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Steven Lyle Jordan · 05-20-2010, 09:57 AM

Well, I hit the Big Apple last weekend, and saw Metropolis... and I'm glad I did.

The new footage added an additional depth to the film in multiple places. Although the Buenos Aires footage was taken from a 16mm print, and so was not in a condition equal to the rest of the restored film, it was all clear enough to recognize the images. An additional bonus: Some scenes were restored before the 2002 release, but because missing footage left the scenes so disjointed, they were actually not included in the 2002 release. The newly-discovered film allowed those scenes to be put back in, further filling out the movie.

Though I don't know how much is involved in the restoration process, I do know that the new footage was in better visual condition than much of the film and negatives that were eventually restored for the 2002 release. There is a difference between restoring from print and restoring from negative, but with enough work and the latest in computer equipment, the B.A. footage may be cleaned up further. So, hopefully, we will eventually be hearing about a fresh restoration attempt that has cleaned up the new footage even more, and a new release of a closer-to-pristine movie. (I'll still be buying the 2010 DVD when it is released in a few months.)

As for the rest of the trip: Darka and I stayed downtown, we hung and shopped in Times Square, we also saw a Broadway show (The Lion King--the opening scene alone was worth the price of admission!), we both rode the NYC subway for the first time, and we paid way too much for everything! But we loved every minute of it.

05-20-2010, 09:57 AM	#26
Steven Lyle Jordan Grand Sorcerer Posts: 8,478 Karma: 5171130 Join Date: Jan 2006 Device: none	Back from New York! Well, I hit the Big Apple last weekend, and saw Metropolis... and I'm glad I did. The new footage added an additional depth to the film in multiple places. Although the Buenos Aires footage was taken from a 16mm print, and so was not in a condition equal to the rest of the restored film, it was all clear enough to recognize the images. An additional bonus: Some scenes were restored before the 2002 release, but because missing footage left the scenes so disjointed, they were actually not included in the 2002 release. The newly-discovered film allowed those scenes to be put back in, further filling out the movie. Though I don't know how much is involved in the restoration process, I do know that the new footage was in better visual condition than much of the film and negatives that were eventually restored for the 2002 release. There is a difference between restoring from print and restoring from negative, but with enough work and the latest in computer equipment, the B.A. footage may be cleaned up further. So, hopefully, we will eventually be hearing about a fresh restoration attempt that has cleaned up the new footage even more, and a new release of a closer-to-pristine movie. (I'll still be buying the 2010 DVD when it is released in a few months.) As for the rest of the trip: Darka and I stayed downtown, we hung and shopped in Times Square, we also saw a Broadway show (The Lion King--the opening scene alone was worth the price of admission!), we both rode the NYC subway for the first time, and we paid way too much for everything! But we loved every minute of it.