For those who can receive the TV Channel ARTE, Fritz Lang's Metropolis on TV

[Reduman]

Even though this note has little to do with a possible European release of Fritz Lang's Metropolis on blu-ray, fans of the movie based in France and Germany (or if you can get the TV channel ARTE on satellite) might like to record a very special TV programme tonight (Friday, 12th February 2010). The TV special begins tonight at 20:15 CET on the ARTE TV channel (a French-German joint venture). It is actually a live broadcast from the "Friedrichstadtpalast" arena in Berlin. The restored film premiere of Metropolis is being screened as part of Berlin's 60th Film Festival Anniversary celebrations (the Berliniale). There is also a simultaneous public viewing being shown at Berlin's iconic Brandenburg Gate (for those of you crazy enough to brave the current cold spell!). For the TV broadcast, there will be a round of interviews and commentary before the screening itself begins ca. 20:40 hrs. At 23:10 hrs (also on the ARTE TV channel), a documentary film on Lang's masterpiece, as well as its new restoration version containing the 25 missing minutes found in an archive in Buenos Aires in 2008called "Die Reise nach Metropolis (The Journey to Metropolis) by Artem Demenok, will be screened. (For details in German see [http://www.arte.tv/de/programm/242,d...year=2010.html)
For those planning to be in Berlin this weekend,or in the near future, there is a special exhibition ("The complete Metropolis") on at the Museum für Film und Fernsehen (German Film and TV Museum (Deutsche Kinemathek), Potsdamer Platz 2, Berlin which runs until April 25, 2010. I'm swooning with excitement already!
Btw, Fritz Lang's 'other' masterpiece "M" is being released on blu-ray on February 22, 2010 in the UK! Without doubt, a great month for Fritz Lang fans ... Although, I have not heard of any definite date for a blu-ray release on this side of the Atlantic, but given the TV special, I would anticipate a release in the coming months.

[HotRats]

Here's Radio 4's item on it http://news.bbc.co.uk/today/hi/today...00/8512087.stm

[Reduman]

Originally Posted by HotRats

Here's Radio 4's item on it http://news.bbc.co.uk/today/hi/today...00/8512087.stm

Thanks for this - an interesting report!

In 2008, it was a German newspaper (actually a report in its supplemental magazine) which broke the news that most of the missing footage from Metropolis [ca. 25 mins} had been found in a small film museum in Argentina. The footage consisted of a badly damaged 16 mm version. For those who want to learn more about the rediscovery of the 'lost' Metropolis footage in Buenos Aires, you can read the following German language version of a newspaper article from the German weekly Die Zeit:

http://www.zeit.de/2008/28/Metropolis-Reportage-28

or a shorter english language summary here:

http://www.zeit.de/online/2008/27/me...lisch?page=all

There is also a video report (4:19 mins) available on the following page, you will need to scroll down to the middle of the page and press the "play" button on the screen (German commentary only):

http://www.zeit.de/2010/07/Metropolis-07

Enjoy!

[McCrutchy]

Would ARTE be transmitted in the UK (with English subs) or no?

[Eureka Entertainment]

Originally Posted by McCrutchy

Would ARTE be transmitted in the UK (with English subs) or no?

You can watch it online, arte.tv

Apparently it will have German intertitles, I don't think it will be subtitled.

Our MD is there watching it this evening.

[Reduman]

As I currently live in Germany, I unfortunately cannot say whether ARTE has an english-language subtitle option or not, if available on satellite in the UK. I clearly only view the channel as broadcast here in Germany. Given that we are speaking of a silent film here, one can still view the film (with a live orchestra!), though presumably the intertitles tonight will be in German (French) ... The follow-up documentary will be in German language of course. Let's hope that a blu-ray version with lots of extras (and english language intertitles) will be available soon, so that all can enjoy it!

[Eureka Entertainment]

No English subs online.