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 (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 (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 (4)

A Fine Film in a Disappointing Transfer
Lang's version of Molnar's stage play, "Liliom" is quite wonderful, and one of the best films he directed during his long period of exile. However, Kino's DVD transfer is a disappointment and should be avoided. Buy the VHS version instead, particularly since the DVD looks as if the VHS was merely reproduced with a further loss in duplication. Kino almost always produces good to excellent DVD transfers, so this one is doubly troublesome; the contrast is poor, important details are lost, and the overall image is fuzzy and as soft as whip cream. This should be a five star but the poor quality of the transfer brings it way down. I bought it because I had to see it, but I only saw part of the lovely film that Lang originally put on the screen.

WONDERFUL FILM - disappointing print
If I were rating the VHS copy of this movie, rather than the DVD, I'd have no hesitation in giving it 5 stars. This is truly a delightful film, although after the title character dies and goes to "heaven", it does tend to drag a bit. But previous reviewers have described the film in such detail that I would like to concentrate, instead, on the film print used for this DVD version.

Kino Video is one of those companies that we can thank for producing DVDs of many hard to find films from the silent era and "Golden Age" of Hollywood and Europe. After all, it is Kino Video that we can thank for distributing the incredible restoration of "Metropolis"! So I criticize them with great hesitation. and only because I would like them to be a bit more consistent. (For instance I, for one, have never purchased a DVD produced by Criterion that wasn't almost perfect . . . well, OK, perhaps their print of "The 39 Steps" could have been a bit sharper, but this exception only proves the rule.)

One of the reasons the DVD format has become so popular, especially among film collectors, is its ability to reproduce films on our TVs at twice the resolution offered by the best of the old videotapes. If this ability is not utilized, what is the point of buying the DVD . . . why not just go buy the cheaper videotape? This is the case with "Liliom". As I mentioned, the print is very clean, but the resolution of the print is so low that it is like watching a rather mediocre videotape. For instance, in the "outdoor" scene where Liliom is going to rob the man in the tunnel (I realize that it was filmed in a studio, but none-the-less), the bushes in the background look like blobs of gray and white rather than bushes with actual leaves. The resolution is so low that a great deal of the scenery in many scenes looks like it was painted with a mop.

Having said this, however, I still recommend that everyone who is interested in great film-making see this film. It has many wonderful moments, and holds a significant place in the history of European cinema. Just go in with your eyes open . . . wide open, if possible . . . and see if you can borrow it from you local library instead of paying cold, hard cash for it. Maybe then, Kino will start looking around for better source material to "restore" for us collectors.

Deserves to become a true cinema classic
At last we have it on video and DVD--the 1934 French film version of Ferenc Molnár's "Liliom", with very legible subtitles, so that now the entire English-speaking world can take in the beauty of this sorely neglected film.

For those who don't know, "Liliom" is the Hungarian play on which Rodgers and Hammerstein's "Carousel" is based, and in 1934, the great German director Fritz Lang, while staying in France during his flight from the Nazis (he was Jewish), made a French film version of it. (There had already been an early U.S. talking film version in 1930, but from all accounts, it made no impact whatsoever and remains forgotten.) Hammerstein, when adapting "Liliom" into "Carousel" in 1945, was largely faithful to his source material, so viewers unfamiliar with "Liliom" should have no trouble recognizing the similarities, right down to certain lines of dialogue.

This French film, unfairly kept out of circulation by Fox in favor of the film version of "Carousel", is everything an exemplary film version of a play should be, exceptionally well acted by some of the best character actors ever to emerge from France, beautifully photographed, and directed with an imagination that surpasses Henry King's in "Carousel", as excellent as that film is. Fritz Lang's idea of Heaven, easily the funniest segment of this otherwise very serious and deeply moving film, is one of the most imaginative concepts Lang ever dreamed up, and has to be seen to be appreciated.

Charles Boyer, extremely young, and with a full head of hair if not a hairpiece, is perfectly suited for the role of Liliom , the non-musical equivalent of Rodgers and Hammerstein's Billy Bigelow. The role of Julie has an imaginative twist to it in this version---both Julie and her daughter are played by Madeleine Ozeray, and if ever an actress showed versatility it is here. Ms. Ozeray creates two distinct characterizations flawlessly.

In other roles, the actress Florelle plays Mrs. Muskat (Mrs. Mullin in "Carousel") as more of a floozy, and Lang even gives her a touch of sympathy and humanity when she orders that all the lights in the amusement park be dimmed at an especially tragic moment.

Pierre Alcover plays Alfred the criminal (Jigger Craigin in "Carousel") as a self-satisfied, overfed lout who wouldn't even think of obtaining money in an ethical manner, and does so in the great tradition of French 1930's character acting. Wolf Beifeld, the character who was turned into Mr. Snow in "Carousel", is omitted entirely in this version, but Mimi Funes does play Marie, Julie's best friend, as a much more worldly character than we have ever seen. Maximillienne is all wise understanding as Mrs. Menoux, the boarding house keeper and equivalent of Cousin Nettie in "Carousel".And Henri Richaud contributes a truly comical portrayal of two equally flustered commissioners, one in Heaven, and one on Earth.

There is no clambake in this version either, but those who are used to "Carousel" will notice that "Liliom" is so well acted and directed that one does not miss the beautiful Rodgers and Hammerstein score even if the viewer has it ringing in their head as they watch this film. That is how good the Fritz Lang "Liliom" is. Fox has been, up to now, sorely negligent in seeing that this film was shown with subtitles in English-speaking countries, but they have finally come through. Rent or buy "Liliom", and treat yourself to the most unfairly neglected 1930's foreign film classic.

on the MIDWAY ..........
A STUNNING version of the non-musical play [there is a song or two though nicely warbled by Mr. Boyer] - the telling of a 'ne'er do well' lout who seduces?, And then 'perhaps' marries a rather oddly liberated young girl only to meet with disaster .... but then again there is 'that' silver lining....

ONE can easily see how this movie paved the way for the Cocteau masterpieces a few years later ... the surreal quality of 'Heaven' and especially the Matrix type Dark Angels are quite unforgettable.

ALSO the frank [brutal] way Liliom treats Julie [yes, he actually hits her in this version - unlike the Shirley Jones version - also splended]. Not forgetting the park bench sequence with Julie & Liliom - quite, err... frank shall we say for the period .....

As in all cases when a work like this [very earthy] tranfers into 'commercial mode' censorship must intervene.

ANOTHER 'Must" for the serious collector.

The Score - "F. Waxman" shares this distinction.

Now just 'where' is the "Fanny" trilogy? ... Read more