUTIFUL!!!!

A great movie, and like many, its easy to miss the point.......2007-06-16

The first thing I'd like to do is just clear up a few things that negative reviews have been hooked on and maybe shed a bit of clarity on what is being shown in the movie.

-Origins : It comes from a manga written by Osamu Tezuka, the founder of anime, and is loosely based on that. It borrows themes from the black and white movie "Metropolis" as well but when you watch it, its best just to let the movie unfold itself instead of you forcing it to fit any particular mold.
-The animation : There are a lot of different animation choices moving around here. you have the deco-style buildings which jut across the skyline of metropolis, the astro-boy style human beings with large eyes and exagerated features (eyes, arms, noses), and then the cyberpunk innards of the city, as well as the much more "real" and dirty areas beneath the city. the humans are MEANT to stand out against the deco, everything isn't supposed to fit neatly together in a single style. in the movie this is shown in the plot; the elite humans (duke red, the president, etc), common people, the robots, and the city all are at odds with each other. Its not supposed to be hyper-realistic, the styles chosen are deliberate and invoke specific contrasts.
-Plot : At times things trip and fall, but I think part of the incongruity is on purpose. The chaos and sort of non-sequiter plot lines are actually just intended to encase the story of 1)humanity's fear of the 'other' 2)Tima and Kenichi. Except for Tima, the other characters just kind of putter out (aside from Luke, or Rock in the U.S. version) but her story was fantastically strong when placed within the struggle of humanity (with its own inner turmoil) and the servants they created.

In conclusion, this movie is just saturated in AMAZING visuals and great jazzy music (I couldn't think of a more appropriate use of "I cant stop loving you" by Ray Charles at the end), and it contains a story of a search for a 'self' within the fantastical world of Metropolis. Characters broaden and shrink the scope of where they place themselves here, yet everyone lands in own unique niche. But for the staleness of character development/bogged plot I drop half a star.

4.5/5 - A must see, for movie fans with open eyes.

If you enjoyed the premise behind Astro Boy, you'll enjoy this........2007-06-08

I was first attracted to buying this DVD while watching the "Previews" section added onto the last disk of the 2004 Astro Boy anime DVD series I bought from Amazon this year. When I saw the animation quality of Metropolis, I wanted to see more.

In a nutshell, here's how this film plays out, in parallel to Astro Boy, under Osamu Tezuka's direction:

The Duke loses his daughter, just like Dr. Tenma loses his son Tobio. Both men have robots built to replace their lost children, except in Metropolis, Duke's adopted son, Rock, detains the Duke and his robot daughter from meeting each other; whereas Astro meets his father from the moment he's born. Rock does this simply because Tinma, the Duke's robot daughter, is to rule on the throne of the earth as a robot, over humans and robots. Sounds allot like Astro Boy to me. Rock feels only a human should sit on that throne; with that human being his adopted father, who Rock loves dearly we learn.

Rock first kills the doctor creating Tinma, as well as tries to kill Tinma before she awakens, via his attack on the robot factory, but Tinma survives and is aided by a boy who is working alongside a character that looks just like Daddy Mustache in the Astro Boy series. This Daddy Mustache "look alike" is a detective sent from Tokyo to investigate the whole affair.

In the end, Osamua introduces a different twist from the Astro Boy premise. Where with Astro Boy, he shows the king of robots bridging the gap between humans and robots, in this film he shows what happens when that does not happen, with Tinma assuming the throne and the desire to destroy all humans. Rock, who you might think is bad in the beginning, is really one of the good guys and gives his life to save all of humanity. Lots of pathos in the end and a certain level of violence in this film in terms of some characters being killed along the way.

The story is very good and more or less asks the question; "what if robots or IA did take control of the world and tried to destroy mankind. How would mankind survive." We've seen this plot played out in films like Robo cop, The Terminator and as recent as I-Robot; so the idea isn't new in filmaking. Well, mankind does survive, but I won't tell you how or I'll spoil the explosive ending for you if you purchase this film and watch it.

The animation alone is well worth the price of admission and it still has a good story plot, through not new. It does come with a small DVD disk with lots of feature behind the scene stuff, but its all in Japanese with no english translation. This was a let down, which is why I gave this four stars. The packaging is great. No problems with the disks. Delivery was timely. No complaints.

