Reviews (139)

A new perspective on the release debate..
Metropolis is a brilliant piece of work. I'll say this up front to get it out of the way: I haven't seen the DVD, but I understand the arguments; I have a slightly different opinion. Most people absolutely adore the Moroder release of Metropolis, with the tinted scenes and the modern (for the 80's) soundtrack... but I personally found it atrocious. The quality was great, don't get me wrong.. but when I think of the imagery in this film, I don't think of Bonnie Tyler and Queen. I do, however, admire the effort. I definitely agree with putting modern scores with silent films, this one just didn't work for me.

That said, I've noticed a lot of people dissatisfied with the music on several releases.. I'm a bit of a fan of the silent films.. I have yet to see one with a decent soundtrack. If I see one more 'Nosferatu' with a blaring organ score I swear I'll vomit; and don't even get me started on the 1990 version of Phantom of the Opera with score by Rick Wakeman. But I am a big fan of the films, so this is how I've managed to get past the horrible music without watching them silently. Find a CD that reflects the ideas and atmosphere you feel to be present in Metropolis, and let it play while you watch the film.

I have one of the many 115-minute versions, and the image quality is a bit rough, but that doesn't really bother me.. I've always seen Metropolis as an Industrial film anyway. The rough quality just adds to it for me (granted, I have seen versions of this too rough to watch). For that reason, I chose Nine Inch Nails' "The Fragile" as the score for Metropolis.. it works very well with my release.. some memorable moments (if you try this, you may not get these exact moments with the different releases) are the "Moloch" scene when Freder sees the machine explode .. the workers gather their injured and dead as Trent Reznor screams the lyrics "Now you know - this is what it feels like" - and the first scene between Freder and Maria .. Freder kneeling at her feet, in a sort of rapture.. while Trent sings "I will take my place in the great below" .. that song (and the first disc of "The Fragile") ends as Freder kisses Maria's hand and walks away.. But I won't give away all the quirks. Anyway, that's the score that works for me.. both discs of the Fragile and the first two tracks of "Further Down The Spiral" at the end, since The Fragile isn't quite 115 minutes long.

But anyway, having said all that, if you saw Metropolis and didn't like it because of the quality or soundtrack or just because it was boring, try again, and make your own score. Most people who think they don't like silent films simply don't like the music, or the silence. This is understandable.. in silent films the score is 75% of the atmosphere. Use music that you know, that you like.. music that will set the mood for horror if you're watching "Phantom" or "Nosferatu," or for Industrial SciFi if you're watching "Metropolis." I think you'll get a lot more out of the genre that way.

Film History. A masterpiece of cinema.
Metropolis is a landmark of all the films produced in history. Not only is the silent film entertaining, it provides an insight on prejudice and the division of different societies. Just think, this bias was still going on in the movie, set way after Martin Luther King passed away. Parts of the film may be disturbing, since it is very realistic, and could occur in the earth's later years.
However, there are many different versions released on this film. I have also heard that the Madacy DVD is terrible. True, the movie is over 75 years old, but Madacy spends so little time in putting a convenient quality transfer to their products. The tinted version by Morodor is supposed to be superior to the Madacy AND Allied Artists Releases. I own two VHS versions, and will not risk hunting for a good quality DVD. One version is a clean, sensational print, and this is Kino Video. BUY THIS VERSION AT ALL COSTS! Title cards were even inserted into the missing scenes to tell what is happening. The other VHS version is-- well, it could use some shaping up. This version is by Timeless Video Classics, and is much shorter than the Kino release. The quality is mediocre, and the print is very dirty and washed out in many areas. There are also several master tape dropouts. The title of the film reads "METROPOLI". All the other copies released besides the Kino version probably contain this shabby print.
To appreciate Metropolis and it's action in full glory, buy the Kino video or, better yet, the DVD. Since this is an excellent movie to be watched by critics and moviegoers alike, get the very BEST movie version on the market, and enjoy!

A Great film,BEWARE OF PUBLIC DOMAIN VERSIONS!
"Metropolis",Fritz Lang's 1927 silent masterpiece,is one of the most important films ever made and also a great one! But over the years,this film has been reedited,recut,and shortened which ruins the exact vision of an extrordinary filmmaker.Since its stay on the Public Domain shelf,the prints and image quality have over the years been poor.I DO NOT recommend the following versions:1.the Goodtimes Video release has poor image quality and even worse,NO MUSICAL SCORE! 2.The now-notorious Madacy DVD, which is about 5 times as worse as the Goodtimes video release,contains horrible,blurry image quality,freeze-frame opening titles,and an annoying musical score! Just recently,TCM (Turner Classic Movies) has broadcast the brand-new,beautifully restored 2002 restoration of "Metropolis" which I taped off of and trust me,it's well worth it! Buy the Kino restored version on either VHS or DVD,but DO NOT buy the horrible Public Domain versions which can definitely rip you off! A Terrific film and thanks to Kino for making this restored version a definite must-see! I also recommend the 1984 rerelease by Giorgio Moroder (which is now unfortunately out-of-print)and buy the soundtrack to go with it!

Historical Masterpiece, Terrible DVD
I never saw Metropolis except for small sections referenced by other films. It always appealed to me and I finally took a risk buying this used for cheap. Even at an inexpensive price I'd strongly advise to skip this version.

As others have noted the trasfer is terrible, the music is good but sound quality is terrible too. Having watched this version of Metropolis I was able to get some kind of plot out of it and even with the poor film transfer the imagry is at times stunning.

Here's my advice; if you just have to see Metropolis and do not want to pay the substantially high price of the Kino version buy this copy, but understand...and please take my word on this as I'm one of the people that made a similar decision, know that you are getting poor quality all around.

Whether this will ruin the film's experience for you has more to do with your aesthetics. Metropolis has major historical importance and watching it I could see where other favorite dystopian films liberally borrowed ideas. In the end it was acceptable for the price I paid. I would not buy this new and would cough up the extra money and get the Kino version if buying it new. I will be purchasing the latest DVD eventually just to be able to enjoy the superior quality.

5 stars for the film being wonderful 0 stars for the quality. The average would be 2.5 and although it's a great film Metropolis is gutted by this poor DVD. When reading reviews it is easy to take it personal, that a poor review of the DVD (a product) in some way says something negative towards the film on it. In this review the quality of the film is the only reason more than one star was given.

My last parting shot...
The reason I even bothered with the Mandacy product was because so many negative reviews on Amazon have been baseless or inane one line insults I have become numb to them. Take it from a usually easy to please reviewer. Stay away from this DVD.

GREAT Movie - Poor DVD!
METROPOLIS is in simple words a classic long in the making, and probably a major inspiration for George Lucas' STAR WARS films, and many other major science-fiction films to be decades later from its' initial release in 1926. Film also works as a major triumph of human relations with the idea of slavery workers, and rebelling against greater authority. Plus what can go wrong when power falls into the wrong hands. Rudolf Klein-Rogge's Rotwang is an unforgettable character, and the creation of the robot scene is still an eye-filler even long before CG effects technology some 60 years later.

The DVD quality is poor however, as the color contrast is lacking from the color contrast from the original negatives seen on VHS releases. The trivia sections are nice, but what is missing is an audio commentary, or any existence history of the making of the film which should prove very interesting. I'm sure it won't be long before such a version comes to be.

TRIVIA: Brigitte Helm was one of James Whale's choices to play the Monster's Mate in BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN before Elsa Lanchester got the part. ... Read more

Reviews (11)

Brilliant Film Noire
Fritz Langs great, clever movie about fidelity, of all things, wrapped in a murder melodrama. Robinson plays a meek, well-respected man of standing who after sending his wife and child away for the summer (a common practice of well-off New Yorkers in the days befor air conditioners)lusts after the painting of a beautiful woman in the window of an art store.

The conservative, reliable Robinson imagines what it would be like if he were presented with the opportunity to be impetuous for once. Oh, what he would do if he ever met this woman.

Lang obliges, or shall we say lets him have it, and Robinson's dream turns into a nightmare. A lesson actually. Remember what your mother told you about what happens to little boys who smoke?

Maltin calls this a melodrama. It's actually a very subtle, dark comedy, one without any jokes. Just a scenario that gets out of hand as it rolls along. I can't explain why without giving it away, just a terrific storyline.

