Lost Metropolis footage discovered

[SSO Admins]

I've been mostly AWOL from here due to real life, but I'm kind of amazed not to see any discussion of this. Apparently a bunch of lost footage from Lang's 1927 Metropolis has been discovered in Argentina.

The museum director from Buenos Aires had something special in her luggage: a copy of a long version of Fritz Lang’s Metropolis, including scenes believed lost for almost 80 years. After examining the film the three experts are certain: The find from Buenos Aires is a real treasure, a worldwide sensation. Metropolis, the most important silent film in German history, can from this day on be considered to have been rediscovered.

One of the plot points that will be restored is the role played by actor Fritz Rasp (who you can see starring in my avatar at left).

Kino plans to have the new footage restored in time for the Blu-ray release of Metropolis in 2009.

[Gagman 66]

Jondaris,

Indeed, I have been talking about this all day on Thursday. My good friend Jorge actually got to see the missing footage yesterday. I'm dragging this over here from another Forum. The possibility certainly looms large that many more lost films could be found in Argentina, but time is of the essence!

Everyone,

Very big news! The lost footage of Fritz Lang's METROPOLIS has been discovered in Argentina! This from my good friend Jorge Finkielman, who is on vaction back in his home country for the first time in a decade.

Jorge's late close friend the Historian and Archivist in Argentina Roberto Di Chiara, who passed away a couple months ago, had hundreds and hundreds of Silent films in 35 Millimeter largely un-catalogued! I mean they have never been identified! He had been acquiring them since the late 1940's.

There are very likely dozens, and dozens of Silent films in his collection that are currently considered to be lost! I find it inexplicable that this Archive of Thousands, upon thousands of titles has gone virtually unexplored for decades on end!

People like Kevin Brownlow and David Shepard neither of who had even met Roberto Di Chiara, had better start looking into this matter before it is to late! The fate of Roberto's holdings are really up in the air right now! The discovery of the missing footage from METROPOLIS may finally shed a light on this nation as a vast potential gold-mine of so called Lost films? Let us hope so anyway!

Jorge says that the Government in Argentina had no interest in the films! That is why it is imperative that something be done and quickly to save these rare treasures! Jorge mentioned that back in the 90's, when He and Roberto were attempting to identify the films He saw pristine prints of several Laurel and Hardy, and Charley Chase comedies that looked much better than anything He has seen on Television, or Video collections.

Roberto had a large number of Columbia Pictures Silent's, and only a handful of those are known to survive today! So who knows what could all be in there? The sad fact is Roberto had little money, and never learned to speak English. Still I was very suprised that both Brownlow, and Shepard had never ever heard of him, let along met the man! They knew nothing of him until I brought up the guy on Silver Screen Oasis. Although Kevin did remember Jorge.

Roberto also had some bad experiences of people attempting to rip him off when He tried to get the films some exposure. He did write a book on the Silent Cinema years ago in Argentina. He preserved the best films from that nation from the Silent Era, otherwise they would be long since gone today.

Jorge is visiting Roberto's Widow in Argentina right right now. Here are his thoughts from His home Country where He was able to view the METROPOLIS footage first hand yesterday:

[

i]Writting from Buenos Aires, Argentina, It was a miracle to be in that audience filled almost only by journalists with television and photo cameras where almost nobody spoke English:

In total there are 23 minutes (at 24 fps) of the film that were recovered. You will see everything on video shortly because there were a lot of cameras (video and photo) everywhere.

There are bits here and there (you can say, this take is in the actual print, this one is not), but the exhibition consisted of only 4 sequences.

The first sequence is the one in which the worker with whom Frederer exchanges clothes gets into his car and gets lost in Yoshiwara, the street of sin.

The second one is brief and it shows a newspaper stand in which also appears the guy who have to follow Frederer on orders from his father.

The third one is the one in which the false Maria is introduced in Yoshiwara. Along with alternate takes and the appearance of a preacher just before the introduction of the seven capital sins. This scene features titles in Spanish (like the entire print) reportedly written by director Leopoldo Torres Ríos, and Paula Félix-Didier (of the Museo del Cine Pablo Ducrós Hicken) said that he gave a tango lyric kind of feel to them.

The last sequence was the longest: it includes the complete scenes of Frederer meeting with the real Maria and trying to rescue the children, including takes that are present in the actual prints plus others that are not. You can see more of the drowning, the actual ceiling of Metropolis where the water enters, intertitles in Spanish, and the children locked on bars trying to escape the flood until Frederer manage to release it and the kids began to escape.

The copyright of the film belongs to the F-W-Murnau-Stitfung and for that reason now German and the Buenos Aires city will have to negotiate a purchase of a copy the print, since they are not going to sell it.