Darn fine film, slightly odd packaging..........2007-05-02

Just a quick note, before I get to the review: The packaging is a fold-out style case with a regular DVD (left; main features) and a mini-DVD (right; special features). I'm not sure why the studio opted for the mini-DVD for special features, rather than a standard DVD... I was a bit surprised. I'm hoping it won't cause issues, as I've never used a mini-DVD before in any of my players (including the DVD-changer). But generally all the packaging and discs are attractive and functional.

I'll include a review of the content (audio/video/features) once I get around to watching it in the next day or two. But I've heard very good things, so I'll give it a 5-star rating.

----------

Addendum (5-6-07):
Okay, finished watching it. The visuals were interesting, video quality and audio quality were good. The ending was typical of an anime, not entirely satisfying. I don't know if that's good/bad/other. Generally, if you like anime, and good visuals you'll like this movie. Granted, the plot was perhaps a bit slow in places, and not entirely satisfying (ending). But still, it's a decent flick. HAven't watched the special features yet, but I assume tehy'll be decent and on par with other movie/anime special features. So, overall, I'd say it's worth purchasing.

METROPOLIS --- the BEST!!!!.......2007-04-17

(Gives away a few parts - 2)
This movie was more than just a movie. When I first saw it, I was like, "oh my god, this is incredible" I watched it over 6 times, once in Japanese, and I didn't even have to know what they were saying to truely take it in. Metropolis seems so real, and the fact that this probably won't happen, and that it's just a movie-I can't except that. It's too realistic and nonrealistic at the same time for it not really to exist. It brought tears to my eyes, and not just little tears on my eyelashes. I mean, my face would be soaked because of all of the emotion. I understand that most kids my age (11,12) would say thatt this movie was just stupid, and if someone said it to my face, i would hit them so hard! Who I really love most in the movie is Kenichi. It's unbelievable and so sad that he risks his life to save Tima when there's nothing good left in her. When he finds out that she's a robot, i feel so hurt inside to know that the person that he loves isn't human. This anime is more than a movie. The characters are more than cartoons. I think about this movie all the time, and ALWAYS try to improve on drawing at least Kenichi (i gotta admit, he IS really cute!!) It's so hard to see a kid go through this kind of thing. I've had a VERY early experience with death, (kindergarten - bff) and i think i really understand how Kenichi feels. having someone "taken away" from you that you fall in love with is horrible.

The movie is just so deep and has so much more to it, that you CAN'T see it only once. I really give my respect to Yuka Imoto, Kei Kobayashi, and the rest of the cast/crew that i can't get the names of right now. You guys may speak Japanese, but i understand EVERYTHING that you're saying, and I don't even speak the language.

- Valerie, age 11

Average customer rating:

WORTH OWNING, ADD TO HOME COLLECTION
Pretty but just a bit to witty and clever
I liked it more than other reviewers...
Not that good
Could have been so much better!

Leaving Metropolis
Starring: Troy Ruptash , Vince Corazza , Lynda Boyd , Cherilee Taylor , and Thom Allison
Director: Brad Fraser
Manufacturer: Wolfe Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B0001BMMHW
Release Date: 2004-04-06

Product Description

Leaving Metropolis is the film version of Brad Fraser s hit play Poor Super Man, which Time Magazine called one of the top ten plays of 1994. Fraser also wrote Love and Human Remains. He currently is writer and coproducer for Showtime s Queer as Folk.

David s (Troy Ruptash, M.V.P. II: Most Valuable Primate, The Perfect Son) a successful artist in need of a muse. Looking for inspiration, he applies for a job as a waiter. Owners Matt (Vincent Corazza) and Violet (Cherilee Taylor, Masterpiece Monday) don t know quite what to make of David he seems unconcerned with money, and overqualified for the job but they love his energy and ideas.
When David eventually reveals he s a gay artist, Matt who dreams of being a cartoonist asks to see his paintings. But when he finds he has become David s secret subject, unexpected feelings overwhelm Matt, and he s drawn into a risky relationship that will change all their lives.*

System Requirements:

Language:*English

.Audio Features:*Dolby*Surround*2.0

.Closed Caption: Yes

.Video Features:*Color,**Letterbox Presentation

Format: DVD MOVIE

Amazon.com

Torrid sex and tortured emotions fill the screen in Leaving Metropolis. David (Troy Ruptash), a successful painter, has lost his inspiration. To find stimulation, he gets a job at a small, out-of-the-way diner, run by married couple Violet (Cherilee Taylor) and Matt (Vincent Corazza, Owning Mahoney). When sparks fly with Matt, David gets stimulation and inspiration--but the portraits he paints of Matt may break the couple apart. The machinations of a bitter friend bring the situation to a boil. Though filled with lots and lots of sex (both gay and straight), Leaving Metropolis pays as much attention to the character's minds as to their flesh (well, almost as much--the sex scenes are quite extensive and the bodies are all beautiful). Some of the script's metaphors are a little clumsy, but the psychology is convincing. Adapted by award-winning writer Brad Fraser from his play Poor Super Man. --Bret Fetzer

Customer Reviews:

WORTH OWNING, ADD TO HOME COLLECTION.......2007-06-13

a little 1980's, but also 1990's. funny. good. buy it without regret.

Pretty but just a bit to witty and clever.......2006-09-12

This DVD is a mixed product with some very good aspects and some aspects that could have been done better.

First, the good parts:

The art direction and cinematography were super with colorful attractive interiors and attractive actors. Vincent Corazza does a good job playing Matt, a married man who ventures into a bisexuality. Cherilee Taylor is also exceptional as Violet, his wife. Thom Allison, playing the role of Shannon, a dying male to female transgender, is a high point of the film. The nudism and sex scenes were hot with Ms. Taylor and Mr. Corazza burning up the screen in the final scene of their love making.

Now for the parts that could be improved:

Brad Fraser's script was a bit too flip, too cute, and too witty. This had the effect of making both the main character, David, and his straight woman friend, Kryka, seem thin, superficial, and two dimensional. The problem here is that David is the main character and is suppose to fall in love with Matt the married man. However, the viewer never really believes this. In fact, the way too clever script forces the viewer not to really trust or believe anything the main character, David, says or does. What a shame. I suspect this major fault in the film must be blamed on Brad Fraser, the writer, rather than on Troy Ruptash the actor. When David tells Matt that he loves him, the words don't sound true. Later when David leaves Shannon to commit suicide alone, I suspected that the viewer really is lead to not sympathize with this main character at all. I found myself admiring and identifying mostly with Violet, the beautiful wife of bisexual Matt. She seemed to be the most sure of her emotions and sure of where she stood once she learned the truth about her husband's affair with David.

In the end, everyone moves on. David packs up and leaves town. Violet sells her diner and moves on. Matt despirately tries to rekindle the relationship with Violet and then when he is rejected tries to rekindle the relationship with David. In some ways he becomes the most complex character - a handsome Mr. Personality with dependency needs. Matt turns out to be one of those type people who can not stand to sleep alone and do the hard work to explore/find out who he really is on the inside.

The script needed far less catty remarks and far more character development. At least we were left with an untidy and realistic ending for sometimes when relationships get broken, they really can't be glued back together.

I liked it more than other reviewers..........2006-07-02

because I found this to be a film with a great narrative. There is a flow from beginning to end, a view of relationships of different kinds. Some folks may be responding to the fact that there is no happy ending in this film, but there is no tragedy either. Instead the viewer is given hints about life moving forward, thus an ability to project out over time. The relationships are true to life, and the way that HIV is treated is the most realistic I have seen on film (it is just there, integrated, not a theme). Personally, I was fine with the technical aspects of the film, feeling like the filming and light reflected the northwestern canadian setting.

I have suggested this film to several friends - just expect a film that is more like a short-story than a romantic comedy.

Not that good.......2006-06-15

i bought this dvd a while ago and rewatched it last night for the first time after a while.....I just found the characters so two dimensional...the story wants to take of..but does not really sucseed...And the actors did not really delft very deep into their emotions... abit dissapointing...

Could have been so much better!.......2006-05-28

The best thing about this movie was Vincent Corazza. Working with crappy dialog and a plot that tackled too many issues, he did a fantastic job expressing his character's confusing emotions without the need for words. This movie would have been really great had it stuck to the primary plot of a relationship between a married heterosexual man and a gay man. The main plot should have dealt soley with the bisexual issue and concepts of love, rather than bring in HIV, transgendered issues, fatal illnesses, dealing with the death of friends, euthanasia, etc.

Like so many 'gay' themed movies out there, it is morbid, sad, and filled with pain and suffering. Plus it deals with so many psychological issues that viewers tend to get lost and can't connect with any of the characters. Could have been much better. It's worth a look though, for Vince Corazza.