Civilization and its Discontents
Edward G. Robinson plays a straight-laced professor of psychology who gets involved in a difficult situation. Or does he? Memorably casted with Robinson, Joan Bennett as the high-class companion to the rich man that Robinson murders in the heat of passion, and Dan Duryea as the semi-sleazy private detective who tries to blackmail the pair. (Fans of Fritz Lang or any film noir should also check out "Scarlet Street," directed by Lang a year later with the same actors).

¿I have no designs on you."
In the classic film noir "The Woman in the Window" mild-mannered psychology Professor Richard Wanley (Edgar G Robinson) is left to his own devices when his wife and children go off on holiday without him. He spends the evening at his club with two of his close friends, and on the way home, Professor Wanley stops to gaze in a gallery window at a portrait of a beautiful young woman. Oddly enough, the model for the portrait arrives on the scene, and she strikes up a conversation with Wanley.

Their evening together starts innocently, but before the night is over, Wanley is involved in the cover-up of a violent murder. The situation is further complicated by the fact that Wanley's friend is the D.A. in charge of the investigation.

"The Woman in the Window" is directed by Fritz Lang, and as classic film noir, it contains many essential elements of the genre--Wanley is a decent, upstanding fellow who crosses the line and enters the world of crime. His fatal error occurs when he fails to seize the opportunity to contain the situation, and suddenly Wanley's world spirals out-of-control. This film plays with the idea that the respectable and the criminal elements in life are just a heartbeat away--it's all too easy to cross the line. The film also emphasizes the idea that it's difficult to act innocent when you're guilty and know all the details of the crime. Joan Bennett plays the femme fatale, and Dan Duryea plays a blackmailing bodyguard. If you enjoy this film, I also recommend "Scarlet Street"--another, lesser-known Fritz Lang film that also stars Edgar G Robinson, Joan Bennett, and Dan Duryea--displacedhuman

Forget the ending and enjoy the film
Yes, the ending does look like it is tacked on and it does spoil a wonderful piece of film noir. The film does not mince words. One drink, one dalliance and you are on the way to the electric chair. There is one straight and narrow and you'd better not cross that line. Edward G. Robinson does cross that line and pays the penalty.

The direction by Fritz Lang is sometimes intrusive but he can keep a story going and Robinson's descent from flirting with another woman to murderer is absorbing.

The film is occasionally clunky, but it works well enough to be entered into the honor roll of film noir. The later reworking of Scarlet Street with the same cast works better, but this film has a lot going for it - apart from the ending.

Classic old film starring Joan Bennett & Edward G. Robinson
Robinson plays a criminology professor who sees his wife and kids off at Grand Central station while he continues to reside in Manhattan. After hours at his club with his good friends, the psychiatrist and the district attorney, the three men agree that they are too old for any adventures, particularly amorous ones. On the way home Robinson pauses in front of an enticing portrait of Joan Bennett and runs into the woman herself. Flirtatious but innocent banter ensues, and the two spend a lovely evening which ends, oddly enough, with Robinson in Bennett's apartment. He's just about to open some champagne when Bennett's lover comes in raging. The rest of the film involves Bennett and Robinson rather incredibly dodging complicity and association with the man, financier Claude Mazard, as Robinson has the even more harrowing experience of learning that his great friend the district attorney is investigating Claude Mazard's murder! This is classic escapist film noir entertainment, beautifully shot with great directing and fun acting. And I liked the ending too. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Milland in his element
Ray Milland again delivers a fine performance, in the tradition of "Lost Weekend" and "The Big Clock". A fine outing for Lang; his angles and lighting in this genre are second only to Herr Siodmak (Siodmak was German; Lang Austrian). Marjorie Reynolds' performance, however, is wooden, and her "Austrian" accent leaves much to be desired. Sure, she's beautiful: But her faux German accent alongside brother Willi is hideous (he's obviously a native speaker) and adds nothing to the sense of reality of the film. Scene with "blind" man on train during Nazi bombing raid is particularly gripping. True noir devotees will want this for the collection.

It Begins At 6 O'Clock
Director Fritz Lang masterfully blends Nazi espionage, psychological intrigue, and dangerous romance into the 1944 noir classic Ministry of Fear. Ray Milland stars as a man wrongfully accused of murder who must prove his innocence. Stephen Neale (Milland) innocently guesses the correct weight of a cake at a charity fair and immediately becomes entangled in a series of bizarre events. Lang's suggestive use of camera angles, dark ominous lighting, and slow tracking frames provide added suspense to his mysterious sets which include: a seance, an asylum, a train car, and a book store. Probably the most innovative murder scene ever captured on film is when Carla ( Majorie Reynolds) shoots her brother Willi ( Carl Esmond) in the pitch darkness of a hotel room. Frequent noir visitor Dan Duryea appears as Mr. Travers, a well groomed tailor who actually is a Nazi spy. The film's shadowy mood pervades the context, which is a testament to Lang's creative genius. Ministry of Fear was one of the films that inspired Alfred Hitchcock to new artistic heights.

One of the best mysteries from the 40's with great imagery
This mystery has many interesting plot changes, great photography and is one of Ray Milland's best. Highly recommended and not as overplayed as many of the WWII era films are. ... Read more

Reviews (4)

BUY THE DVD SET (INCLUDES SIEGFRIED)
Kino has just released a 2 DVD set: the movie "Siegfried" and its sequel, which is entitled "Kriemhild's Revenge." (Lang made both movies together in one 18-month period, nearly 80 years before Peter Jackson repeated the trick with the recent smash hits "The Lords of the Rings," "The Two Towers," and "Return of the King," which have material similar to Lang's two-part epic.)

First, let me remove some misconceptions foisted below. No, Kriemild is NOT seeking revenge against Siegfried because he scorned her. Siegfried did not scorn her; he married her, and it's because Siegfried is murdered that Kriemhild swears to take revenge on his murderer, Trajan. At least get the plot right, would-be reviewers! (The plot is crystal-clear in the movies, but "they are blind that cannot see.")

Also, "Kriemhild's Revenge" is anything BUT boring (for a nearly 100 year old film, that is). Kriemhild's maniacal commitment to avenge her murdered husband Siegfried is breathtakingly drawn; the suspense is almost unendurable: will she get Trajan's head? and how? The movie's climax is drama of a high order, like a very elevated version of a "Law and Order" episode on steroids. You'll have to watch it yourself to see just what I mean.

Secondly, it's no use buying and watching "Kriemhild's Revenge" without seeing "Siegfried" first. The two films really form ONE story. The Kino DVD affords the opportunity to see both films, one epic called "The Nibelungen."

My one quarrel with the Kino DVD set is with the visual quality. Many scenes seem, if not exactly overexposed, then very "contrasty" and overbright, something I don't see on earlier prints, which have a more natural visual tone. Also, while the newly recorded orchestral score is good and very interesting (in "Kriemhild's Revenge," the music sometimes sounds as if Tim Burton stole it for his "Batman" film!), nevertheless other versions have a more appropriate organ score with spooky reminiscences of Wagner tunes. Oh well, never mind - get these films and savor ONE huge two-part epic classic of Germany's cinematic Golden Age!

A classic of early silent German cinema
Fritz Lang's adaptation of Richard Wagner's Rings Of The Niebelung, this episode is the sequel to the more fantastical and visually alluring "Siegfreid," but it's still a great classic silent film. The special effects aren't as dazzling as "Siegfreid," but the plot is much more compelling, as Kriemhild, a woman scorned, seeks her revenge against the carefree Siegfried. Modern viewers might find it hard to get on this film's wavelength, but I think that's largely due to the difference in cinematic vocabularies. For those willing to let go of modern notions of what an action film should be like, this Germanic fairy tale certainly has its charms. Plotwise, some harsh stuff.... and who ever expected themselves to feel sorry for Attila the Hun? (PS - the Kino version, which I saw, does have music on it.)

A very poor version
I recently bought this(elsewhere), and was disapointed to find that this current version does not contain music to go with the film. To me, a "score" in a silent film is essential to the enjoyment of the movie, whether it fits perfectly or not. I've not seen another version, but this one seems to be edited terribly. I may be wrong about this, but I've seen other Lang films from this era and they did not seem to be as choppy as this one.

