h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

I have a version of Metropolis at home that is roughly 2 hours long, and I must say it's a great film. I definately recommend seeing it if you haven't.

Incidently, which was the Queen video that they used Metropolis extracts in?

I believe you'll find that the Queen video with the excepts and borrowing the imagery of Metropolis was for "Radio Ga Ga".

Also, just as a small snippet of information, I remember reading somewhere that Lang got the inspiration for the city above ground and it's towering skyline from first seeing the Manhatten and all it's skyscrapers from the bay when he first saw America.

I have to admit also, it is one of my favourite films (I have the Moroder cut, though I would be interested in finding one of the other versions too ).

WeirdHope

Metropolis still stands as one of my all time favorite films. You can see it's influence in other films such as Dark City, Brazil (the best film I have ever seen) and countless others. On the Dark City DVD there is a newspaper article written by H.G. Wells where he denounces the film as being a concept which was stolen from him. He also comments that it was poorly made (i believe).

I have been searching unsuccesfully for two years to find decent reproductions of the theatrical posters for metropolis. The prints which I have found are of very poor quality and some of the image is always cut off along the edges. Does anyone know where I can find some good ones?

My faovorite piece of Metropolis trivia is that Siegel & Shuster named Superman's hometown after Lang's Metropolis.

I think Queen made the Radio-Ga-Ga video after Freddie Mercury worked on the Moroder Cut's soundtrack and got turned on by the film.

I'm lucky enough to have a poster from the Morder release. Though its pretty ragged. Its been pulled off the wall by my son (who is a week away from his first birthday) twice in the last month! It was a gift many many many many moons ago, and I am not sure where she got it. Sorry.

I'd be interested in reading that article by Wells. I wonder where he thinks he conceptualized Metropolis. Perhaps the Morlocks in _the Time Machine_ are analagous to the Metropolis' workers?

I'll see if I can find the dvd. When I remember where it is I'll post it here. I don't think it was a very long article.

If you're in the UK, then buy the "Empire - Top Science Fiction Films Of All Time" magazine that's out now, as they include Metropolis. I glanced through, and they had a few quotes from H.G. Wells inside, but as I only glanced, I can't remember them.

It wasn't just the Radio Ga-Ga film clip. For instance, the cover of the album the single's on, 'The Works', has a black and white cover and the members of the band are dressed in workers clothes. And the songs are mostly about machines and technology.

Has anyone seen the Anime "Metropolis"?

Same general plot, and it came out about a year ago. Truly incredible. Moved me to tears in the end.

I love the film, very clever and much more 'watchable' than many others of its era, for me at least.

There was a stage musical based on it some years back, featuring good old Brian Blessed! It was a flop, largely due to set failures, but had some rather nice songs in it. Very odd choice for a stage show, I think.

Yes, I quite enjoyed the anime Metropolis, but steel feel the original is the best.

I was lucky enough to see the film at the Hyde Park Picture House, an Edwardian cinema, which still has its original organ. That was very atmospheric.

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Time for an update, I think.

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