Fritz Lang Epic Collection (Metropolis/Die Nibelungen/Woman in the Moon/Spies)

Average customer rating:

A great collection of early Lang films restored with care
First review!

Fritz Lang Epic Collection (Metropolis/Die Nibelungen/Woman in the Moon/Spies)
Starring: Rudolf Klein-Rogge , Gerda Maurus , Lien Deyers , Louis Ralph , and Craighall Sherry
Director: Fritz Lang
Manufacturer: Kino Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B00064AEWO
Release Date: 2004-11-09

Customer Reviews:

A great collection of early Lang films restored with care.......2007-06-22

Fritz Lang always claimed he was a very visual person, and this collection of four movies from the silent era proves it. I'll go through each film individually:

Metropolis - This film is considered by many to be the first feature science fiction film. Ironically, this film, now considered a masterpiece, contributed to the bankruptcy of the studio that backed it. The film has great visual effects and huge sets that still impress today. The film ran so long that it was progressively cut back, and with each succeeding cut it became less coherent. The version on this DVD is still missing about 25% of the original footage, which is probably lost forever. However, using the novel and other sources, the missing scenes have been described on intertitle cards. These added descriptions make the plot clearer by filling in the holes. The story of Metropolis has society divided into two groups, those that toil beneath the city and those that live off of the fruits of their toil above. The extra features include:
1. A 43 minute documentary entitled "Metropolis Case" which has film historian Enno Patalas discussing the film's place in history. The featurette is filled with production shots and includes some vintage interviews with those who worked on the film.
2.A commentary track also done by Enno Patalas.
3.A nine minute featurette on the restoration of the film, several still galleries, cast and crew biographies and some text pages about the film.

Die Nibelungen - This epic film is based on a thirteenth century Nordic saga and includes a fire breathing dragon, treacherous dwarfs, magic swords, and barbarian attacks. The film is five hours in length and is split into two parts. Like Metropolis, this film has some terrific special effects. It is oversimplifying matters to say that if you liked "Lord of the Rings" you'll like this film, but it is probably true. The special features include:
1. "On the set with Fritz Lang" which is an excerpt from a German short. It shows Lang working at Ufa Studios and filming a scene.
2. A five minute reel of production sketches intercut with scenes of the finished product from the movie.
3. "Slaying the Dragon" contains information about the most memorable scene in the movie and includes the original production design, a photo of Lang filming the sequence, the sequence itself, and a similar scene from Douglas Fairbank's "Thief of Baghdad", released the same year, where that star fights a dragon too.
4. Behind the scenes photos with captions.
5. "About the Master", which is a text piece detailing the origin of the master and the lack of tinting on the print.

Spies - This is a suspense/action film that uses sparsely decorated sets compared to the visual feasts of the previously described two films. This film has been circulating in an 89 minute version, but Kino has restored it to 143 minutes in length. The plot involves the head of a large bank, Haghi, who has an elaborate and thorough network of spies. Haghi has stolen secret documents, had people killed, and generally has the British Secret Service running in circles. The government retaliates by putting Number 326, their best spy, on the case, Haghi is wise to the plan, and responds by assigning his best agent, the Russian Sonja to seduce him. However, things get complicated when she and 326 fall in love. The extra features for this film are an image gallery of production photos, advertising for the film itself, and a trailer for the 2002 reissue of Metropolis.

Woman in the Moon - This was Fritz Lang's last silent film. It is a science fiction adventure in which a scientist, Professor Georg Manfeldt, had theorized that there were large supplies of gold on the moon. He was ridiculed by his peers and disgraced because of this. However, a wealthy industrialist believes Manfeldt's theory and has been building a rocket to travel to the moon. when a group of wealthy men who control the world's gold supply feel threatened by the possibility the theory may be correct, they threaten to destroy the rocket unless one of their agents, Turner, is allowed to go on the expedition too. Apparently Lang's film got so much right about space travel that the Germans seized the models used in the film as state secrets when they started their own rocket-building program. This film runs 169 minutes and is quite slow in places. It has some very interesting and thrilling scenes, but it is probably the weakest of the four films in the set. The only extra feature is a photo gallery of production stills and promotional material.

Kino, as always, has done a great job of restoring these early films, and I highly recommend the set for anyone interested in early German cinema or in the works of Fritz Lang. This set may seem expensive compared to those public domain copies of some of these films that are in circulation, but particularly in the arena of silent film you truly get what you pay for.

