Metropolis DVD/Blu details!

[Mickeyfan1990]

We've gotten early details and artwork on the upcoming, highly-anticipated DVD and Blu-Ray releases of the reconstructed and restored version of Metropolis!:

http://homecinema.thedigitalfix.co.uk/c ... ntid=72540

"Following the theatrical release in September The Masters of Cinema Series have Special Edition DVD and Blu-ray Disc editions of Fritz Lang's Metropolis in its newly reconstructed and restored version planned for release in 'Late 2010'. Through the official website they have revealed early artwork and specs...

Features include:
-150-minute feature film (including 25 minutes of footage previously thought lost to the world)
-Special-edition packaging with lavish wraparound sleeve and embossed printing
-Pristine film transfers presented on Blu-ray (1080p) and DVD (2-disc)
-Newly translated optional English subtitles
-Full-length audio commentary by David Kalat and Jonathan Rosenbaum
-Die Reise nach Metropolis (2010) documentary about the film
-56-page booklet featuring new essays, archival interviews, vintage production stills, and more
-Further extras to be announced nearer the release date"

[Margos]

Oh, boy! I don't typically get DVDs that aren't Disney animation, etc.... But I might just have to pick this one up! Definitely my favorite non-Disney movie. So glad that it's having a DVD-only release. I'm still not 100% crazy about the cover art, but oh well. Bonus features sound nice, I just hope that they don't discriminate against those of us who are less technologically-advanced (ie. DVD users like myself). And HOORAY about the 56-page booklet. How fantastic!

[Mickeyfan1990]

I just found out that the news I reported at the top was probably for the R2 UK release. Sorry about that. Anyway, Kino has released a press release for the new R1 release! Digitalbits.com has the report.:

http://www.digitalbits.com/#mytwocents

" We're very pleased today to break the news that our friends over at Kino have just officially announced the DVD and Blu-ray Disc release of The Complete Metropolis on 11/16! Here's the full text of their press release...

"KINO LORBER IS PROUD TO ANNOUNCE THE HOME ENTERTAINMENT RELEASE OF METROPOLIS

THE COMPLETE METROPOLIS

PREBOOK: OCTOBER 19, 2010
STREET DATE: NOVEMBER 16, 2010

YEAR: 1927 / 2010
GENRE: SCIENCE FICTION / CLASSIC

Metropolis takes place in 2026, when the populace is divided between workers who must live in the dark underground and the rich who enjoy a futuristic city of splendor. The tense balance of these two societies is realized through images that are among the most famous of the 20th century, many of which presage such sci-fi landmarks as 2001: A Space Odyssey and Blade Runner. Lavish and spectacular, with elaborate sets and modern science fiction style, Metropolis stands today as the crowning achievement of the German silent cinema.

Kino International is proud to announce the DVD and long awaited first time ever Blu-ray release of the new restoration of Fritz Lang's 1927 science fiction masterpiece METROPOLIS, now with 25 minutes of lost footage and the original Gottfried Huppertz score. This new 147-minute version (being released as THE COMPLETE METROPOLIS), opened theatrically in April 2010 earning over $350,000 at the box office, and since it’s original restoration, has gone on to earn $1,000,000 in theatrical ticket sales!

When it was first screened in Berlin on January 10, 1927, the sci-fi epic ran an estimated 153 minutes. After its premiere engagement, in an effort to maximize the film's commercial potential, the film's distributors (UFA in Germany, Paramount in the U.S.) drastically shortened METROPOLIS, which had been a major disappointment at the German box office. By the time it debuted in the United States later that year, the film ran approximately 90 minutes (exact running times are difficult to determine because silent films were not always projected at a standardized speed).

METROPOLIS went on to become one of the cornerstones of science fiction cinema foreshadowing BLADE RUNNER and THE MATRIX to name just a few recent examples. Testament to its enduring popularity, the film has undergone restorations in 1984 and again in 1987. The 2001 restoration combined footage from four archives and ran at a triumphant 124 minutes. And at the time was widely believed that this would be the most complete version of Lang's film that contemporary audiences could ever hope to see. But, in the summer of 2008, the curator of the Buenos Aires Museo del Cine discovered a 16mm dupe negative that was considerably longer than any existing print. It included not merely a few additional snippets, but 25 minutes of "lost" footage (about a fifth of the film) that had not been seen since its 1927 debut in Berlin. The discovery of such a significant amount of material called for yet another restoration, carefully executed by Anke Wilkening of the Murnau Stiftung (Foundation) (the German institution that is the caretaker of virtually all pre 1945 German films), Martin Koerber, Film Department Curator of the Deutche Kinemateque and on the music side, by Frank Stoebel. Regarding the quality of the added footage Ms. Wilkening has said: "The work on the restoration teaches us once more that no restoration is ever definitive... Even if we are allowed for the first time to come as close to the first release as ever before, the new version will still remain an approach. The rediscovered sections which change the film's composition, and at the same time always be recognizable through their damages as those parts that had been lost for 80 years."