Don't Expect Metropolis
This is a must-see for students of Fritz Lang, but lacks the overall entertainment that has survived seven decades in "Metropolis" and "Siegfried," Lang's other silent fantasy epics. My draw to these and later Lang films is first the imagery, and secondly the sense of suspense and paranoia Lang infused in his movies of all genres. In "Kriemhild" the most interesting shots are repeats from "Siegfried," of which this film is a sequel. There are a few large sets and a big fire scene, but in general "Kriemhild" is devoid of fantasy and spectacle, as if it had little to do with the magical world of the preceding film. As for suspense, well, since there are no interesting characters the main suspense has to do with waiting for the end of the film to come. ... Read more

Amazon.com essential video

Tough stuff from director Fritz Lang(M), making his first American film with this 1936 story of an innocent man (Spencer Tracy) who escapes a lynch mob and then orchestrates his apparent murder at their hands. Tracy is superb, and the film is uncompromising, until studio interference takes some of the wind out of Lang's sails right at the end. But as the portrait of a character who comes to reflect the destiny he is trying to avoid, this is still essential Lang and a pre-noir classic.--Tom Keogh ... Read more

Reviews (8)

That good old American sport...Lynching.
This movie is an indictment of it of course. Quite common in the 30's. This is the first film of Fritz's Lang's American period & it seems like he's got the lingo down pretty good.
Briefly, Tracy plays a good guy, wrongly accused of a terrible crime by the residents of a small town. The evidence is highly circumstancial but the townsfolk want to lynch him & burn down the jail to get at him. He escapes & is presumed dead.
The townsfolk are broadly drawn as xenophobic, intolerant & quick to judge the world outside their little orbit.
Tracy's acting goes over the top, his character changing 180 degrees. One of his better efforts, however & that's saying a lot.

Tracy at his best
This is easily my favourite Spencer Tracy movie. Altough quite a different story line to his Dr Jekyl and Mr Hyde, Tracy uses a similar technique when he changes his personality in Fury from the young easy going loving man on a journey to visit his fiance, to a bitter twisted vengence seeking man.
Although you could not blame him for this

FRITZ LANG & SPENCER TRACY: WHAT A TEAM!
A very unusual M-G-M film from 1936: because of its theme of social consciousness, it seems much more a likely candidate for Warner Brothers. It's a dilly with an outstanding performance by Tracy as the wrong man: En route to see his fiancee, Katherine (Sylvia Sidney) Joe Wheeler (Spencer Tracy) is arrested as a suspected kidnapper and is jailed pending trial. The evidence against him is strickly circumstantial: he possess a bill from a ransom statement. Then a mob forms around the jail, but Sheriff Ellis (Walter Brennan) manages to disband them & send them home... And that's all I'm going to give out plot-wise. Obviously, there is a whole lot more to this famous film in which Fritz Lang made is American directorial debut. This was Lang's favourite American film - and rightfully so: it demonstrates his directorial genius in wasting NOT A FRAME of film, telling his story with sharp cross-cutting between victims and tormentors, while unravelling the mindless and murderous passion of a mob out of control. Sylvia Sidney is excellent as usual as Katherine: this was her sole role for M-G-M. The film awakened America to what the reality of mob violence means. The original working titles for the film were THE MOB & MOB RULE. For a great companion piece, view the excellent Lang production YOU ONLY LIVE ONCE with Henry Fonda and Sylvia Sidney made the next year, in 1937: it's available on video.

A real thriller
Fritz Lang's first Hollywood film features Spencer Tracy as a man falsely accused of a crime and attacked by a lynch mob. He survives and comes back, seeking revenge. Pretty heavy stuff, and a pretty thrilling film.

Spencer Tracy stars in Fritz Lang's first American film
Director Fritz Lang's first American film is the disturbing tale of a good man, played by Spencer Tracy, turned into a haunting figure of vengeance because of the ferocity of mob rule. Joe Wilson (Tracy) is on his way to see Katherine Grant (Sylvia Sydney), the girl he wants to marry. Passing through the small town of Strand, Joe is picked up by the Sheriff (Edward Ellis) and arrested as a suspect in a kidnapping case. It seems his fondness for peanuts proves his downfall. The citizens form a lynch mob and attack the jail. When they discover Joe has been locked away where they cannot get at him, the mob burns down the jail. Katherine arrives in time to see Joe screaming for help from his cell before she faints. However, Joe has escaped but swears his brothers Tom (George Walcott) and Charlie (Frank Albertson) to secrecy, demanding that the mob be tried for his murder. As Joe sees it, the fact he did not really die does not make them any less guilty. Besides, they did kill Rainbow, the mutt that Joe had taken a shine to. The District Attorney (Walter Abel) tries twenty-two citizens of Strand for Joe's death, all of whom protest their innocence and attack the trial for besmirching the good name of their fair town right up until the moment the D.A. runs the newsreel footage of them gleefully committing the crime. Meanwhile, in trying to nail the case shut for the D.A., Joe makes an error that lets Katharine know he is still alive.

Tracy's performance as the tragic figure of Joe Wilson, a good man who did not die in the fire but who surely lost his humanity, anchors this film and balances the grotesque citizens of Strand. What is upsetting is not the fact that the mob tried to kill Joe, but that they insist on their collective innocence and gloat about being able to get away with their crime. The fact Joe was innocent only makes a couple of them feel bad, but only for a moment. Ironically, while watching the film you can get just as caught up in the idea of vengeance as Joe and perhaps the most remarkable thing about the film is that it does come down on the side of law and order rather than revenge. Then again, remember that Lang had just fled Nazi Germany. Lang and Bartlet Cormack wrote the screenplay for this 1936 film, based on a original story by Norman Krasna. "Fury" is a much more brutal film than "The Ox-Bow Incident," the other recognized classic attacking the idea of a lynch mob, and some will find the ending unsatisfying. But overall "Fury" is quite a powerful film. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Henry King's 1939 Jesse James sidestepped history to embracefolklore's version of the outlaw as a populist hero. This sequel is puredime-novel fiction, with Jesse's brother (Henry Fonda) getting even, albeitreluctantly, with Bob Ford (John Carradine), "the dirty little coward" whoback-shot his leader to win amnesty. The revenge theme would seem tailor-made for20th Century–Fox's newly signed directorial talent, Fritz Lang, to whip up afine Teutonic frenzy. However, the maestro of Die Nibelungen treated thematerial straight, like the good, impersonal Hollywood craftsman he was eager tobe taken for, at that point in his career. Besides, Lang loved the West andWestern lore, and was happy working in the Western genre. (Check out his nextFox assignment, Western Union, for a richer confirmation of this.) TheTechnicolor is vivid, nowhere more so than in the red lips of Gene Tierney inher screen debut. --Richard T. Jameson ... Read more

Reviews (4)

THE OLD WEST IN TECHNICOLOR.
Jesse James's brother avenges his murder. Producer Daryl F. Zanuck shocked the Hollywood community when he chose, off all people, Fritz Lang, the German director to make this sequel to the immensely popular 1939 film JESSE JAMES. It was a mixed bouquet of wild flowers: moody, at times too cutesy but very nicely photographed. Otis Ferguson once quipped: "I doubt if any character was ever as lily white as that of Frank James here, but that is a present form the Hays Office to you, and anyway the part is played by Henry Fonda. Durn if I don't like that boy". Cooper and especially John Carradine are fine in their performances. Hull's hammy playings is shown to advantage here, and Gene Tierney, although beautiful here, she clearly is not in her element as Eleanor Stone. Though Lang studied the American west by traveling and actually living among Navaho Indians, the whitewashed script defeats the director's attempt at successfully filming the destructive consequences of revenge. Henry Fonda was not wanting to work with Lang again after his tyrannical behaviour during the making of YOU ONLY LIVE ONCE three year priorly. When Lang promised to change his attitude, Hank relented. Bad mistake. The same fire exploded on the set and Fonda never worked with Lang again.

A Classic Western from a Classic Director and Classic Actor
This movie is much better than what the other reviewers would have you believe. While it is a sequel, it stands on its own as sort of a revenge flick with Frank (Henry Fonda) terrorizing and delivering retribution to John Carradine's Robert Ford, the man who shot Jesse James. It is also the screen debut of the beautiful Gene Tierney. Compared to the special effects laden trash spewn out by Hollywood today, this has excellent characterization, excellent plot and excellent acting. It is definitely worth the price of admission. Fritz Lang did a great job of depicting his vision of the Old West and while it may not be the greatest Lang film such as his 1931 classic, M, it is still a classic nonetheless.

