Head Hands Heart | METROPOLIS (1927) | Movie Reaction

[@porflepopnecker4376]

Those extreme facial expressions weren't standard silent-movie acting, but a deliberate artistic choice by the director. This film is very stylized. I find it endlessly fascinating. Learning to understand and appreciate silent cinema can be a richly rewarding experience.

[@JeffGes]

There were film festivals based on this film and its restoration 'adventure'. Those were terrific, and well attended. And without a doubt, it was every audience's First Time Ever for that version, at least.

[@ernststavroblofeld9558]

it's fascinating how this movie was restored and put back together again

[@geraldmcboingboing7401]

It's an amazing visual experience of German expressionism!!

[@BigGator5]

"HEAD and HANDS need a mediator. THE MEDIATOR BETWEEN HEAD AND HANDS MUST BE THE HEART!" Fun Fact: Theatrical movie debut of Brigitte Helm and Helene Weigel. Art Deco Fact: The building exterior and interior designs were heavily influenced by the Art Deco movement, which at the time was new and avant-garde. It seemed very futuristic to 1920s viewers. The Rest Of The Story Fact: Much to Fritz Lang's dismay, Adolf Hitler and Joseph Goebbels were big fans of the film. Goebbels met with Lang and told him that he could be made an honorary Aryan despite his Jewish background. Lang left for Paris that very night. Movie Magic Fact: All multiple exposures were done in camera, with the film rewound and re-exposed. For some scenes, this required up to 30 different exposures. No optical printing system existed at the time, so to create a matte effect, a large mirror was placed at an angle to reflect a piece of artwork while live footage was projected onto the reverse. To expose the projected footage, the silvering on the back of the mirror had to be scraped off in strategically appropriate places. One mistake would ruin the whole mirror. This was done for each separate shot that had to be composited in this manner. This procedure was developed by Eugen Schüfftan and is known as the Schufftan Process.

[@AceMoonshot]

Lang's wife (who adapted the screenplay for Metropolis) was an ardent Nazi. She practically worshiped Hitler. I think Lang was going to leave Germany anyway after he divorced her. But after the talk with Goebbels, he didn't leave. He fled.

[@henryellow]

So much work needed to be done just to create a matte effect. Today, it can be easily done in minutes! You've really got to appreciate the effort they put in to make these "simple" effects back then. And it was almost a century ago too! Thanks for sharing! 😊

[@jeffaddis5715]

real deep dive Henry! kudos to you. Brigitte Helm who plays Maria is spellbinding as the evil Maria

[@henryellow]

Yes, it's two different personalities. The good and the evil.

[@AceMoonshot]

Superman's Metropolis was named after the film. Star War's C3PO was modeled after the robot. In fact, the list of all that it has influenced is long as your arm. A lot of people really suffered during production. Some either did, or almost did, drown for real during that sequence. All the 1000 freshly shaved bald heads were very severely sunburned due to standing all day bareheaded in the sun. People passed out from lack of oxygen in the costumes. Plus a bunch more...it was a brutal, demanding shoot. I have watched it with each new incarnation. I kind of freaked out when I read they discovered lost footage in Argentina. I cannot say it is my favorite silent film but it is my top 3. And there is just no way we can really understand the influence it had upon its original release. Maybe Stars Wars is the closest comparison. It was a real game changer.

[@henryellow]

Some people drowned during the flood scene? Drowned in real life? Are you sure? I find that quite hard to believe. Now the sunburn is understandable if they shot the scene outdoors instead of inside a studio. Lack of oxygen in costumes, I assume you are referring to the "seven deadly sins" and "machine man" costumes. Thanks for sharing 😉

[@AceMoonshot]

@@henryellow I'm not sure if they drowned or almost drowned. I learned it from one of the countless documentary videos on Metropolis. The fear on faces in a couple of flooding scenes was real fear. Safety was not a concern back then. The scene where they are burning her, for instance. Huge fire that is so close, her dress caught fire. And in the film Noah's Ark, that was filmed around the same time, three people drowned. The list of movies back then that had deaths, injuries and mental torture is long as your arm. Longer even. Fatalities still happen, more than most people know, in the making of films. But at least today they try to do their best to minimize the actual risks. Back then, not so much.

[@henryellow]

Wow, that is... very concerning. And I suppose all those extras signed an "accident waiver and release of liability", didn't they? So the production company won't be held liable for their injury and deaths.

[@AceMoonshot]

@@henryellow I seriously doubt such waivers were even a thing back then. It really was crazy how horrible you could treat employees back then.

[@henryellow]

Well, that's terrible...

[@Dej24601]

Another silent from 1927 which is shorter, and I think a little more clear in its narrative is: Sunrise: A Song of Two Humans. Also it incorporates some use of very early unique sound fx. Another very early Chaplin comedy (and his frequent addition of heartbreak) is The Kid (1921, and only 68 minutes.) Both are highly recommended.

