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Giorgio Moroder's Metropolis (Released)

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 (Edited)

OCP’s post on revisionist silent films got me to thinking about this particular movie. Out of all the Metropolis versions out there, this may be my favorite. Perhaps because of my age when I first saw it, but mostly because the music and the image flow together in what can only be described as an extended length 80s rock music video. To date, it still hasn’t seen a DVD release, and most probably won’t either. I was wondering if anyone had taken the time to transfer a laserdisc source to DVD

Steve

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I believe the copy that I have is a laserdisc rip. It also has music videos and some other archival goodies as bonus stuff.

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I found a link on mininova but there are no seeders. Can anybody help?
Cheers,
Steve
EDIT: Ah, it's started. Great! I guess this thread's moot then.
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One idea that would be interesting...

Using the restored DVD for the visual, but re-editing the Moroder audio track to fit that version.
"I was a perfect idiot to listen to you!"
"Listen here, there ain't nothing in this world that's perfect!"

- from The Bank Dick
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Heh. I've actually began working on a version of this for myself, using a Beta (!) rip of my own.

Never saw the mininova version, and the DVD versions are too much of a bitch to sync up with the Moroder soundtrack...

Originally posted by: OgOggilby
One idea that would be interesting...

Using the restored DVD for the visual, but re-editing the Moroder audio track to fit that version.


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You know what? I think my LaserDisc is still in good condition.
There's good in the Original Trilogy, and it's worth fighting for.
"People should not be afraid of their governments. Governments should be afraid of their people."
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“Always loved Vader’s wordless self sacrifice. Another shitty, clueless, revision like Greedo and young Anakin’s ghost. What a fucking shame.” -Simon Pegg.

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There's a really good book by Siegfried Kracauer, called "From Caligari to Hitler" and it basically traces ideas in the German Expressionist movement to Hitler's rise to power. Brilliant from what I've heard... I'm not sure, but I bet it has stuff on Metropolis since it was apparently Hitler's favorite movie.



For all the wrong reasons.
"I was a perfect idiot to listen to you!"
"Listen here, there ain't nothing in this world that's perfect!"

- from The Bank Dick
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Moroder had purchased the rights to the film, (he allegedly outbid David Bowie!) and scoured the world for bits of lost footage. It's not "unauthorized", just no longer favored by the people who own the film right now.
One look at the massive cityscapes in the film, and you realize George could have done Coruscant before there was CGI.
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Where were you in '77?

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Originally posted by: OgOggilby
One idea that would be interesting...

Using the restored DVD for the visual, but re-editing the Moroder audio track to fit that version.



That would be great. And great as a bonus would be a version of the music video Radio Ga Ga by Queen. Of course also with the restored dvd visuals.

A new release of Star Wars is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you're gonna get.

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Originally posted by: Wer-Al_Zwowe
Originally posted by: OgOggilby
One idea that would be interesting...

Using the restored DVD for the visual, but re-editing the Moroder audio track to fit that version.



That would be great. And great as a bonus would be a version of the music video Radio Ga Ga by Queen. Of course also with the restored dvd visuals.


But I thought there were scenes in Moroder's version that haven't been used in any of the others - Restored DVD included.

Maybe I'll redo the menus this weekend and up my rip somewhere. Anyone have Radio Ga-ga they'd like to send me for inclusion?

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Well, the idea I proposed was to take the DVD and keep it in its proper restored form, but simply re-edit the Moroder score to fit it. That way you get the proper version of the visual, but also with this music.
"I was a perfect idiot to listen to you!"
"Listen here, there ain't nothing in this world that's perfect!"

- from The Bank Dick
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Originally posted by: OgOggilby
Well, the idea I proposed was to take the DVD and keep it in its proper restored form, but simply re-edit the Moroder score to fit it. That way you get the proper version of the visual, but also with this music.


Very do-able. I haven't seen the Kino print yet though. is it really that much better than Moroder's? I know the Kino is like 3-4 minutes longer than Moroder's but is that due to replaced scenes, different framerate, or lengthened titles?
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Originally posted by: SilverWook
Moroder had purchased the rights to the film, (he allegedly outbid David Bowie!) and scoured the world for bits of lost footage. It's not "unauthorized", just no longer favored by the people who own the film right now.
One look at the massive cityscapes in the film, and you realize George could have done Coruscant before there was CGI.


Wait, did the guy find any of the lost scenes?? I read up about this movie the other day ago and now I'm very interested in it. And Coruscant was going to be in ROTJ but for some reason they cut it out lol.
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Okay, IIRC, the article I read in the 80's said Moroder found some lost footage in the form of stills made from each frame of the film. (Which apparently was done as a form of copyright protection in olden days.) He reshot these back onto motion picture film the same way you would shoot animation cels. In other scenes, he animated single stills by moving the camera or adding movment like clouds over one shot of the city. As I think was mentioned in another thread, he recreated the tombstone of Hel, (from another still) and shot a new scene. The epitaph is in English, I presume it's German in the original lost footage.
Lucas talks about on one of the SE DVD's how he couldn't do Coruscant in the OT days. I immediately thought of Metropolis and chuckled. Even the 1930's Buck Rogers has a large cityscape with constant air traffic.
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Where were you in '77?