An inferior Fonda Western.
This sequel to 1939's far superior "Jesse James" misses much of the humor and stark imagery that made the first film such a (underrated)masterpiece. Fonda is good as Frank but the script gives him little to do and Lang's direction is likewise handsome but undistinguished. A minor addition in both the Lang canon and the Fonda Western canon.

A Fritz Lang Turkey
Fritz Lang's second western is a horrible mess, much worse than "Western Union." He strives for the light humor of Ford westerns but the humor feels awkward and downright creepy. It would have been better if he had played the movie straight up instead of trying to be cute. ... Read more

Reviews (139)

A new perspective on the release debate..
Metropolis is a brilliant piece of work. I'll say this up front to get it out of the way: I haven't seen the DVD, but I understand the arguments; I have a slightly different opinion. Most people absolutely adore the Moroder release of Metropolis, with the tinted scenes and the modern (for the 80's) soundtrack... but I personally found it atrocious. The quality was great, don't get me wrong.. but when I think of the imagery in this film, I don't think of Bonnie Tyler and Queen. I do, however, admire the effort. I definitely agree with putting modern scores with silent films, this one just didn't work for me.

That said, I've noticed a lot of people dissatisfied with the music on several releases.. I'm a bit of a fan of the silent films.. I have yet to see one with a decent soundtrack. If I see one more 'Nosferatu' with a blaring organ score I swear I'll vomit; and don't even get me started on the 1990 version of Phantom of the Opera with score by Rick Wakeman. But I am a big fan of the films, so this is how I've managed to get past the horrible music without watching them silently. Find a CD that reflects the ideas and atmosphere you feel to be present in Metropolis, and let it play while you watch the film.

I have one of the many 115-minute versions, and the image quality is a bit rough, but that doesn't really bother me.. I've always seen Metropolis as an Industrial film anyway. The rough quality just adds to it for me (granted, I have seen versions of this too rough to watch). For that reason, I chose Nine Inch Nails' "The Fragile" as the score for Metropolis.. it works very well with my release.. some memorable moments (if you try this, you may not get these exact moments with the different releases) are the "Moloch" scene when Freder sees the machine explode .. the workers gather their injured and dead as Trent Reznor screams the lyrics "Now you know - this is what it feels like" - and the first scene between Freder and Maria .. Freder kneeling at her feet, in a sort of rapture.. while Trent sings "I will take my place in the great below" .. that song (and the first disc of "The Fragile") ends as Freder kisses Maria's hand and walks away.. But I won't give away all the quirks. Anyway, that's the score that works for me.. both discs of the Fragile and the first two tracks of "Further Down The Spiral" at the end, since The Fragile isn't quite 115 minutes long.

But anyway, having said all that, if you saw Metropolis and didn't like it because of the quality or soundtrack or just because it was boring, try again, and make your own score. Most people who think they don't like silent films simply don't like the music, or the silence. This is understandable.. in silent films the score is 75% of the atmosphere. Use music that you know, that you like.. music that will set the mood for horror if you're watching "Phantom" or "Nosferatu," or for Industrial SciFi if you're watching "Metropolis." I think you'll get a lot more out of the genre that way.

Film History. A masterpiece of cinema.
Metropolis is a landmark of all the films produced in history. Not only is the silent film entertaining, it provides an insight on prejudice and the division of different societies. Just think, this bias was still going on in the movie, set way after Martin Luther King passed away. Parts of the film may be disturbing, since it is very realistic, and could occur in the earth's later years.
However, there are many different versions released on this film. I have also heard that the Madacy DVD is terrible. True, the movie is over 75 years old, but Madacy spends so little time in putting a convenient quality transfer to their products. The tinted version by Morodor is supposed to be superior to the Madacy AND Allied Artists Releases. I own two VHS versions, and will not risk hunting for a good quality DVD. One version is a clean, sensational print, and this is Kino Video. BUY THIS VERSION AT ALL COSTS! Title cards were even inserted into the missing scenes to tell what is happening. The other VHS version is-- well, it could use some shaping up. This version is by Timeless Video Classics, and is much shorter than the Kino release. The quality is mediocre, and the print is very dirty and washed out in many areas. There are also several master tape dropouts. The title of the film reads "METROPOLI". All the other copies released besides the Kino version probably contain this shabby print.
To appreciate Metropolis and it's action in full glory, buy the Kino video or, better yet, the DVD. Since this is an excellent movie to be watched by critics and moviegoers alike, get the very BEST movie version on the market, and enjoy!

A Great film,BEWARE OF PUBLIC DOMAIN VERSIONS!
"Metropolis",Fritz Lang's 1927 silent masterpiece,is one of the most important films ever made and also a great one! But over the years,this film has been reedited,recut,and shortened which ruins the exact vision of an extrordinary filmmaker.Since its stay on the Public Domain shelf,the prints and image quality have over the years been poor.I DO NOT recommend the following versions:1.the Goodtimes Video release has poor image quality and even worse,NO MUSICAL SCORE! 2.The now-notorious Madacy DVD, which is about 5 times as worse as the Goodtimes video release,contains horrible,blurry image quality,freeze-frame opening titles,and an annoying musical score! Just recently,TCM (Turner Classic Movies) has broadcast the brand-new,beautifully restored 2002 restoration of "Metropolis" which I taped off of and trust me,it's well worth it! Buy the Kino restored version on either VHS or DVD,but DO NOT buy the horrible Public Domain versions which can definitely rip you off! A Terrific film and thanks to Kino for making this restored version a definite must-see! I also recommend the 1984 rerelease by Giorgio Moroder (which is now unfortunately out-of-print)and buy the soundtrack to go with it!

Historical Masterpiece, Terrible DVD
I never saw Metropolis except for small sections referenced by other films. It always appealed to me and I finally took a risk buying this used for cheap. Even at an inexpensive price I'd strongly advise to skip this version.

As others have noted the trasfer is terrible, the music is good but sound quality is terrible too. Having watched this version of Metropolis I was able to get some kind of plot out of it and even with the poor film transfer the imagry is at times stunning.

Here's my advice; if you just have to see Metropolis and do not want to pay the substantially high price of the Kino version buy this copy, but understand...and please take my word on this as I'm one of the people that made a similar decision, know that you are getting poor quality all around.

Whether this will ruin the film's experience for you has more to do with your aesthetics. Metropolis has major historical importance and watching it I could see where other favorite dystopian films liberally borrowed ideas. In the end it was acceptable for the price I paid. I would not buy this new and would cough up the extra money and get the Kino version if buying it new. I will be purchasing the latest DVD eventually just to be able to enjoy the superior quality.

5 stars for the film being wonderful 0 stars for the quality. The average would be 2.5 and although it's a great film Metropolis is gutted by this poor DVD. When reading reviews it is easy to take it personal, that a poor review of the DVD (a product) in some way says something negative towards the film on it. In this review the quality of the film is the only reason more than one star was given.

My last parting shot...
The reason I even bothered with the Mandacy product was because so many negative reviews on Amazon have been baseless or inane one line insults I have become numb to them. Take it from a usually easy to please reviewer. Stay away from this DVD.

GREAT Movie - Poor DVD!
METROPOLIS is in simple words a classic long in the making, and probably a major inspiration for George Lucas' STAR WARS films, and many other major science-fiction films to be decades later from its' initial release in 1926. Film also works as a major triumph of human relations with the idea of slavery workers, and rebelling against greater authority. Plus what can go wrong when power falls into the wrong hands. Rudolf Klein-Rogge's Rotwang is an unforgettable character, and the creation of the robot scene is still an eye-filler even long before CG effects technology some 60 years later.

The DVD quality is poor however, as the color contrast is lacking from the color contrast from the original negatives seen on VHS releases. The trivia sections are nice, but what is missing is an audio commentary, or any existence history of the making of the film which should prove very interesting. I'm sure it won't be long before such a version comes to be.

