Now on DVD and Blu-ray
Visit http://www.kino.com/metropolis for details
In 1981, three-time Academy Award-winning composer Giorgio Moroder began a three-year endeavor to restore the science fiction classic, Metropolis. During this process, Moroder made the controversial decision to give the film a new, contemporary score, and added a pop music soundtrack featuring songs from some of the biggest stars of the early MTV era, including Pat Benatar, Billy Squier, Freddie Mercury, Bonnie Tyler, Adam Ant, Jon Anderson and more. In addition to the new score, missing footage was re-edited into the film, intertitles were removed and replaced with subtitles and sound effects and color tinting were added, creating an all new experience...and an all-new film! But for more than a quarter century, this version of Metropolis has remained out of print - until now. A new HD transfer was created from one of the few remaining prints available, and Kino Lorber is presenting the film in the best possible quality - just as it was seen in its original release in August 1984.
Giorgio Moroder's Metropolis
Where: The Belcourt
When: 7 & 9:30 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 25
In 1984, the battle raged: Either Giorgio Moroder had done the cinema a favor by assembling the most complete version yet of Fritz Lang’s silent 1927 masterpiece — or the composer-producer had Cheez Whizzed all over Lang’s work and memory by adding garish color tinting and a bombastic synthpop-of-tomorrow score featuring Freddie Mercury, Adam Ant, Bonnie Tyler, Pat Benatar and other paragons of subtlety. For many people, Queen’s nutty Lang-derived “Radio Gaga” video was as close as they wanted to get to the project — and yet a rabid cult reveres this version above the others, Billy Squier and all. Long unseen due to rights entanglement, the notorious “Moroder version” screens on digital at The Belcourt for one night only — which now has us dying to see Paul Schrader’s Moroder-scored Cat People remake on the big screen again.
