I saw Metropolis at a screening in school today, and I was reminded of how much I love this movie. Which again reminded me of the restoration that had been done with the material found in Buenos Aires, Argentina. 25 minutes added to the movie, and the original score in a new recording. So I went online to see whenever I could expect to see it (hopefully it wouldn’t be that long), and my dreams were answered.
On November the 22nd, Eureka will release the remastered version of Fritz Langs Metropolis on DVD and Blu-ray as part of their Masters of Cinema Series. I couldn’t be happier… this is great!

click for larger version

Check the links beneath for more information. There is a great deal of interesting stuff to read in this huge, but easily navigated site:

http://metropolis1927.com/

http://metropolis1927.com/#dvd

I didn’t find a post about this on the front page, or in the forum, but if there is, I apologize for the doublepost.

No, there isn’t a post yet but there should be.
I pre-ordered this at the Eureka website, and they threw in a swanky Metropolis T-shirt. Yippieee!

Ard Vijn - September 14, 2010, 12:52pm

No, there isn’t a post yet but there should be.
I pre-ordered this at the Eureka website, and they threw in a swanky Metropolis T-shirt. Yippieee!

Hehe, good. Hopefully I can get that t-shirt aswell, unless you’ve got some sweet inside deal

Not inside (the offer was sent to all of Eureka’s email-newsletter subscribers) but you got the shirt if you pre-ordered before the 3rd of September… 

This one is also at the top of my list. I must have seen Metropolis at least three times at the Detroit Film Theater, with the Boston Alloy Orchestra. My only regret is that their superb performance won’t be included in the newly restored version…

Ard Vijn - September 14, 2010, 2:20pm

Not inside (the offer was sent to all of Eureka’s email-newsletter subscribers) but you got the shirt if you pre-ordered before the 3rd of September…  :-/

Ah well, too bad. I guess the box is good enough in itself.
On the bright side there is a lot of extra material for this edition to look forward too. I already have Eurekas double-disc dvd of Metropolis, but there seems to be a new documentary, plus a new audio commentary track (among other things). This is definitely something I want for my birthday…

Not to mention that most of the missing footage has now been restored, making it an entirely different film! The Eureka double-disc started with the statement that over 20% was missing and presumed lost. This one will probably state that 20% of the film is of slightly less stellar quality.
Big difference!
 
 
Speaking of Eureka: my shirt arrived! They sent it ahead of the BluRay itself as a “Thank You” note for early pre-ordering…
Here’s how it looks:
 

I’m gonna wait for Kino just because my Momitsu Region free BD player is getting less reliable every day and I can’t afford to upgrade.

Nice T-shirt Ard Vijn, would not have said no. I at least get the movie, so I’m looking forward to that. Zombeaner, does Kino produce their own version or would they get the copy that Eureka has and release it under their name?

Kino’s will be different, at least in the extras, and it won’t be in a steelbook.  But I’ll live.

zombeaner - October 4, 2010, 4:59am

Kino’s will be different, at least in the extras, and it won’t be in a steelbook.  But I’ll live.

Too bad, I know how you feel. Criterion only releases blu-rays in zone A, and I’ve only got a playstation 3.

I have a major problem with Criterion being so region-A anal. Especially since
it never concerns new titles which are still touring cinemas all over the world, which (in my opinion) was supposed to be the major reason for region-coding.

Ard Vijn - October 4, 2010, 9:26am

I have a major problem with Criterion being so region-A anal. Especially since
it never concerns new titles which are still touring cinemas all over the world, which (in my opinion) was supposed to be the major reason for region-coding.

It would be great if their releases where regionfree, so I wonder why they keep them locked. They have wonderful versions of interesting films, and they are known amongst filmsavy, and regarded at film related schools (just to mention some).
Is there some kind of contract that we don’t know about, or are they just sticking to the region for some personal reason?
I could always invest in a region-free player, but importing criterion releases would be expensive and just add to their already high price (at least for a student like me).

Ard Vijn - October 4, 2010, 9:26am

it never concerns new titles which are still touring cinemas all over the world, which (in my opinion) was supposed to be the major reason for region-coding.

I didn’t quite get what you where saying here. Maybe I’m a bit tired, but could you maybe elaborate?

Fox,

let’s say a movie has been released in America and is currently touring the rest of the world, in particular Asia. then the Bluray or DVD is released in America while the movie is still touring. so it makes sense to code the disc to only play in America, so that people in other countries would still have to go to the cinemas to see the movie.

The Visitor - October 4, 2010, 2:29pm

Fox,

let’s say a movie has been released in America and is currently touring the rest of the world, in particular Asia. then the Bluray or DVD is released in America while the movie is still touring. so it makes sense to code the disc to only play in America, so that people in other countries would still have to go to the cinemas to see the movie.

 
Correct. We see this less now that we have all these worldwide premieres (or with just a few weeks separating the premieres between countries) but a few years back it was perfectly normal for films which premiered in the US in May, to arrive in The Netherlands in September. By that time, the DVD of the film was already being released in the US, so regioncoding was used to prevent the US disc-sale from competing with the European cinema-tickets sale.
 
Which is why it makes no sense for catalogue titles which have already been released theatrically and on VHS. I’m fuming that the new Roger Corman BluRays like “Galaxy of Terror” and “Humanoids From the Deep” (not Criterion, I know, but the same logic applies) are forced by studios to be regioncoded.
 
And there is another reason why Criterion discs shouldn’t be regioncoded: thy never compete with any of the regular editions anyway. Criterion discs are always a lot more expensive and aimed straight at the connaisseurs, so there is no danger of them taking away any revenue from the main studios. Apparently Criterion is still forced to use regioncoding for some reason or another, but it SUCKS.

Ard Vijn - October 4, 2010, 10:53pm

The Visitor - October 4, 2010, 2:29pm

Fox,

let’s say a movie has been released in America and is currently touring the rest of the world, in particular Asia. then the Bluray or DVD is released in America while the movie is still touring. so it makes sense to code the disc to only play in America, so that people in other countries would still have to go to the cinemas to see the movie.

Correct. We see this less now that we have all these worldwide premieres (or with just a few weeks separating the premieres between countries) but a few years back it was perfectly normal for films which premiered in the US in May, to arrive in The Netherlands in September. By that time, the DVD of the film was already being released in the US, so regioncoding was used to prevent the US disc-sale from competing with the European cinema-tickets sale.
 
Which is why it makes no sense for catalogue titles which have already been released theatrically and on VHS. I’m fuming that the new Roger Corman BluRays like “Galaxy of Terror” and “Humanoids From the Deep” (not Criterion, I know, but the same logic applies) are forced by studios to be regioncoded.
 
And there is another reason why Criterion discs shouldn’t be regioncoded: thy never compete with any of the regular editions anyway. Criterion discs are always a lot more expensive and aimed straight at the connaisseurs, so there is no danger of them taking away any revenue from the main studios. Apparently Criterion is still forced to use regioncoding for some reason or another, but it SUCKS.

I was not aware of this for festivals, but I guess I knew when it came to regular studio releases. It makes sense from a buisness perspective, but it certainly says “f**k you” to the consumer.

As you say Ard Vijn, it makes no sense that criterion still region code their releases, at least from the facts presented here. I am curious to what the real reason is.