The reason why this film survived is because the film was released by a company called "Cinematográfica Terra", owned by Adolfo Wilson, that brought to Argentina the complete version of the film, and not the edited version distributed by Paramount in the United States. The intertitles are all in Spanish and reportedly they were translated or adapted by Leopoldo Torres Ríos in a tango mood (he was also a lyricist).

A print of the film was purchased by film historian and critic Manuel Peña Rodríguez and, in the seventies, the 35mm nitrate print was reduced to 16mm for preservation in the seventies after bein purchased, along with the entire Peña Rodríguez collection by a State institution. In 1992, the collection was donated to the Museo del Cine Pablo Ducrós Hicken, and for years they tried in vain to have people in Germany to know about this version. They didn't care until film historian and collector Fernando Martín Peña, called Luciano Berratúa in Spain after looking for his phone in a guide. He did see the images and he himself contacted Ennos Patalas who finally gave the OK.

Argentina have a long tradition of Cine Clubs that goes back to 1929. So... I guess many people will have to learn Spanish.

I'm writing from Buenos Aires, Argentina, which is almost an accident. I am quite fortunate to be in the right place at the right time while all of you reading this are NOT.

I already wrote a report about the new scenes of METROPOLIS that you can see somewhere else, in another forum, but here in this site.

The death of Roberto Di Chiara is a sad thing for me because he was my friend. For his archive is even a terrible blow because the people in charge are fine technicians but virtually without any knowledge about the history of film and a lack of the kind of passion of many other people I have been fortunate to know, like Roberto himself.

The archive has been splitted and despite good will I don't know how many of those films are going to be rescued?

[/i]

[charliechaplinfan]

I wondered if it had anything to do with your friend Gorge, Gagman. I'm excited to know what else might be discovered.

[Gagman 66]

Alison,

It would be wonderful if that were the case. Unfortunately, Roberto Di Chiara's Archive hasn't even been mentioned in any of the press coverage that I have seen.

Nonetheless, maybe this will help to generate interest in his former holdings. Time is running out for many of the films as we speak!

[Synnove]

This is exciting news indeed, especially if it includes footage of Fritz Rasp. He played an allegorical role in the film, which was awkward because of the missing footage. I hope we'll someday all get to see a fuller version of Metropolis.

[Gagman 66]

Here is some additional coverage of the story:

CBC News
Friday, July 4, 2008 | 12:24 PM ET

A long-lost original cut of the classic sci-fi film Metropolis, with extra scenes, has recently been unearthed and screened for the first time in decades.

The original version of the 1927 film by Austrian-born director Fritz Lang was parked for 80 years, first in a private collection and then at the Museum of Cinema in Buenos Aires. That's where it was re-discovered in April with images that hadn't been seen since 1927.

"We no longer believed we'd see this. Time and again we had had calls about supposed footage but were disappointed," said Helmut Possmann, head of the Friedrich Wilhelm Murnau Foundation in Wiesbaden, Germany, which owns the rights to to the film.

Possmann said up to 25 minutes of extra scenes help flesh out secondary characters as well as the plot.

The cinema museum's director, Paula Felix-Didier, said theirs is the only copy of Lang's complete film and it is being guarded very carefully.

Metropolis was written by Lang and his actress wife, Thea von Harbou.

The film depicts a 21st-century dystopic world split into a class of underworld workers and an elite who control them.

Soon after its initial release, distributors cut Lang's masterpiece into a 114-minute version.

According to Felix-Didier, a private collector carried an original version to Argentina in 1928.

In the 1980s, Argentine film fan Fernando Pena heard rumours about a man who used to spend hours screening a version of Metropolis.

It took many years of begging by Pena, but employees at the Buenos Aires museum finally decided to check their archives this year to see whether they had a version of the film. In April, researchers uncovered the reels in the museum's archive.

In June, Felix-Didier carried a DVD copy of the long version to the Murnau foundation in Germany, where researchers confirmed its authenticity. As for a cinematic distribution, it's too soon to say whether the original will be re-issued.

"The film hasn't left the museum and it won't leave until the city government and the Murnau Foundation decide what to do," Felix-Didier said.

Possmann said it could take several years to restore the scratched film.

[Lzcutter]

According to Die Zeit's reconstruction of events, Buenos Aires film distributor Adolfo Z. Wilson brought a copy of the original version to Argentina in 1928. Film critic Peña Rodríguez later attained the film, which he sold in the 1960's to Argentina's national art fund. In 1992 the copy then went to the Museo del Cine - where discoverer Paula Félix-Didier took leadership this January. She is a graduate of NYU's Film Preservation program.