TRIVIA: Brigitte Helm was one of James Whale's choices to play the Monster's Mate in BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN before Elsa Lanchester got the part. ... Read more

Amazon.com essential video

With its title inspired by the notorious Black Dahlia murder case,The Blue Gardenia throws a twist into the story by making the mystery woman not the victim but the suspect in a lurid murder case. Anne Baxter, playing a virginal blonde with almost breathless innocence, impulsively accepts a blind date after receiving a "Dear Jane" letter from her boyfriend in Korea. Raymond Burr oozes slime as the lothario who plots his seduction with cynical calculation ("For drinks, Polynesian Pearl Divers, and don't spare the rum!") and the naive Baxter is easy prey, until she fights back against his advances with a fireplace poker and stumbles home. Waking up thenext morning with the past evening a veritable blank, she discovers herself the prime suspect in a murder case trumpeted into a sensationalistic headline story by calculating columnist Richard Conte. Fritz Lang transforms the rather conventional low-budget thriller into a paranoid nightmare, his cheap sets and flat backdrops creating a tawdry world peopled by cynics and opportunists preying on the guileless, and Baxter makes every guilt-ridden moment palpable. Like in many film noir thrillers, the pat conclusion seems wholly arbitrary, the product of the Hollywoodhappy-ending machine. However, Lang's film isn't about the mystery, but the experience of an innocent whose single, desperate transgression turns her world upside down. --Sean Axmaker ... Read more

Reviews (11)

THE THREE BLONDE SISTERS
In my opinion, a film noir DVD library never would be complete without the movies directed by german director Fritz Lang in Hollywood in the 1940-1950 period. They simply have to be in it. THE BLUE GARDENIA is the first of these Fritz Lang movies to hit the DVD market thanks to Image. Starring Richard Conte, Anne Baxter, Raymond Burr and Ann Sothern, THE BLUE GARDENIA is about murder, trust and guilt.

Anne Baxter thinks she has killed Raymond Burr, the police knows she has killed him because a lot of evidences have been found on the scene of the murder and we know that she's guilty because we have seen the scene with our very eyes. So what ? Where's the suspense ? Nowhere, because there isn't suspense in THE BLUE GARDENIA. Fritz Lang is more interested in describing the behaviour of Anne Baxter who really doesn't act as if she doesn't want to be rediscovered. The director has read the complete works of Freud and is playing with his heroine tortured by guilt.

No extra features with this Image presentation except for a scene access. Too bad.

A DVD for your library.

Fritz Lang Lite -- more murder mystery than noir
No doubt hoping that a title reminiscent of the Alan Ladd/Veronica Lake hit The Blue Dahlia (itself a knockoff of the notorious 1946 Black Dahlia murder in L.A.), the minds behind this movie set Fritz Lang to directing Anne Baxter, Raymond Burr and Ann Sothern in this tame but stylish and watchable thriller. Baxter, on the rebound, agrees to date the boorish Burr. Having drunk lagoons of Zombies at the Polynesian palace that gives the film its name, Baxter tries to fend off Burr. When he's found dead, she remembers nothing.... Fans who know how shocking Lang's The Big Heat still is will find this entry rather tepid, but it's an effective murder story, with half a dozen moments of stunning noir photography and, better yet, with Ann Sothern as Baxter's roommate, smoking a cigarette with rubber gloves while she scrubs the dishes.

"Sudden death sells papers."
In "The Blue Gardenia" Norah Larkin (Anne Baxter) is a naive telephone operator who sits at home most evenings. Her fiance is stationed in Korea, so while Norah's two roommates enjoy their social lives, Norah turns down offers and stays home to read letters from Korea. Artist/playboy Harry Prebble (Raymond Burr) telephones one evening--he thinks he's calling one of Norah's roommates, but he gets a distraught Norah instead. Norah accepts Prebble's invitation to meet for dinner at the Blue Gardenia. After downing half a dozen Polynesian Pearl Divers, a very inebriated Norah accompanies Prebble to his home. The next day, Norah can't remember a thing, but newspaper headlines announce Prebble's murder--and a hunt begins for the mysterious blonde murderess now known as "the Blue Gardenia."

"The Blue Gardenia"--directed by Fritz Lang--is film noir, but it is also considered an entry in the sub-genre of newspaper noir. A great deal of the plot focuses on newspaperman Casey Mayo's unethical attempts to contact the murderess and get an exclusive story. Mayo (Richard Conte) will stop at nothing to sell the paper, and he capitalizes on sensationalism and the sleazy aspects of the murder. "The Blue Gardenia" is an interesting film as it has a few twists on some familiar themes--for example, the killer is a woman, and a male offers comfort (although it's a false offer). Plus Norah's reputation is at risk by even admitting she's stepped into a man's apartment--anyone who downs 6 Polynesian Pearl Divers is a real floozy in everyone's eyes. There's also an appearance of Nat King Cole singing Blue Gardenia. The initial set-up with Norah and her roommates was refreshingly original, and Anne Baxter gave a credible performance as the naive Norah. Unfortunately the plot denouement was contrived, hasty and far too simplistic. Film noir fans will enjoy the film for its novelties, but it's not one of the greats--displacedhuman

Classic Film Noir With A Feminine Twist
The acting by both Anne Baxter and Raymond Burr is exceptional and elevates this to one of my favorite film noirs. Baxter is the young innocent Norah Larkin who is crushed when she receives a 'Dear Jane' letter from her boyfriend in Korea. Devastated and alone, she is easy prey for the slimey Harry Prebble portrayed by Raymond Burr in his pre-Perry Mason period. After a drunken night, Norah can't remember anything except that she was fighting off advances from Prebble. The newspapers are filled with the story of his murder and the mysterious blonde who left a blue gardenia behind. Viewers watch Norah slip deeper and deeper into paraonia as she frantically tries to conceal her involvement yet remember the details of her ill-fated night. Adding to the outstanding cast are Ann Sothern and Jeff Donnell as her roommates and Richard Conte as the newspaper reporter who makes an open appeal for the Blue Gardenia killer to come forward and trust him. As the police web (led by TV's Superman George Reeves) tightens around her, Norah turns to the reporter to help her, but....suffice it to say the happy-ever-after ending is a little too quick and easy. However, this is definitely worth watching and as an added plus you will be treated to the melodic voice of Nat "King" Cole singing the title song throughout the movie.

Be Forewarned.
Having seen and enjoyed most of Fritz Lang's movies from his Berlin period, I bought this highly recommended DVD sight unseen. It was a great disappointment. Where to begin? The story is weak and predictable; the dialogue is very cliched; the acting--excepting Raymond Burr's wonderful performance as a sleazy artist--is unconvincing. Don't expect what the DVD label tells you--this is no "noir thriller" and it doesn't do anything to expose McCarthyism, despite Lang's pretentious comments. One nice touch: there is a brief 5 minute scene with Nat King Cole singing "Blue Gardenia" in what was becoming a new trend in early 1950's America: a Chinese restaurant. As a period piece, this film has some merit, but don't expect a well crafted noir film like the "Maltese Falcon", "Sunset Boulevard", or even "M" or "Dr Mabuse". ... Read more

Reviews (6)

Where's Wagner ?
Expecting to see an early bit of Wagnarian Opera, I was much surprised to find this little gem of a movie.The sets and costumes are amazing and the plot is vastly different from the Opera Seigfried. The characters are magnificent, direction is pure Lang. If you buy it, save time and order "Kreimhilds' Revenge" as well. I know I'm going to have to eventually; Fritz Lang is addictive. You might keep a good tape or CD of Highlights of the Ring to hand to suppliment the original soundtrack. Subtitles are rare; bring your immagination and your horned helm. Great fun!

Before Frodo "Lord of the Rings"
Siegfried (1924) filmed at UFA (The UFA Story ISBN: 0809094835). Director Fritz Lang, the original story "Siegfried's Tod" I have seen it with German subtitles and other versions with English subtitles. Paul Richter (Siegfried) was in 45 other films, from 1921 to 1972. The dragon is actually a machine with people inside. There are pulleys and gears and even fire.

Siegfried (Paul Richter) is the son of the King of Xnnetn (Sigmund). He forges his own sward so sharp that it cuts chicken feathers. He is told that near the Rhine at Worms the King of Burgundy (Gunter) and his sister, Kriemhild is at a castle. Siegfried, "On the hour I leave for Worms to win Kriemhild"..."Show me the way if you want to live!" He falls for the "I know a short-cut" routine. Die Nibelungen snickers when he is out of earshot; "Your way leads not to Worms, but to Death" Guess who lives in the heart of the forest? Yep it is Fafnir the Dragon. Poor Fafnir was minding his own business getting a drink when Siegfried gets that "What can I hack" look on his face. The dragon even wags his tail with the approach of Siegfried. I won't give you the blow by blow. I'll just say that smoking can kill you. Fafnir gets stuck for the drinks and dragon blood drinks allows you to understand the birds. A little birdie tells him that bathing in dragon blood will make him invulnerable. You guest it cover your eyes. Oops look real quick. "Dragon tail flicks linden leaf on Siggie's back." Can you say Achilles heel? Meanwhile back at the castle Volker Von Alzey is already singing to Kriemhild of Siegfried' triumph over Fafnir. From here it goes on to deal with treasure and invisibility and all the stuff that Teutonic mythology holds.

