Restored silent classic to debut at Berlin Film Festival [Metropolis]

A scene from Fritz Lang's Metropolis

To help celebrate The Berlinale’s 60th anniversary next year, Fritz Lang’s original cut of his silent masterpiece Metropolis will debut at the Berlin Film Festival in a gala premiere on February 10, according to a press release.

Metropolis is a classic science fiction film of the silent era. Set in a dystopian future, the story revolves around a young man from a privileged class who falls in love with a girl and slowly begins to identify with the plight of the working class.

The film has extraordinary special effects for the time. When it debuted in January 1927, it was the most expensive film ever made in Germany.

After the film did poorly at the box office, the studio (UFA) re-cut the film and excised almost 30 minutes. Upon re-release, it was a hit. But the original cut of the film has been thought lost for decades.

A large number of sources had known about a longer version, but no prints of it could be found. Then, last year, a 16mm negative of the original film was found in Buenos Aires.

Now the original film has since been restored by the Murnau Foundation in cooperation with pubcaster ZDF, Gallic-German cultural web Arte and the Deutsche Kinemathek.

“The unwavering desire and unflagging efforts to restore what was believed to be Fritz Lang’s lost original cut of Metropolis epitomize the Murnau Foundation’s commitment to save and preserve our rich filmic heritage and make it accessible to the public,” said Eberhard Junkersdorf, Supervisory Board Chairman of the Murnau Foundation.

“Metropolis is a classic of film history and it set the standard for cinematic art worldwide. It symbolizes the tradition and high quality of German film heritage, and its preservation is one of our top priorities,” said Minister of State and Commissioner for Cultural and Media Affairs Bernd Neumann.