First review!.......2005-01-06

If you have doubts, this DVD collection contains the same DVDs as the special restored editions that are sold individually. Metropolis and Die Nibelungen are the two stand-out titles here. Metropolis had the most work spent on it, so much so that it often looks as if it were filmed yesterday in B+W. Honestly, it's amazing how good it looks. The score was completely rerecorded and it sounds amazing. Instead of just random music played in the background, it conveys the emotions occurring in the film. It and Die Nibelungen contain various extras that are actually interesting. The other films have also been restored well. Long story short, you have a better idea of whether you will like these films or not, but if you have any questions as to their quality, extras, etc. have no fear these are the special edition discs and they look great.

Average customer rating:

Metropolis (UMD Mini for PSP)
Starring: Metropolis
Manufacturer: Sony Pictures
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: UMD for PSP

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ASIN: B000E1EHR2
Release Date: 2006-03-07

Average customer rating:

amazing, beautiful, ahead of it's time

Unseen Cinema: Picturing a Metropolis
Starring: Sheeler , and Strand
Manufacturer: Image Entertainment
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Documentary | Genres | DVD | Video

( U ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video

Unseen Cinema - Early American Avant Garde Film 1894-1941
Avant Garde - Experimental Cinema of the 1920s & 1930s
Berlin: Symphony of a Great City
Treasures From American Film Archives - Encore Edition
Weekend

ASIN: B000AYEIJK
Release Date: 2005-10-18

Description

Since the beginning of cinema, filmmakers have been infatuated with dynamic images of New York City. The 26 short films on this DVD lovingly depict scenes of New Yorkers among the skyscrapers, streets, and night life of America's greatest city during a half century of progress, while at the same time showing changes in film style and the history of cinema experiments. Avant-garde moments pop up in the most unlikely of places including turn-of-the-twentieth-century actualities, commercial and radical newsreels, and Busby Berkeley's spectacular "Lullaby of Broadway" from Gold Diggers of 1935. City symphonies are represented by such landmark American films as Charles Sheeler and Paul Strand's Manhatta (1921), Robert Flaherty's Twenty four-Dollar Island (c.1926), Robert Florey's Skyscraper Symphony(1929), Jay Leyda's A Bronx Morning (1931), an Bonney Powell's Manhattan Medley (1931).

Customer Reviews:

amazing, beautiful, ahead of it's time.......2007-05-12

ahead of it's time, all of these shorts are beautiful windows into a very different part of history.

The Giant of Metropolis/Hercules and the Princess of Joy

Average customer rating:

Shoddy Copy
Choose Retromedia, Not Alpha

The Giant of Metropolis/Hercules and the Princess of Joy
Starring: Giant of Metropolis , and Hercules & Princess of Troy
Manufacturer: Alpha Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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ASIN: B000BT96MS
Release Date: 2005-12-27

Customer Reviews:

Shoddy Copy.......2007-05-13

The DVD is not in the widescreen format, which results in distorted images. The fun of seeing these foreign imports is subsequently lost.

Choose Retromedia, Not Alpha.......2006-03-05

If you're a fan of this cult masterpiece of the bizarre, buy the Retromedia DVD, not the Alpha DVD. While the Retromedia copy is far from the quality this movie deserves, it's widescreen and has marginally better color and a considerably crisper image. It also has a bonus interview with the star, Gordon Mitchell.

Horror Classics Triple Feature, Vol. 1 (Metropolis (1927) / Nosferatu (1922) / The Phantom of the Opera (1925)

Average customer rating:

Terrible product...
Metropolis and other classics on DVD! To die for!
Two Stars For The Flicks...
three good movies, but there's a catch
Amazing movies raped by garbage DVD transfer

Horror Classics Triple Feature, Vol. 1 (Metropolis (1927) / Nosferatu (1922) / The Phantom of the Opera (1925)
Starring: Alfred Abel , Fritz Alberti , Grete Berger , Erwin Biswanger , and Ellen Frey
Director: Fritz Lang
Manufacturer: Rph Productions
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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Nosferatu

ASIN: B000065Q9N
Release Date: 2002-05-07

Customer Reviews:

Terrible product..........2004-09-16

This dvd is pretty bad. I've seen the online trailer for the kino dvd release and the picture quality on the streaming quicktime movie was better then the picture quality on the "triple feature" dvd.

