Films/DVD Asylum

Posted by AudioHead (A) on July 29, 2003 at 10:48:44

From Sound&Vision Magazine
Review of Metropolis (Kino) by Steve Simels
Movie: 4&1/2 out of 5* DVD: 4&1/2 out of 5* (5*-Stellar).

"This restoration of Fritz Lang's visionary and highly influential silent science-fiction classic from 1927 is so much
better in every way than any previous release, it's like watching
a brand new film. Owing to the recent discovery of lost footage,
Metropolis is now nearly a third more complete than the 1984
restoration, with many confusing plot points clarified. And
thanks to a combination of archival research and digital technology,
the image quality is astoundingly good. In fact, about 95% of the
footage looks like it was shot yesterday.
Perhaps the biggest revelation, however, is the soundtrack.
The previous release was encumbered with some of the lamest faux-
Classic Rock songs ever. We now get a glorious 5.1-Channel recording
of the original orchestral score by Gottfried Huppertz. On the
basis of this extremely sophisticated neo-Wagnerian music alone,
Huppertz deserves to be re-evaluated as one of the best film composers. Terrific extras include production stills and fabulous
poster-art galleries; a featurette on the digital restoration, and
a 45 minute making-of documentary that provides historical context
on both German Cinema and the Expressionist Art Movement.
Dolby Digital 5.1 and stereo; English, French and Spanish
intertitles; full frame (1.33:1); dual layer."