Here's the trailer of the restored "Metropolis" and it looks absolutely STUNNING!! I have seen a version which had similar music only it's played on the solo piano. Can anybody tell me about the history of the music which accompanied this film and about any modern-day music which may have been composed for more recent releases/restorations.
Finally, since you asked about more modern scores to METROPOLIS, I enjoy the one by the Alloy Orchestra (which accompanied my first live viewing of the film):
I would argue with the trailer on ONE statement, though. The film that 'started it all' (meaning science fiction) would be Meliés' LE VOYAGE DANS LA LUNE (1902). But METROPOLIS certainly took it one step further. I wish I had a Bluray player, so that I could buy and enjoy this.
I did a Cinema Club entry on METROPOLIS once, but the board seems to recently have cut away a big chunk of the earlier postings made in 2000-2001. Sadly lost.
Incidentally, here is the audio from the original 1927 78rpm that was released by Vox, with Huppertz himself introducing and conducting several of his themes from the film:
I have yet to see this film in any format. The only thing I can add is that I know the amazing Abel Korzeniowski composed music for its restoration in 04'. 147 minutes of music at that.
I think there is no official release of the music but u can download 16 tracks from itunes in the podcast section.
That's what was spinning in my player a few hours ago - I posted it on the "Now Playing" thread! Hey, did I inspire something?
I saw the (amazing!) restored version in the theater quite recently and I'm about to buy the Eureka 'Masters of Cinema' Dual Format edition which, as far as I know, is every bit as good as Kino's edition:
By the way, by walking through some 'back doors' of the messageboard search function, I found the old METROPOLIS thread I did (that doesn't come up in regular search).
Thank you so much everybody! This is a knock-out film and the person who said Melies had done it first was right but, oh, still so primitive!! He was a magician, btw, not really a "film maker" in what that word came to mean in a conventional sense. Early film is absolutely wonderful to learn about and discuss.
I do enjoy the film with the Gottfried Huppertz score, which is preserved in an excellent recording on the Blu-ray. However, I saw the Alloy Orchestra perform the score live to picture in Prospect Park the year before last, and I felt that their more modern take on the score was interesting as well. If there are moments when I feel Huppertz's score gets a bit too grandiose, the more moody Alloy Orchestra score can get repetitive at times.
Alloy Orchestra offers an mp3 CD (unfortunately only encoded at 192kbps) of their score on their website that can be synced up to the Kino DVD or Blu-ray.
The current longer version of the film (billed as “The Complete Metropolis”) is much superior to the previous edits. The story makes a lot more sense now with the back story for several characters filled in, various dots are connected one to the other, and previously one-dimensional characters are given more depth. Particularly interesting is a scene depicting the Thin Man (Fritz Rasp), who until that point was just portrayed as an evil henchman, expressing disgust and horror at the prospect of the disaster wrought by the Joh Fredersen (Alfred Abel).
Kino also offers the Giorgio Moroder edit of the film as well, albeit in a different package.
Kino also offers the Giorgio Moroder edit of the film as well, albeit in a different package.
I was wondering when someone would mention Moroder. I've always admired the ambition of what Giorgio did: financing a (partial) restoration and re-release of the film, essentially as a showcase for his own original rock song-score. It's the first time I ever got to see the film on the big screen and I remember it being very impressive, if indisputably strange.
Viewed today, it might be no less impressive, if perhaps dated in two different ways at once.
the Eureka 'Masters of Cinema' Dual Format edition which, as far as I know, is every bit as good as Kino's edition:
It's actually superior, if you're measuring fidelity to the film and if you understand German. The American Kino BD has modern, recreated English intertitles and non-removable English subs for all onscreen text. (This, at least, is an improvement over the Kino DVD, which had cheaply done English recreations of German-language onscreen text). The Eureka BD has the original German intertitles, with removable (and more accurate) English subtitles.
the Eureka 'Masters of Cinema' Dual Format edition which, as far as I know, is every bit as good as Kino's edition:
It's actually superior, if you're measuring fidelity to the film and if you understand German. The American Kino BD has modern, recreated English intertitles and non-removable English subs for all onscreen text. (This, at least, is an improvement over the Kino DVD, which had cheaply done English recreations of German-language onscreen text). The Eureka BD has the original German intertitles, with removable (and more accurate) English subtitles.
Bought it! Not the Dual Format SteelBook but the BD Special Edition - I decided the DVD was not really necessary. It is superior, yes! The non-removable subs would be an annoying thing. Oh, I'm so happy that I can now hear Huppertz's score in 5.1 in my living room along with those stunning visuals!...
For me this was perhaps one of the most interesting scenes and music combination, so would love to hear the original version in full! I have been matching up the Vox records music with the film like on this link
Where did you find that fascinating little audio clip? Do you have any other information about it?
I am trying to find out more information about it, however I cannot seem to find anything from anyone! It is from the second 78rpm record released in 1927, the first record is far better documented and available (to listen to anyway). There is another clip on the same site from the 'Eternal gardens' scene:
It would have been great if these 78 RPM recordings would have been included as audio extras on the DVD/Blu-Ray.
Think on the German blu ray the first of the two 78rpm records is featured on the extras, however not the second disc unfortunately. Shame as for me these are two of the most interesting pieces from the score.
