Memory of the World; 2012 - unesdoc - Unesco

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Metropolis – Sicherungsstück
Nr. 1: Negative of the restored
and reconstructed version (2001)
Inscribed 2001
What is it
A reconstructed version of the original cut of Fritz Lang’s
movie Metropolis, first shown in 1927.
Why was it inscribed
A genuine classic not only of German silent film but
of world film, Metropolis premiered in Berlin in January
1927 but was edited almost immediately afterwards. This
is a reconstructed version made of fragments that have
been found and is as close to the original as possible.
Where is it
Friedrich Wilhelm Murnau Foundation,
Wiesbaden, Germany
First screened in 1927, Metropolis is a unique part
of the culture of both German film and of the Weimar
Republic that produced it. Metropolis is a classic also
of Expressionist cinema, in which filmmakers used
distorted imagery and fantasy, rather than objective
physical reality, to express subjective emotions
and reactions.
The film presents a futuristic dystopian urban society in
a state of conflict. Several meanings have been attributed
to the story which has been described variously as a
Communist, Capitalist or Christian allegory; the Nazi
Party were reputed to be fascinated with the film.
Director Fritz Lang wrote the story with his wife,
screenwriter Thea von Harbou. New York was a visual
inspiration for the cityscape of Metropolis, and Art Deco
influenced its look and design. Technical innovations
drove new techniques in special effects: for example,
the Schüfftan process used mirrors to project the
appearance of gigantic buildings in miniature sets.
Fritz Lang filmed Metropolis in Potsdam’s Babelsberg
Film Studios between 1925 and 1926. The production
proved costly, taking a year and a half and using
35,000 extras, and the expense left its makers,
Universum Film AG (UFA), in financial difficulties.
Its length of 4189 metres of film and running time
of 153 minutes were considered too long for American
release and it was cut and re-edited, changing the story,
adding new captions and shortening it to 3100 metres.
In Germany, four months after the film’s premiere, UFA
decided to release the edited-down American version,
with only slight changes. This version was the one which
was exported to cinemas around the world.
The restored version from 2001, which is listed in
the Register, lasts 147 minutes and is 3341 metres long.
Missing scenes from recently discovered copies were
incorporated, captions were added, the film was restored
using new techniques and the new version is believed to be
as close to Lang’s original vision as was possible to discern
in 2001. This new, director’s cut premiered at the Berlin
Film Festival the same year.
The imagery of Metropolis has proved enduring in
cinema and popular imagination. It has been cited as
454 Metropolis – Sicherungsstück Nr. 1: Negative of the restored and reconstructed version (2001)