Metropolis and other classics on DVD! To die for! .......2004-08-15

Above standard triple feature DVD chock full of classic and deserving films. This review will discuss each film included on the disc, explaining the movie quality, picture quality, and audio satisfaction.
Nosferatu: The tale of a century old, immortal vampire creature named the "Nosferatu". This is an undead creature that has survived since 1443 and has superhuman qualities. This film tells the experience of two innocent villagers who encounter the evil creature. Jonathan Harker and his wife Nina are living their usual lives, when Harker receives a strange business letter from a rich count that wishes to buy a house adjacent to theirs. The sequences when Harker arrives at the castle and falls into the clutches of the count are frightening even to today's standards. A memorable scene is with Harker in the count's castle bedroom. He opens the door to the mess hall, to see the count standing motionless at the fireplace, 7 feet high. Harker literally grins with fear and shrinks into his bed. Later, Harker manages to return to Bremen, just when the plague has hit. The count arrives by ship, killing the crew in his wake. The plague curse can only be broken when the dreaded and powerful vampire is destroyed.
A classic silent film and a very entertaining one. However, note that this is NOT the restored Nosferatu included on this triple feature. Instead, we view a scratchy, 80 year old, fuzzy focused print. It is quite watchable, but inferior to the more recent Kino Video release. The film looks and sounds its age frequently on this DVD.
Phantom of the Opera: My very first horror classic was this 1925 masterpiece starring Lon Chaney Sr. My favorite movie of all time. The Phantom is physically a mountain, and has face is terrifying. It takes a whole mob to outwit and kill this cunning man, who is far worse than your average film villain. Countless classic moments. Note that this isn't a film for young children. The transfer here is suitable.
Metropolis: The son of a heavy authority in a futuristic city discovers the bleak conditions of the working class, who live in the underground catacombs of the city. The young man works to fight the slavery. However, when the authority, the man's father, discovers floorplans in the uniforms of workers killed in a machinery accident, he orders his threatening accomplice, C.A. Rotwang, to construct a robot of a worker girl to cause revolts. There is a near apocalypse of the giant city when the ranks clash in a revolting fight. Also a historical classic directed by Fritz Lang.
The title cards during the film are legible, but the print looks rather overexposed and pale. This is also the oldest DVD print available and certainly not the best. If you are picky for quality and want a superior print, buy the Kino DVD.
This first volume of the "Triple Feature" Collection by Navarre Entertainment contains three classic films, and is well worth the extra money. The picture quality is from old, unrestored prints, and will displease intolerant viewers. But this DVD is recommended for carefree horror classic fans, which include me and some reviewers here on Amazon.

Two Stars For The Flicks..........2004-05-25

Nosferatu is the finest vampire film ever, Lon Chaney makes a spectacular phantom, and Metropolis is one of the most haunting and majestic films ever created, but the transfer of these films are so horrible on this disc it's insane. The image is unbearably painful to watch and actually gave me headaches. Buy all 3, just avoid this disc.

three good movies, but there's a catch.......2002-11-13

All three of these movies are very good, but the image quality isn't good. I found all three movies watchable, but would definitely prefer a nicer copy. If you are willing to pay more for one movie than you would here for all three you will definitely see and appreciate the difference. These are silent movies so the audio tracks are music - not original recordings, so the sound quality is better.

Metropolis - A sheltered young man in a futuristic society comes to realize the slavery on which is society is based and works to fight it. This is a very good movie - my favorite on this disk, though I would probably have put it on one of the science fiction disks - not horror. The titles are all readable (which is import in a silent film!). The worst problem with this copy is that a large number of scenes and shots are too pale and look very overexposed. The visuals were often frustrating but I was always able to see well enough to see the important details and the story was engaging enough to keep me watching.

Nosferatu - This is the story of Dracula. They changed some of the names and I couldn't tell whether they were trying to pretend it was not Dracula. The vampire was called "Dracula" once in the movie that I caught. (I'm sure there's some history I could read up on if I cared enough.) I didn't find the movie all that scary but most of the original elements were there. The vampire makeup was not very mobile so the vampire seemed card-boardy. Some of the titles were cut off by the screen width which was annoying but I was still able to follow everything. Another reviewer mentioned that this version is also a bit cut up with some interesting pieces missing, which I didn't know from watching this version. If you are a serious Dracula fan I know that there are other editions available and you would probably prefer one of them. For myself, I found this sufficient.