[@AceMoonshot]

Sunrise is considered by many to be one of the best silent films. The attempts to incorporate sound was interesting. Did they lose part of the sound discs or am I thinking of another film? Anyway, while I can appreciate the technical aspects of the film, I found the story less than satisfying. Especially the ending. But certainly a recommended watch. The Kid was just awesome.

[@henryellow]

I'll add both of them to my list. Thanks for your suggestions! 😊

[@thaddeuspinkney5823]

It's symbolism.

[@michaelatteberry6462]

What a fantastic array of videos you have reacted to, I HAVE to subscribe

[@henryellow]

Glad to have you on board, Michael! 😊

[@AlunThomas-mp5qo]

@@henryellow On this occasion I think you have watched the wrong version of the movie and hence have not attained the full benefit and enjoyment that you should have. The copy that I have is the shortened version that was released in 1984 with the addition of a modern soundtrack including such famous names as Adam Ant, Bonnie Tyler, Pat Benatar and Freddie Mercury with each song carefully chosen to match the feeling and nature of the appropriate part where it has been added. This makes the movie even better, and also the shortened storyline is more condensed and thus it flows as a narrative and does not flag or become drawn out in places and is much easier to understand. Try and see if you can get hold of the shortened version and see what you think of it, or better still the shortened version with the modern soundtrack, good luck with that though because it is a rarity and very difficult to find, I don't think it has been released as a commercial DVD.

[@henryellow]

Perhaps so. This was the only version I could find. It's still interesting to see how the original was supposed to be like 😊

[@Quirderph]

@@henryellow I think some of the missing scenes in the 1984 version actually hurt the story. (Though this wasn't Moroder's fault. The scenes were considered lost and he was trying to restore the film with the material he had available.) The soundtrack is interesting, but I think of his film almost like a remake. (i.e. it's okay to watch both, and to watch the restored version first.)

[@lisathuban8969]

I think it's hard to watch silent films sometimes. This is because the culture was so different, and the "language" of film was still being invented. We have come to expect a certain morality or pacing because we're so used to how we handle those issues in more modern films.

[@henryellow]

I believe it also depends on the movie. Hitchcock's "The Lodger" has good pacing. I've only watched 3 silent films in my life, so that's the only one I can use as an example 😂

[@kevind4850]

German Expressionist films are so stylized. Interesting to watch, yet so different from most modern fare. A more recent film which recalls many of those techniques is 2003's _Saddest_ _Music_ _in_ _the_ _World_ (so bizarre that it was a box office flop). _Metropolis_ is a classic, mostly due to its design and social commentary, and I do occasionally rewatch it and 1916's _Intolerance_ simply to admire some of the breathtakingly innovative techniques and creativity. As you said, both of these can be "draggy" (perfect word). More broadly accessible, I'd suggest some lighter silent fare such as: Buster Keaton's _The_ _Navigator_ (1924), Gloria Swanson in _Manhandled_ (1924), Marion Davies in _Show_ _People_ (1928), Beatrice Lillie in _Exit_ _Smiling_ (1926) - all short, sweet and still very funny For more serious fare, _Ben_ _Hur_ (1925) and _Wings_ (1927) in many ways were better films than their sound counterparts. It is such a shame that some 75% of all silent films, including many that were widely hailed at the time, are lost to history.

[@JeffGes]

Lost to neglect for a large part because the 'holders' of the prints weren't educated in film storage or archival values - they were theater owners who knew about storing popcorn and tracking ticket sales. But this film heralds that SOME theaters or archivists found copies and preserved them without complete understanding but knew they had something rare. Thank goodness for those folks.

[@jaysverrisson1536]

Also recommended: Harold Lloyd in Safety Last (iconic 1923 comedy) and The Phantom of the Opera (1925). Not sure what the best print of the latter would be, though, as there are probably many, of varying quality or lack thereof. (I would look for one that includes the 2-tone Technicolor masked ball scene, though.)

[@JeffGes]

@@jaysverrisson1536 While it's a bit long and slow for rewatchings, there are stunts that need repeated 'studies' to best appreciate them. On PHANTOM, the 1925 is the original but 1929's is sometimes considered best-print. I recommend the 1925 first so that, when the 1929 version is shown, the differences stand out. "Say - wasn't there dozens drowned in that scene?"

[@henryellow]

Thanks for the suggestions, everyone! I'll add them to my list 😊

[@AceMoonshot]

One problem for modern audiences is the less edits. Long scenes is something rare these days (with the exception of Spielberg) but back then, it was the norm. I recall a study on the effects of the length of shots before they are edited. If a shot is longer than 15 seconds, the viewer starts to unconsciously feel uncomfortable. Longer than 30 and boredom becomes an issue. We are conditioned to expect cuts very quickly.

[@miamicool666]

C-3PO mother.

[@zvimur]

2questions: 1) Exact length of the version of "Metropolis"? 2) You mentioned "City Lights". Patreon exclusive?

[@henryellow]

1) Duration of the movie: 2 hr 28 min 2) I watched City Lights (Charlie Chaplin) some time ago. It is exclusively on my Patreon. Not available on KZbin. www.patreon.com/Henryellow