DVD ITEM#K690
UPC# 7 38329 06902 5
SRP: $29.95

DVD Features:

- Original 1927 score by Gottfried Huppertz, performed by the Rundfunk Symphony Orchestra, Berlin, conducted by Frank Strobel presented in 5.1 Dolby Digital Surround
- Limited Edition Collectible "O-Card" Packaging
- Voyage to Metropolis, a 50-minute documentary on the making and restoration of the film
- Interview with Paula Felix-Didier, curator of the Museo del Cine, Buenos Aires, where the missing footage was discovered
- 2010 re-release trailer

BLU-RAY ITEM#K713
UPC# 7 38329 07132 5
SRP: $39.95

Blu-ray Features:

- Original 1927 score by Gottfried Huppertz, performed by the Rundfunk Symphony Orchestra, Berlin, conducted by Frank Strobel presented in DTS HD Master Audio 5.1
- Limited Edition Collectible 3-D Lenticuar Box Packaging
- HD Video: 1920 x 1080p
- Voyage to Metropolis, a 50-minute documentary on the making and restoration of the film (presented in HD)
- Interview with Paula Felix-Didier, curator of the Museo del Cine, Buenos Aires, where the missing footage was discovered
- 2010 re-release trailer

---END---"

[yamiiguy]

Yes, the Eureka! Masters of Cinema line is released in the UK. They have had some excellent releases like Sunrise and City Girl.

[Margos]

So.... R1 doesn't get the collectible booklet? That's sad....
But at least there aren't any Blu-specific features.... So, I guess I should be happy about what we are getting instead of being sad about what we aren't getting.

[PixarFan2006]

I may get the BD to replace the cheap $3 (edited) DVD version I got earlier this year. The picture on that was so bad, it made the film unwatchable.

[Mickeyfan1990]

First Blu-Ray review!:

http://www.thedigitalbits.com/reviewshd ... 10310.html

Also, the film will be on TCM tomorrow at 8pm. The version shown will presumebly be the longer version

[my chicken is infected]

It's too bad they couldn't include the much-maligned Giorgio Moroder revision as a bonus feature. I'm half-joking, half-serious with that one - I actually stumbled upon it recently. It may not be most purists' ideal for a first viewing of the film, but I actually thought it was an interesting interpretation and has me excited to watch the complete restoration with gorgeous orchestral music soon. But I enjoyed Moroder's score and the color tinting. The songs were good, although some of them work better as part of the soundtrack album rather than actually being in the movie.

If you can track it down - there's laserdisc/VHS rips floating around on the web if you know where to look - it's an interesting curio at the least.

[KubrickFan]

It's too bad they couldn't include the much-maligned Giorgio Moroder revision as a bonus feature. I'm half-joking, half-serious with that one - I actually stumbled upon it recently. It may not be most purists' ideal for a first viewing of the film, but I actually thought it was an interesting interpretation and has me excited to watch the complete restoration with gorgeous orchestral music soon. But I enjoyed Moroder's score and the color tinting. The songs were good, although some of them work better as part of the soundtrack album rather than actually being in the movie.

If you can track it down - there's laserdisc/VHS rips floating around on the web if you know where to look - it's an interesting curio at the least.

I believe Moroder himself has the rights to that version. I haven't seen it, but the combination of a silent 20's classic movie with synthesizer music seems absolutely dreadful to me.
On a different note, I can't wait for the complete version Blu-ray to arrive.

[yamiiguy]

MOC told me that Sony has the rights to the Moroder version, in the UK at least.

The Kino Blu-Ray is Region Free which I find very suspicious.

[Mickeyfan1990]

Blu-Ray.com review!:

http://www.blu-ray.com/movies/The-Compl ... 10/#Review

[yamiiguy]

DVDBeaver review:
http://www.dvdbeaver.com/film/DVDCompar ... polis2.htm

[Mickeyfan1990]

The release has been delayed to next week:

http://www.blu-ray.com/news/?id=5464