The Phantom of the Opera - A disfigured and insane man lives in the catacombs beneath an opera house and gains a reputation as a Phantom. He falls in love with a singer and helps her reach stardom but when she falls in love with another man he kidnaps her and trys to kill everyone who gets in the way of his marrying her. I enjoyed this one a lot, though I kept expecting them to break into the music from the Broadway production. This was a very well done film at the time with some very impressive sets that feel like real spaces. This is probably the best quality video on the DVD of the three movies. Everything is visible including the falling chandelier, the titles are readable and don't get cut off. One scene is done with a red light to very interesting effect when the Phantom arrives at a masquerade ball costumed as Death. With this film I think you are losing less against a more expensive separate release.

Amazing movies raped by garbage DVD transfer.......2002-10-10

I never realized people had the balls to make such abysmal tranfers of films and sell them on DVDs.

The title of Fritz Lang's film sums it up. It's misframed, scratchy, and fuzzy focused. You only see, "Metropo". The rest is off screen.

The DVD is complete garbage. If I could return it, I would.

Amazon.com essential video

Fritz Lang's Expressionistic masterwork continues to exert its influence today, from Chaplin's Modern Times to Dr. Strangelove, and into the late 1990s with Dark City. In the stratified society of the future (Y2K no less), the son of a capitalist discovers the atrocious conditions of the factory slaves, falling in love with the charismatic Maria in the bargain, who preaches nonviolence to the workers. But even the benevolent leadership of Maria is a challenge to the privileged class, so they have the mad-scientist Rotwang concoct a robot double to take her place and incite the workers to riot. The story is melodrama, but it's the powerful imagery that is so memorable. One of the most arresting images has legions of cowed workers filing listlessly into the great maw of the all-consuming machine-god Moloch. Unfortunately, the print used for this DVD is unfocused, scratchy, and five minutes short, altogether unworthy of a visionary masterpiece. It may be too much to hope for the complete film to be restored (only two hours of the original three-hour film are extant), but a clean transfer from a fine-grain negative ought to be possible. And why, when there are other possible future Metropolises to be had, should we downtrodden masses accept this junk? If anyone wonders what became of Moloch, now they can stop guessing; he's alive and well and making debased DVD versions such as this one. --Jim Gay

Customer Reviews:

A picture of Hel.......2006-07-31

In the back ground we see a picture of the Metropolis in 2026 that is watched over by Johhan 'Joh' Fredersen (Alfred Abel). He stole the heart of Hel from C.A. Rotwang, der Erfinder "The Inventor" (Rudolf Klien-Rogge) and married her. It was speculated that Hel fell for Joh's position of power more than love. Hel dies in child birth.

Rotwang being lonely invents a robot replacement for Hel. Rotwang loses a hand in the process. We see the machine person Hel on the poster the same way Joh saw it when he learned of its existence.

Meantime it looks like Jon's son Freder Frederson (Gustov Frhlich) has been smitten by a kindly girl Maria (Brigitte Helm) with a mission. This mission is stated in the beginning credits as the "Head" and the "Hands" will be brought together by the "Heart."

Joh must squelch the son's infatuation with Maria and put the workers in their place.

Looking at the sight of Rotwang's machine person, an evil plan forms in Joh's mind. Little does he know what plan is in Rotwang's mind.

But we do.

Hel is the name of the queen of Helheim, the Norse underworld.

This is a 1927 movie, made at the UFA studios. Learn more of UFA in the book "The UFA Story: A History of Germany's Greatest Film Company" by Klaus Kreimeier

Film History. A masterpiece of cinema........2004-07-02

Metropolis is a landmark of all the films produced in history. Not only is the silent film entertaining, it provides an insight on prejudice and the division of different societies. Just think, this bias was still going on in the movie, set way after Martin Luther King passed away. Parts of the film may be disturbing, since it is very realistic, and could occur in the earth's later years.
However, there are many different versions released on this film. I have also heard that the Madacy DVD is terrible. True, the movie is over 75 years old, but Madacy spends so little time in putting a convenient quality transfer to their products. The tinted version by Morodor is supposed to be superior to the Madacy AND Allied Artists Releases. I own two VHS versions, and will not risk hunting for a good quality DVD. One version is a clean, sensational print, and this is Kino Video. BUY THIS VERSION AT ALL COSTS! Title cards were even inserted into the missing scenes to tell what is happening. The other VHS version is-- well, it could use some shaping up. This version is by Timeless Video Classics, and is much shorter than the Kino release. The quality is mediocre, and the print is very dirty and washed out in many areas. There are also several master tape dropouts. The title of the film reads "METROPOLI". All the other copies released besides the Kino version probably contain this shabby print.
To appreciate Metropolis and it's action in full glory, buy the Kino video or, better yet, the DVD. Since this is an excellent movie to be watched by critics and moviegoers alike, get the very BEST movie version on the market, and enjoy!