Before Frodo "Lord of the Rings"
Siegfried (1924) filmed at UFA (The UFA Story ISBN: 0809094835). Director Fritz Lang, the original story "Siegfried's Tod" I have seen it with German subtitles and other versions with English subtitles. Paul Richter (Siegfried) was in 45 other films, from 1921 to 1972. The dragon is actually a machine with people inside. There are pulleys and gears and even fire.

Siegfried (Paul Richter) is the son of the King of Xnnetn (Sigmund). He forges his own sward so sharp that it cuts chicken feathers. He is told that near the Rhine at Worms the King of Burgundy (Gunter) and his sister, Kriemhild is at a castle. Siegfried, "On the hour I leave for Worms to win Kriemhild"..."Show me the way if you want to live!" He falls for the "I know a short-cut" routine. Die Nibelungen snickers when he is out of earshot; "Your way leads not to Worms, but to Death" Guess who lives in the heart of the forest? Yep it is Fafnir the Dragon. Poor Fafnir was minding his own business getting a drink when Siegfried gets that "What can I hack" look on his face. The dragon even wags his tail with the approach of Siegfried. I won't give you the blow by blow. I'll just say that smoking can kill you. Fafnir gets stuck for the drinks and dragon blood drinks allows you to understand the birds. A little birdie tells him that bathing in dragon blood will make him invulnerable. You guest it cover your eyes. Oops look real quick. "Dragon tail flicks linden leaf on Siggie's back." Can you say Achilles heel? Meanwhile back at the castle Volker Von Alzey is already singing to Kriemhild of Siegfried' triumph over Fafnir. From here it goes on to deal with treasure and invisibility and all the stuff that Teutonic mythology holds.

Ho-Hum
When I got this movie, I was really expecting a bit more, but I was rather dissapointed. The visuals and cinematography were OK, but nothing even remotely close to the best of UFA products. The movie gives a reasonably accurate rendition of the first half of the Niebelungenlied, the national medaeival epic of the Germans, up to Siegfried's death, and to that end is a reasonably good effort, but the movie was really fairly dull I thought, and for a silent expressionist effort, more attention should have been paid to the cinematography.

Where the line got its name!
Siegfried, the ancient Teutonic hero of Wagnerian opera, comes to the silver screen in this classic film. He slays a dragon, and bathes in its blood to achieve invincibility, much like Achilles. Yet Siegfried's adventures are quite unlike those of the ancient Greek. See the quest for the gold of the Niebelungen. The "Tarnkappe" makes Siegfried invisible, and just imagine how useful that can be in wooing the ladies! A classic tale of good vs evil, with an Apocalyptic overtone. ... Read more

Reviews (94)

At Last
Fritz Lang's METROPOLIS was very successful with both critics and audiences when it debuted in 1927 Berlin--but it was thereafter edited for distribution by Channing Pollock, who disliked it and removed great chunks of the film and substantially altered the storyline. The resulting film was admired for its visual style, but it proved a critical and box office disappointment. Neglected in the wake of sound, surviving prints of the film were left to corrode and decay--and when it began to reach the home market via VHS and DVD the results were very hit or miss; Blackhawk released a fairly credible version of the truncated film to home video, but for the most part the quality of these releases varied from barely mediocre to downright unwatchable.

Until now.

A great chunk of METROPOLIS--perhaps as much a quarter of more--has been forever lost, but this Kino Video DVD release offers the single best version of the film available. The previously cut footage that still exists has been restored; gaps in the film have been bridged by the occasional use of stills and explanatory title cards; the film itself has been painstakingly and digitally restored; and the soundtrack is the Gottfried Huppertz original created for the film's 1927 Berlin debut. In seeing this version of METROPOLIS, I was struck by how very differently it reads from the previously available truncated version. The visual style and the story itself are much more exciting and cohesive, and in the wake of this restoration it becomes impossible to deny the film status as landmark of international cinema.

Freder Fredersen (Gustav Frohlich) is the son of Joh Fredersen (Alfred Able), who reigns over the great city of Metropolis. Freder is surprised to discover his lifestyle has been built on the unseen but backbreaking labor of an entire class of unseen workers who tend the machines that make the city run--and he descends to the subterranean levels of Metropolis in an effort to understand their lives... and, not incidentally, to find the mysterious but beautiful woman Maria (Brigitta Helm) who has inspired his interest in the workers' plight. But his father is concerned by both Freder's interest and Maria's activities among the workers, and he turns to scientist C.A. Rotwang (Rudolf Klein-Rogge) for aid. Rotwang has created a robot, and he agrees to give it the likeness of Maria in order to undermine both Freder's love for the girl and her own activities. But Rotwang has a hidden agenda of his own: once the robot has been unleashed, he will use her to destroy Metropolis and thereby exact revenge on Joh Fredersen for past transgressions against him.

In many respects the story is simplistic, but the film's visual style and connotations are anything but. Deeply influenced by such art movements as Expressionism, Objectivism, Art Deco, and Bauhaus, the film is visually fascinating--not only in its scenic designs, but in director Lang's famous skill at creating the powerful crowd scenes that dominate the film and building the pace and tension of the film as it moves toward an intense climax. But while one can--and many do--admire the film purely at this level, there is quite a lot going on in terms of philosophical content as well: while it offers few viable solutions, the film raises such issues as the relationship between capital and labor, the place of religion in modern society, human reaction to overwhelming technology, and (perhaps most interestingly) the drift of government into a class-conscious corporate entity. And religious motifs abound in the film: a largely deserted cathedral; Moloch; the Tower of Babel; and crosses--intriguingly juxtaposed with a repeating motif of the pentagram-like designs associated with the robot. It is fascinating stuff.

There has been complaint that this restoration runs at incorrect speed and the performances are therefore unnecessarily jerky. I did not find this to be the case. In certain instances the movement is deliberately jerky and mechanical--the workers are a case in point--but beyond this there is nothing for which the difference between silent acting and modern acting techniques cannot account. There has also been some complaint that the title cards should have been left in their original German and translated via subtitle. There is a certain validity to this, but it seems a minor quibble; title cards were typically translated in the silent era itself. The DVD includes a number of extras, including still photographs, biographies of the major figures involved in the film, and two interesting documentaries-one on the restoration process and one on the creation of the film itself. Both are interesting; the audio commentary track by film historian Enno Patalas, however, is mildly disappointing. But when all is said and done, it is the film that counts. And this restoration is a remarkable achievement, to say the least, a project which brings a great landmark of world cinema back from the edge of the abyss. Indispensible; a must-own.

--GFT (Amazon Reviewer)--

Spectacular, must-have DVD for any film buff
Metropolis was quite a stunning film for its time. It had "Star Wars" quality special effects which were unheard-of back then--all amazingly done by hand and combined with tedious optical effects. Considering the massive effort and talent required, it was far more ambitious and deserving of praise than Star Wars, which had the luxury of more modern technologies to fall back on. If you view Metropolis in this context, and consider the time period, you can't help but be impressed. In fact, as you watch it, imagine the amazed reaction it must have received in theaters back in the 1920's. Audiences at that time had never seen anything like it. For at least the next 50 years, this film held its own--quite a feat.

The Kino-produced DVD is in itself impressive. It is the absolute best version of the film ever to be made available in any form to the public. The video quality is astonishing considering the difficulty they must have had finding good prints to work with. The audio, too, is superb. You'll really enjoy the extra bonus material as well.

So get this DVD, pop up some popcorn, turn out the lights, and transport yourself back to the 1920's. You're really going to love this one.

Magnificent job
Of all silent films, maybe the only one still watched by a wide public today is Metropolis. Everyone who knows about science fiction knows about Metropolis.
Unfortunately the film was birth-strangled - like Once Upon a Time in America and The Magnificent Ambersons - and it falls into the strange pantheon of movies that are as fragmentary as any ancient scroll.
This only added to the appeal, of course. Like the wine buff who sighs to drink one of THE French vintages from before 1860, cineastes have spculated and respeculated about this fragmentary masterpiece. Why doesn't the story make sense? What was the movie originally like - and can it be fixed?

