Metropolis
In case you’ve been living in some hermetically sealed cave for the past few months (or just don’t give a hoot about film preservation news) there’s a new print of Fritz Lang’s 1933 sci-fi masterpiece, Metropolis. Footage that hadn’t been seen since the film’s premiere was found in a film archive in Buenos Aires, working all film nerds into a frenzied state. But, let’s not forget the prior restorations! The Projection Booth certainly hasn’t, and will be screening Giorgio Moroder’s 1984 version this week. Moroder, an Italian music producer, divided critics with his choice to not only add colour tints but also update the soundtrack with the likes of Pat Benatar, Adam Ant, and Freddy Mercury (the latter winning a Razzie in 1985 for the film’s theme “Love Kills”). Moroder’s film clocks in at a mere 80 minutes as the frames were sped up—a feeling that matches its pop soundtrack and races to a conclusion with Moroder’s own over produced song, “Machines.” It’s silent film meets synth. What’s not to enjoy?