Ms. Felix-Didier heard conflicting reports regarding the film's length concerning a print in their collection. She took the print to Germany to have it looked at to see exactly what version it was.

One well-respected archivist who has seen the entire film reports that the scene in the cathedral with the monk is the only scene missing. It was at the end of the reel and got chewed up somewhere along the way.

The film is from a 16mm dupe negative and is pretty banged up. It was duped years ago from the original nitrate print. The 16mm dupe got a heavy work out over the years so that is why the print does not look all that good.

However, that said, there are some great things that can be done in restoration these days so hopes are high for this one.

[Gagman 66]

Lynn,

First we were told that three whole reels were discovered. Than Jorge repoted about 23 minutes. That is quite a bit less than 3 reels. Now you are saying someone else is saying that only one scene is has been recovered? Is this correct??? That would be disappointing. Maybe what we have instead are actually "alternate takes" with the other footage? Could this be the case?

[Lzcutter]

Now you are saying someone else is saying that only one scene is has been recovered? >>

Jeffrey,
No, that is not what I said. I said that a respected, well-known archivist has seen the complete print and says that the only scene missing is the one of the monk in the cathedral. It was lost because it was at the end of the reel and over time became chewed up.

All the other missing footage is in the print found in the Argentina museum.

As for how many reels were found, I have not heard. I do know that the complete film has only been screened at the Murnau Institute in Germany.

The press screening yesterday in Argentina was not the complete film but pieces and frame captures to help illustrate the story.

[Gagman 66]

Lynn.

OK, sorry that I had misunderstood. So in other words, one scquence is still lost, but the remainder of the film has now been recovered? Is this correct?

[Lzcutter]

OK, sorry that I had misunderstood. So in other words, one scequence is still lost, but the remainder of the film has now been recovered? Is this correct?>>

Jeffrey,

No problem! Yes, that is correct. It is a 16mm print from a 16mm dupe negative. The print is not in the best shape mainly because the dupe negative it was struck from years ago had seen a great deal of use.

Kino has announced that they will release the full version in 2009 as I understand it.

[charliechaplinfan]

I think the Kino disc will be a must then

[myrnaloyisdope]

This is fantastic news, here's hoping more stuff gets discovered.

My holy grail is Convention City followed closely by the 131 minute Magnificent Ambersons and 4 Devils.

[Gagman 66]

myrnaloyisdope,

IN addition to FOUR DEVILS, which you have already mentioned, My Holy Grail of Lost films is a lengthy list. This is just a rough trail run really but here goes!:

1. HOLLYWOOD (1923) Directed By James Cruze. (Loaded with tons of big name Cameo's!)

2. FLAMING YOUTH (1923) Colleen Moore.

3. THE BATTLE CRY OF PEACE (1915)

4. THE MIRACLE MAN (1920) Lon Chaney.

5. OVER THE HILL (1920) Mary Carr.

6. THE WIFE OF THE CENTUAR (1924) John Gilbert, Eleanor Boardman, Blanche Sweet, Renee Adoree.

7. GENTLEMAN PERFER BLONDES (1927) Alice White.

8. THE GREAT GATSBY (1926) Georgia Hale.

9. TWELVE MILES OUT (1927) John Gilbert, Joan Crawford.

10. RAMONA (1928) Delores Del Rio

11. THE PATRIOT Emil Janning's Florence Vidor. Directed by Ernst Lubitsch.

12. FORBIDDEN HOURS (1928) Ramon Novarro, Renee Adoree. (Note: This may no longer be a lost film? I have seen refrences to some fairly recent live screenings. However, Silent Era. Com still list's the status of the this picture as Unknown? Very confusing?)

15. THE DESERT FLOWER (1925) Colleen Moore.

16. MAN AND MAID (1923) Lew Cody, Renee Adoree.

17. THE SCARLET SEAS (1924) Richard Barthelmess, Betty Compson.

18. LADY IN ERMINE (1926) Corinne Griffith

19. CECILIA OF THE PINK ROSES (1922) Marion Davies.

20. THE AMERICAN VENUS, Esther Ralston, Louise Brooks.

21. GLAD RAG DOLL (1929) Delores Costello.

22. THE OUTCAST (1927) Corinne Griffith, Edmund Lowe.

23. SATURDAY'S CHILDREN (1926) Corinne Griffith.

24. SHE'S A SHEIK (1927) Bebe Daniels, William Powell.

25. MILLIE MODISTE (1926) Corinne Griffith.

[Moraldo Rubini]

This is fantastic news, here's hoping more stuff gets discovered.

My holy grail is Convention City followed closely by the 131 minute Magnificent Ambersons and 4 Devils.

Add Theda Bara's Cleopatra for me...