It is a pity that this film will almost certainly NEVER be completely restored. Like The Magnificent Ambersons, this is a masterpiece that seems permanently damaged. But in 2002, the next best thing was done; and the most complete possible restoration was carried out.

The results are truly remarkable. You can see that silent films were NOT originally shown in a spotty, scratchy condition with hyperactive actors. When they first came out, silent movies looked just as good as any modern movie (well, maybe less screen-resolution). The original soundtrack was discovered and recorded - and it, too, is a revelation. Silent movies were NOT actually silent - they had live soundtracks (though only rich premieres had full orchestras). The soundtrack is as well-composed as any modern soundtrack. I initially thought I would not be able to get used to another soundtrack after hearing the Moroder version - but now I think I can't see the film any other way.

Most importantly, the film now actually makes sense! Every scrap of film possible was extracted from archives all over the world, to make the film as complete as is humanly possible. The scenes still missing (alas, comprising a quarter of the film even now) are signified by intertitles telling the audience what they ought to be seeing. This is not a perfect compromise, but it's probably the best solution.

Silent movies often look strangely modern, since they concentrate almost entirely on visuals at the expense of the actors (a feature that, incidentally, made movies easier to show overseas than any modern movie). Compare that to our movies, which are very heavy on visuals and contain the simplest and least amount of dialogue possible in order to cater to foreign markets. Also, the complete manipulation of the image, so favoured in Metropolis, is very much like modern computer graphics.

Silent Masterpiece
In today's cinematic world, silent movies are often a difficult category to approach. Silent movies are usually referred to almost like a separate genre, as if black and white movies were a single genre. Even silent flick enthusiasts sometimes don't have the right attitude, because the modern appreciation of pre-talkie movies is sometims nothing more shallow than appreciation of a movie because it is a silent movie. This attitude streams from the modern audience that views the silent era as embryonic of the talkies, as technologically handicapped, when in fact, the contemporary audiences of the 20's did not view their motion pictures the same way.

Metropolis is a great move that overcomes most of the barriers between moderns audiences and silent movies. The genre is unmistakably sci-fi--the forerunner to nearly all modern sci-fi movies. It was a fantastic movie that just happens to be a silent movie, and anybody who sees it will understand that silence is not a handicap.

The biggest barrier for silent movies is that there are usually variant DVD editions in circulation, and unlike pictures made in the last few decades, it really does matter which edition you see. Kino's restored edition is (and shall be for a while if not forever) the definitive edition of Metropolis. I had been viewing an incomplete, incoherent version of the film for years before i treated myself to Kino's delightfully exhaustive work, and it was then that i realized what i had been missing. Watching this version was like watching a different movie. In fact, the restoration is so immaculate, it was like watching a movie that was just filmed yesterday, or rather, like i was watching it in 1926.

Kino should be praised for the edition (which they have been), that vindicates fans of Metropolis, sci-fi, and silent movies. Even the flaws are reasonable: some scenes are missing, but they are filled in with explanations and still photos, when available; there could have been enough extras to fill 2 more discs, although the extras included are sufficient and repeatable, as compared to the loads of extras fans normally demand but rarely ever watch.

All in all, this is an excellent restoration of an epic movie that deserves this treatment and attention. Include the Kino version in your collection over all of the inferior versions circulating.

Best movie by a Jewish director ever!
Fritz Lang was indeed Jewish by his mother. I had seen many previous videotape and DVD versions of Metropolis but this longer version beats them all hands down. It's like I'd never seen this film before as so much new (to me) was in this version. Including more fleshing out scenes of the privelaged, rich class of which Freder is a member of. To the poster named Jeff, M was made by Lang while he was still in Germany. I sure look forward to seeing other silent Lang films anbd even longer versions of Metropolis in the future. Buy it today! ... Read more

Amazon.com

The Testament of Dr. Mabuse is Fritz Lang's sequel to his flamboyant Dr. Mabuse two-part epic of the 1920s, this time adding subtle use of sound to the creepy effects developed for the earlier film.Once a Moriarty-like mastermind, the haggard Dr M (Rudolf Klein-Rogge) has become an autistic asylum inmate who scrawls plans for daring crimes in his cell and exerts an unhealthy influence on his psychiatrist.Inspector Lohmann (Otto Wernicke), the jolly policeman from Lang's M, is puzzled by a series of daring crimes that bear the Mabuse signature, and a gang of thugs take instructions from a shadowy figure who claims after the doctor's death to be Mabuse reborn and is staging a reign of crime apparently designed to bring about the ruin of all law-abiding society.

Though it works best as a textbook thriller, some commentators, including Lang, suggested that the pulp plot was intended to allegorize the evil influence of the Nazi party, with a crime boss who rants like Hitler. The many impressive set-pieces still work, too: the pursuit of a spy through a grinding print-works, an assassination at a traffic light, hero and heroine trapped in a room with a bomb cutting a water main to flood their way to freedom, the persecution of the asylum head by a phantom of his patient, and a last-reel night-time chase.--Kim Newman ... Read more

Reviews (4)

Lang's Final Masterpiece on DVD!
I think I was 11 years old when I first saw this film and now, 30 years later, it remains one of the most haunting cinematic experiences I've ever had. Some movies - like great art in any form - just don't seem to age. Everything one could wish for in a first-class thriller is here: complex plot and characters, fast-paced action, nail-biting suspense, brilliant photography, editing and direction together with some of the most suggestive scenes ever shown on the silver screen. The actors are good too (with a few minor exceptions), especially Otto Wernicke (reprising his role in "M") as Inspector Lohmann - the antithesis of the brutal and sadistic german officer/policeman so frequent in mainstream cinema. You have to go to Alfred Hitchcock's best works to find anything that surpasses this film.

Made during the final chaotic months of the Weimar Republic by master director Fritz Lang ("Metropolis", "M") the movie was banned when the Nazis came to power in early 1933; it was to be Lang's last work before leaving Germany. He directed a string of films in Hollywood and though some of them were quite good he never managed to reach the heights of filmmaking he had done during his German period, mainly because the American studio system didn't give him the artistic freedom he had previously enjoyed.

The plot revolves around the mysterious Dr. Mabuse, a criminal mastermind invented by the German author Norbert Jacques and made famous by Lang's 1922 silent film "Dr. Mabuse, the Gambler". A decade later we find the notorious doctor locked away in an asylum. He hasn't spoken a word for ten years, instead he is writing his "testament", a detailed manual describing how to commit the most hideous crimes, crimes that serve no other purpose than to throw a law-abiding society into total chaos and anarchy. When the document starts to take concrete form in reality, Lohmann has to put the clues together in a most unusual and horrifying case...

Now Criterion Collection has released this classic in an excellent two-disc edition. The film is presented - for the first time - in it's original length and aspect ratio with restored image and sound. Picture quality is very good; I've only seen two DVD-releases of movies from this period with a better image ("42nd Street" and "The Ghoul"). The picture is sharp and clear, almost without any specks or grain. Sound quality is worse, unfortunately. While spoken lines are clear enough the sound-track suffers from background noice, which in a few scenes (not any of the important ones, thank God) is very disturbing. I don't consider this a major problem though; the film is too captivating for that. The language is German with optional English subtitles (easy to read).
On the first disc - together with the film - is an insightful audio commentary by film historian David Kalat. Some might find it a bit academic, but he provides interesting information about - among other things - Lang's storytelling techniques (parallels can be found today in movies like "Pulp Fiction" and "The Usual Suspects") and points out that the film's theme - once a metaphor for the Nazi movement rising in power - can just as easily be applied to the current international political situation, regarding terrorism. The second disc contains the complete French-language version made simultaneosly by Lang with French actors, a couple of interviews with Lang, actor Rudolf Schündler and German Mabuse expert Michael Farin, production design drawings and a collection of memorabilia, press books, stills and posters.

Anyone even remotely interested in thrillers and/or movie history simply must see this film. Forget that it's German, forget that it's over 70 years old; "The testament of Dr. Mabuse" is a timeless proof of that you don't need a big budget and computorised special effects to create movie magic. With this edition Lang's final masterpiece will hopefully get the credit it deserves. If you're tired of overblown Hollywood productions with overpaid stars that (almost) never deliver what they promise, this one is for you. It's the grandmother ("M" being the grandfather) of all modern thrillers and still a hell of a lot better than most of them. Buy it!!!

