6 replies to this topic

[Cartman]

Bloody Disgusting - Fritz Lang's 1927 Silent Film Metropolis Gets Remake

Monday, December 10, 2007

One of the greatest (and most important) films of all time is Fritz Lang's Metropolis, which is still quite effective even for a silent film from 1927. Today it was announced that Producer Thomas Schuehly (Alexander) has acquired the remake rights to the film in the hopes of bringing a modern day spin to the tale. Read on to see what he had to say about this momentous acquisition.

Producer Thomas Schuehly ("Alexander" ) has acquired the remake rights to Fritz Lang's "Metropolis" and is partnering with Mario Kassar on an updated version of the 1927 silent sci-fi classic, according to Variety.

The Munich-based Schuehly and Kassar are currently in negotiations with a number of top directors to helm the pic, with a final decision expected in the next few months.

Schuehly obtained the rights to the film from Vienna-based publishing group Sessler Verlag.

One of the most groundbreaking films in cinematic history, the influence of "Metropolis" is evident in classic works that have spanned the 20th century, from James Whale's "Frankenstein," "Dr. Strangelove" and "2001" to "Blade Runner," "Gattaca" and "The Matrix."

"With the overwhelming role technology plays in our daily lives, the growing gap between rich and poor, including the gradual elimination of the middle class, the story of 'Metropolis' is a frightening reflection of our society that takes place in an all too possible not too distant future," said Schuehly.

Considered one of the most expensive films of its time, pic is set in 2026 in a massive city-state characterized by its monumental skyscrapers and art-deco architecture.

The film, which is listed on the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Org's World Register as part of Germany's documentary heritage, depicts the class struggle between the wealthy society of planners and thinkers, who live in luxury high above the Earth, and the workers, who live underground, toiling to sustain the lives of the privileged.

Schuehly, has also produced such films as "The Adventures of Baron Munchausen" and "The Name of the Rose," as well as Oliver Stone's "Alexander."

Schuehly's production won't be the first remake of a German expressionist classic. In 1979, Werner Herzog created a modern classic with his adaptation of F.W. Murnau's 1922 vampire film "Nosferatu."

[Mjolnir]

Mannen bakom Showgirls, Basic Instict 2 och Terminator 3 (Kassar) inblandad i nyinspelningen av en epokdefinierande SF-klassiker? Wow, jag kan knappt vänta...

Nåväl. Ska bli se intressant att se hur de misshandlar det här. Själv tippar jag på en ny I, Robot: blandning av fel skådisar, överflödiga actionsekvenser och en undertext som skulle kunna läsas på sidan av en mjölkkartong. Och det är i bästa fall.

[Wylie Times]

What he said...

[PredaBot]

Grundtemat låter ju intressant. Dessutom har ju jag inte sett originalet, så det här kan nog bli skapligt, med lite tur, för mig då.

Jag tyckte för övrigt att Baron Muncshausens äventyr var riktigt bra.

[Cartman]

Detta har inget med den planerade remaken att göra men då det inte finns någon annan tråd rörande originalet passar det lika bra att posta detta här.

Metropolis in full

02/07/2008

Missing scenes have been found in a Latin American movie archive for Fritz Lang's classic science fiction film Metropolis.

For 80 years the original version of Fritz Lang's Metropolis has been considered lost. Now ZEITmagazin is to show details from the missing scenes of the early 1927 scifi film for the first time and reports on how the full cut of the film was tracked down in the archive of the Museo del Cine in Buenos Aires.

Through this new discovery, key scenes from the silent film become more intelligible while minor characters now have leading parts.

Rainer Rother, Artistic Director of the Deutsche Kinemathek Museum in Berlin told SFcrowsnest.com,

"Metropolis, Fritz Lang's most famous film, can be seen through new eyes. This is a sensational discovery."

Professor Martin Koerber, the restorer of the most recent version of Metropolis, added,

"No matter how bad the condition of the material may be, the original intention of the film, including all of its minor characters and subplots, is now once again tangible for the normal viewer. The rhythm of the film has been restored."

Ain't It Cool har bilder

Edited by Cartman, 04 July 2008 - 12:09.

[Wylie Times]

En betydligt intressantare nyhet än remaken också. Jag ser med spänning fram emot en ny restaurerad och fullständig DVD-utgåva.

[Cartman]

En betydligt intressantare nyhet än remaken också. Jag ser med spänning fram emot en ny restaurerad och fullständig DVD-utgåva.

Det får du snart, fast då på Blu-ray.

Metropolis coming to Blu-ray in 2009

Från The Digital Bits:

We've just heard back from our friends over at Kino International. The good news is that they have officially confirmed that the newly-discovered footage from Fritz Lang's original version of Metropolis (which we mentioned yesterday) WILL be a part of the forthcoming special edition Blu-ray Disc release in 2009. What's more, the new special edition will be released on standard DVD format as well on the same day. Watch for more details on this sure-to-be-amazing release in the weeks and months ahead.

Något jag ser fram emot extra mycket.