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Originally posted by: velocityengine
Originally posted by: OgOggilby
Well, the idea I proposed was to take the DVD and keep it in its proper restored form, but simply re-edit the Moroder score to fit it. That way you get the proper version of the visual, but also with this music.


Very do-able. I haven't seen the Kino print yet though. is it really that much better than Moroder's? I know the Kino is like 3-4 minutes longer than Moroder's but is that due to replaced scenes, different framerate, or lengthened titles?


The Kino print is amazing and makes it look like it was shot yesterday. It is the same frame rate as the Moroder version, that is 24fps. There was a bit of controversy, but no one has ever been able to prove that Metropolis was ever intended to be shown in anything other than "sound" speed. All indications are that despite being filmed 16-18 fps, it was supposed to be projected at ~24fps. It might look unnatural to modern viewers, but silent films were supposed to be sped up. Film studios supplied cue sheets for local music and they all indicate projection speed closer to modern sound speed and none of them indicate 16-18 fps.

http://www.cinemaweb.com/silentfilm/bookshelf/18_kb_2.htm

http://www.cinemaweb.com/silentfilm/bookshelf/18_car_1.htm
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"And Coruscant was going to be in ROTJ but for some reason they cut it out lol."

In the end it didn't seem necessary to show the home planet of the Empire. It seemed more important that we focus on the major target of what we were going after in the movie. So to show Vader and the Emperor in an area that didn't relate to the story didn't seem necessary. Of course, I had a million different names for the home planet of the Empire, but Coruscant came out of publishing. - Lucas: The Annotated Screenplays

<span class=“Italics”>MeBeJedi: Sadly, I believe the prequels are beyond repair.
<span class=“Bold”>JediRandy: They’re certainly beyond any repair you’re capable of making.</span></span>

<span class=“Italics”>MeBeJedi: You aren’t one of us.
<span class=“Bold”>Go-Mer-Tonic: I can’t say I find that very disappointing.</span></span>

<span class=“Italics”>JediRandy: I won’t suck as much as a fan edit.</span>

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there is a laserdisc rip being sold on the internet but i'm sure the guys at originaltrilogy.com here could make a better transfer.

“Always loved Vader’s wordless self sacrifice. Another shitty, clueless, revision like Greedo and young Anakin’s ghost. What a fucking shame.” -Simon Pegg.

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I bought a DVD rip once and was so disappointed at how it looked that I was convinced that I had actually gotten a VHS2DVD dub. So I went ahead and bought the laserdisc for $90 and it turns out that it looks that way on laser. It really is a terrible looking laserdisc. I've considered doing my own version of the KINO to Moroder cut eventually.
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Picked up the Kino disc today, and started working on a Moroder version of it. I'm noting the scene tintings, and the title cards (perhaps to remake them). Found the two Queen videos as well to include (Love Kills and Radio Gaga), and am working on a couple other "extras" as well

First try, let's see what happens.



Originally posted by: caligulathegod
I bought a DVD rip once and was so disappointed at how it looked that I was convinced that I had actually gotten a VHS2DVD dub. So I went ahead and bought the laserdisc for $90 and it turns out that it looks that way on laser. It really is a terrible looking laserdisc. I've considered doing my own version of the KINO to Moroder cut eventually.


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If you re-do the intertitles so they're over the live-action, be sure to keep the wording. Previous versions were incorrectly translated or altered badly (i.e. Joh Frederson changed to John Masterman).
"I was a perfect idiot to listen to you!"
"Listen here, there ain't nothing in this world that's perfect!"

- from The Bank Dick
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My intention is to recreate Moroder's version completely, same transitions and translations, just cleaner.

I've been putting this off for years, feels good to finally get started.


Originally posted by: OgOggilby
If you re-do the intertitles so they're over the live-action, be sure to keep the wording. Previous versions were incorrectly translated or altered badly (i.e. Joh Frederson changed to John Masterman).


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Originally posted by: velocityengine
Picked up the Kino disc today, and started working on a Moroder version of it. I'm noting the scene tintings, and the title cards (perhaps to remake them). Found the two Queen videos as well to include (Love Kills and Radio Gaga), and am working on a couple other "extras" as well

First try, let's see what happens.

That seems to be a great project. I wish you good luck with it.

But there one thing you seem to have wrong. The song "Love Kills" isn't by Queen. It's a solo song by Freddie Mercury, the lead singer of Queen. This can by useful to know when you make the menu

A new release of Star Wars is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you're gonna get.

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The LDDB lists two different pressings of the American Laserdisc, so it's possible there was a remaster. I'll have to rewatch my LD because I don't recall it looking bad at all!
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Where were you in '77?

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Heh, I know It's a Frddie only-track, I just ripped it from my Queen Video Classics DVD


Originally posted by: Wer-Al_Zwowe
Originally posted by: velocityengine
Picked up the Kino disc today, and started working on a Moroder version of it. I'm noting the scene tintings, and the title cards (perhaps to remake them). Found the two Queen videos as well to include (Love Kills and Radio Gaga), and am working on a couple other "extras" as well

First try, let's see what happens.

That seems to be a great project. I wish you good luck with it.

But there one thing you seem to have wrong. The song "Love Kills" isn't by Queen. It's a solo song by Freddie Mercury, the lead singer of Queen. This can by useful to know when you make the menu