A Suspenseful Cinematic Landmark
Fritz Lang's Testament of Dr. Mabuse is a sequel to his Dr. Mabuse: The Gambler (1922), however, in this film he uses Nazi motto's in the mouth of a mad scientist. Lang pushed the envelop as he directed this cinematic landmark that Joseph Goebels, Nazi Minister of Information, deemed dangerous for public order in Nazi Germany. Despite the Nazi's banning the film they recognized Lang's cinematic genius as they offered him a position as the head of German film. However, Lang recognized the danger and escaped from Germany shortly after the Nazi's banned Testament of Dr. Mabuse.

Testament of Dr. Mabuse begins with Berlin's police inspector Lohmann (Otto Wernicke), receiving a phone call from a certain Hofmeister that is suspiciously cut off with strange noise in the background. Lohmann's investigation leads to a mysterious disappearance of Hofmeister and more strange crimes begin to appear. Lohmann is flabbergasted over the new crime wave as new leads brings him to a mental institution where Dr. Mabuse has been committed for his insane crimes. However, Dr. Mabuse has been diagnosed as incapable of daily functioning since he has been attached to a writing pad for ten years where he has been writing incomprehensible gibberish. There seems to be something sinister that is working behind the curtain, but that is for Lohmann to discover.

The sound, cinematography, and special effects are jaw dropping considering when the film was shot as these aspects of film making, still to this day, enhance the alarm and horror that the audience experiences. For example, in the opening shot the camera pans across a dusty attic turned into an engineering workshop while the deafening mechanical sound induces frightening mental images illustrates Lang's ingenious directing skills. The visual special effects are also advanced as Lang displays an exploding barrel with convincing sound. This demonstrates Lang's understanding for the importance of sound in film as it is not only used for dialogue, but to elevate the cinematic experience. In the end Testament of Dr. Mabuse offers a remarkable cinematic experience that has earned it a spot in film history by being a political statement as well as an aesthetic example of cinema at its finest.

Expressionistic Classic
This is one of the last of the great expressionist claasics from UFA, made right before the Nazis took over Germany and made freedom of expression a thing of the past. Dr. Mabuse, played by the astounding Rudolf-Klein Rogge, embarks on a campaign of crime that is designed to do nothing more than to cause the breakdown of society and to spread chaos -- Mabuse's underlings spout actual Nazi propaganda, so what exactly is being attacked here is quite obvious. The cinematography is stunning and the acting is superb, but the use of voice I find rather decreases the visual impact of the expressionistic genre. After this film was made, Lang, the director, was forced to flee for his life as the Nazis imposed total control over Germany and UFA became a propaganda tool. The subplot of a decent man forced into a life of crime by poverty may also be of interest of thos who might wonder how a man like Hitler could have gained so much power in the first place.

A horror/suspense classic
An avant garde film with a thick plot. Truely one of the first suspense films. Good quality for being so old. If you like old movies, mysteries, suspense films, or anything out of the norm then this is for you. ... Read more

Reviews (9)

"People have funny things swimming around inside them."
In the film "Clash By Night" Mae Doyle (Barbara Stanwyck) returns home after a ten-year absence to a small coastal fishing town in California. Her brother, Joe, doesn't ask too many questions--he can tell that she's down on her luck. Mae arrives with just a single suitcase and a large chip on her shoulder about life and men.

Joe's boss, Jerry D'Amato, shows interest in Mae. Jerry is a very solid character. He owns a fishing boat, and he takes care of his demented father and irresponsible Uncle Vince. Mae marries Jerry--making it clear that she does not love him--but that the relationship offers her security. After a year of marriage and a baby, Mae, who has long been attracted to Jerry's sleazy friend, Earl Pfeiffer (Robert Ryan), breaks out of her housewife routine and begins an affair with Earl.

"Clash by Night" is considered film noir, and you select this film based on that fact, you will be disappointed. "Clash By Night" is definitely more soap opera than film noir. The thing that prevents one from reaching for the nearest hankie is the performance of Barbara Stanwyck as hard-as-nails Mae Doyle D'Amato. Although her dilemma is clear--security vs. excitement, Stanwyck's hard-edged speeches eliminate the need for tears. It's difficult to even feel sorry for her husband, Jerry. He's a good man, but obviously out-of-his depth with Mae, and he goes into the marriage knowing she doesn't love him. Jerry is the sort of man other men like to make fun of. Jerry seems emasculated and this is largely due to Uncle Vince--an opportunist who blatantly uses Jerry.

Mae's attraction to Earl--even though he's exactly the sort of man she's trying to avoid--adds interest to the plot. Also, Marilyn Monroe stars as Peggy, the tomboy sweetheart of Joe Doyle. She works in the cannery, and the cannery represents the sum total of the career opportunities in town. Peg sympathizes with Mae, and it's curious to see a very young Monroe in the role of a tomboy and without that carefully developed blonde bombshell role.

"Clash by Night" is directed by Fritz Lang. It was filmed in Monterey, and fans of Barbara Stanwyck will find the film worth watching. Four stars for an unoriginal plot that's delivered with good acting and strong characters--displacedhuman

Cannery Noir
Although the emphasis here is on emotions rather than mayhem, fans of "Film Noir" will chew on Fritz Lang's "Clash By Night" with relish. What saves this film from becoming another weepy 50's melodrama are the cynical, tough-as-nails characters played by Barbara Stanwyck and Robert Ryan. They are the illicit lovers cuckolding hubby Paul Douglas' naive, easygoing Monterey Bay fisherman. Ryan brings a sweat-streaked, smouldering, "Streetcar Named Desire" intensity to all of his scenes with Stanwyck, who holds her own as a restless, world-weary housewife with a "been there done that" past. Stanwyck and Ryan play out thier furtive romantic scenes like rutting animals (this is pretty hot stuff by early 50's standards). Paul Douglas gives his career-best performance, particularly when he registers heartbreak, betrayal, and internal struggle between gentle demeanor and homicidal rage all in one pivotal scene ("ANIMALS! That's what you are...ANIMALS...!") Marilyn Monroe is excellent in a small but memorable role as Stanwyck's tomboyish sister-in-law. What makes this film unique in the Noir canon is that while there is a fair amount of violence, none of it is fatal in the literal sense. The only fatalities here are the characters' hopes, dreams and faith in humanity-now THAT's what I call Noir!

Not great overall, but many great elements
As a whole, this is not one of better films by any of the participants, but nonetheless this film is fascinating on several levels, and there are plenty of good reasons to see this. First, Barbara Stanwyck once again proves she was almost incapable of being anything except exceptional. Hands down, while I personally prefer her in comedy, I nevertheless believe she was the greatest film noir actress of all time. She was also the greatest portrayer of "bad girls" film has seen. In CLASH BY NIGHT, she plays a burned out bad girl, almost the female equivalent of the aging gunfighter in a Western, tired of being called out by every young gun in every town. Stanwyck decides to marry Paul Douglas more because she is too exhausted to attempt anything else. Paul Douglas is superb in his role of the man who is in love with Stanwyck, only to find tragic disappointment. Robert Ryan is great as Douglas's friend who has tremendous chemistry with Stanwyck. Personally, I have always thought that Ryan should have had a much better career than he did. He was a superb actor with tremendous onscreen charisma. Although he had several memorable roles, he never seemed to have that one role that put him into the rank of the top actors in Hollywood. He had top shelf ability, but never quite made it to the top. Marilyn Monroe was still a year away from superstardom, but she was enormously attractive in her small role. Finally, the movie is worth seeing because it was directed by Fritz Lang. This is not major Fritz Lang, but it is an interesting addition to a formidable body of work.

The setting for the film is quite remarkable. In the 1940s and 1950s, very few films set on the West coast were not set in LA or San Francisco. Viewing this film, you feel you are recovering a little bit of lost Americana, a scene from Steinbeck more than Hollywood.

All in all, this is not by any standard a great movie, but it is nonetheless a memorable one. Besides, no movie starring Barbara Stanwyck ought to be ignored.

A very average soap opera; an unintended historical record.
This is the story of a woman who marries one man then falls for another. Nothing new here, and there's a lot of shouting in the process.

The best part about the movie has nothing to do with its plot, but rather with the setting. It was filmed in Monterey, California, during the heyday of Cannery Row. This makes it an interesting historical recond of a long gone era made famous by John Steinbeck. Opening scenes show the sardine canning process, from unloading the fishing boats to the final product. The whistle calling cannery worker Marilyn Monroe to the job was also depicted accurately. It is probably the best filmed reco