A Great film,BEWARE OF PUBLIC DOMAIN VERSIONS!.......2003-06-01

"Metropolis",Fritz Lang's 1927 silent masterpiece,is one of the most important films ever made and also a great one! But over the years,this film has been reedited,recut,and shortened which ruins the exact vision of an extrordinary filmmaker.Since its stay on the Public Domain shelf,the prints and image quality have over the years been poor.I DO NOT recommend the following versions:1.the Goodtimes Video release has poor image quality and even worse,NO MUSICAL SCORE! 2.The now-notorious Madacy DVD, which is about 5 times as worse as the Goodtimes video release,contains horrible,blurry image quality,freeze-frame opening titles,and an annoying musical score! Just recently,TCM (Turner Classic Movies) has broadcast the brand-new,beautifully restored 2002 restoration of "Metropolis" which I taped off of and trust me,it's well worth it! Buy the Kino restored version on either VHS or DVD,but DO NOT buy the horrible Public Domain versions which can definitely rip you off! A Terrific film and thanks to Kino for making this restored version a definite must-see! I also recommend the 1984 rerelease by Giorgio Moroder (which is now unfortunately out-of-print)and buy the soundtrack to go with it!

Historical Masterpiece, Terrible DVD.......2003-03-17

I never saw Metropolis except for small sections referenced by other films. It always appealed to me and I finally took a risk buying this used for cheap. Even at an inexpensive price I'd strongly advise to skip this version.

As others have noted the trasfer is terrible, the music is good but sound quality is terrible too. Having watched this version of Metropolis I was able to get some kind of plot out of it and even with the poor film transfer the imagry is at times stunning.

Here's my advice; if you just have to see Metropolis and do not want to pay the substantially high price of the Kino version buy this copy, but understand...and please take my word on this as I'm one of the people that made a similar decision, know that you are getting poor quality all around.

Whether this will ruin the film's experience for you has more to do with your aesthetics. Metropolis has major historical importance and watching it I could see where other favorite dystopian films liberally borrowed ideas. In the end it was acceptable for the price I paid. I would not buy this new and would cough up the extra money and get the Kino version if buying it new. I will be purchasing the latest DVD eventually just to be able to enjoy the superior quality.

5 stars for the film being wonderful 0 stars for the quality. The average would be 2.5 and although it's a great film Metropolis is gutted by this poor DVD. When reading reviews it is easy to take it personal, that a poor review of the DVD (a product) in some way says something negative towards the film on it. In this review the quality of the film is the only reason more than one star was given.

My last parting shot...
The reason I even bothered with the Mandacy product was because so many negative reviews on Amazon have been baseless or inane one line insults I have become numb to them. Take it from a usually easy to please reviewer. Stay away from this DVD.

Typically Poor Madacy Effort.......2003-03-09

Fritz Lang's greatest silent film, "Metropolis," is a masterpiece of the sci-fi genre, with some thought provoking social commentary and an amazing, nightmarish vision of the future. In fact, it ranks among the best movies ever made.
But you wouldn't be able to tell it by this shoddy Madacy disc. A muddy, scratchy version is introduced by title cards that go off the screen and a pretty bad musical score. Things get so bad that first time viewers will have trouble even figuring out what's going on. There are also the usual not-very-good Madacy extras (Poster, Biography, Trivia Game, Credits). In fact, the only reason that I haven't given this disgraceful disc one star is because the movie is just so good.
A prestigious, fully restored and digitally remastered version with a full plate of extras has been released by Kino. Get it.

Average customer rating:

What can be said?

Metropolis/Things to Come

Manufacturer: Diamond Ent. Corp.
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Genres | DVD | Video

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Cult Classics: Earth vs. the Spider/War of the Colossal Beast

ASIN: B000BKSIS0
Release Date: 2005-10-18

Customer Reviews:

What can be said?.......2006-03-13

It's the fritz lang classic Metropolis. There is not much to be said, except it is a great movie to watch and listen to your favorite music at the same time.

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