Complete Metropolis

New York Times article on the newly newly restored Metropolis.

"The restoration, overseen by the F.W. Murnau Foundation in Germany, is a marvel of craft, though there are, inevitably, some visible seams and imperfections. The 16-millimeter images are blurrier, smaller and less pristine than the rest of the film, which makes it easy for viewers who have seen earlier versions to identify the newly inserted shots and scenes, even though the overall visual experience is a bit bumpy. Still, much of what you see is remarkable, and this more complete “Metropolis” clarifies Lang’s sprawling, complicated story and italicizes its central themes. It also offers precious glimpses of his genius as a maker of sublime and witty pictures.

"The sublimity is familiar to anyone who remembers the factory maw swallowing and disgorging workers, or the apotheosis of Maria, the robot-idol-prophet-sex-symbol played bythe Weimar bombshell Brigitte Helm. Lang’s wit is less often remarked upon, but it is vividly present in a newly added scene in which two characters grapple in front of a bank of elevators traveling up and down behind them, with the doors open and their passengers caught in poses of studied nonchalance."