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Author
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Topic: METROPOLIS - My assessment
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David Pannell
Phenomenal Film Handler
Posts: 1072
From: Horsham, West Sussex, UK
Registered: Nov 2004
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posted March 24, 2009 08:30 AM
Hi everyone,
I had hoped to offer my assessment of this print sooner than this, but unfortunately time had overtaken me once again.
However, I have now had the opportunity to screen it several times over, and have reached some pretty interesting conclusions which I am pleased to share.
Before I continue, please let me say that this is NOT a review of Metropolis - as everyone knows the storyline inside out. This is intended to be an objective appraisal of the technical quality etc. of this print.
As I already knew, this was a duplicate print, and the history was that I 'hummed and haa'd' over whether or not to buy it, as we all know that dupes can be either very good or else absolute rubbish. As Steven Sigel, (who obtained the print for me from a 'friend'), had viewed it on my behalf before I committed, reckoned it was one of the best prints he had seen, I decided to go for it.
General
This is a dupe of a UFA Films / Blackhawk print.
The previous owner had spliced Thunderbird credits onto the beginning of the film, as he had preferred them to the Blackhawk ones!?!?
Thunderbird's opening credits are poor - very poor! Out of focus and with the framing wildly out of adjustment. However, having suffered the first few moments of this torture, the UFA credits, and indeed the remainder of the 2 reels were outstanding! The print was sharp, clear and bright. Focus and framing remained constant throughout both reels. Once set, I only had to get out of the chair once - to change reels. I have to honestly say that, apart from the opening, it would be difficult to tell that this was indeed a dupe.
Both reels projected quietly and flawlessly throughout the whole screening - a real pleasure.
The closing credits state that the film was an NFP (German Film Archive) release.
Running time
How to decide upon the correct speed at which to run silent films? This is a question which has plagued everyone for ages, with apparently no definitive answer. Early silents were, for the most part, shot using hand-cranked cameras, so the speed would be far from constant anyway. Various speeds for different films have been suggested by directors and the like. You only have to check out the IMDb website to see that speeds vary from 16fps to 24fps for different films.
So, at what speed should I project Metropolis?
I am fortunate in possessing 3 Ampro 16mm projectors, 2 of which have variable speed control from 12fps to 25fps. These have been accurately calibrated with a stroboscope, so I know exactly what speed they are running at.
I used several criteria to establish the correct speed.
1.) Crowd movement, particularly the workers running up the flight of concrete steps.
2.) Individuals' action - walking, running & perceived hasty movement.
3.) Watching the lips and mouth during different types of speech - anger, frustration, wistfulness & love.
4.) The children being rescued as they move through the floods.
5.) General atmosphere of the whole film.
And so on - and so on.
I ran the whole film at 24fps, 22fps, 20fps, 18fps & 16fps. Five showings in all, without altering the speed during each complete projection.
Once the eye and brain become accustomed to super-criticallity of these various screen actions and movements, it seems almost automatic and obvious which is the correct speed.
I found that anything above 18fps was ridiculous. I might as well be watching the Keystone Cops! It was really laughable, and totally destroyed the atmosphere of the film.
With meticulous scruitiny of the 18fps and 16fps speeds, it became blatently obvious that 16fps is absolutely spot-on for this film throughout.
This resulted in a total running time of 143 minutes. 73 minutes for reel 1, and 70 minutes for reel 2.
As it turns out, this compares very favourably with the IMDb original stated running time of 153 minutes. What happened to the missing 10 minutes?? I don't know and I don't care!!
I have an absolutely stunning print of Metropolis which is a joy to watch every time, and, furthermore, I doubt if another 10 minutes would make any difference to the viewing pleasure.
Finally, - a BIG thank you to all who encouraged me to go forward to acquire this print, especially Steven Sigel!
I hope you found my little discourse not too boring.
Best to all,
[ March 24, 2009, 09:55 AM: Message edited by: David Pannell ]
--------------------
Dave.
Valves and celluloid - a great combination!
Early technology rules OK!
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Rob Koeling
Master Film Handler
Posts: 399
From: Brighton, UK
Registered: Jun 2003
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posted March 27, 2009 05:55 AM
That sounds like a nice catch, David!
About the speed at which to play Metropolis, that is one of the hot debates in the silent film community! When I had a Niles S8 print (awfully washed out print, but I still loved it!), I used to play it just above 18fps, so probably 19 or 20fps. Although I agree that there are a few scenes that seem to play a bit fast at that speed, I found that that was overall the best speed.
There is a lot of speculation about what the projection speed was at the opening in Berlin. The very knowledgeable and highly regarded David Shepard argues that it was a staggering 28fps! This is based on the original music score and the footage that was included in the print for that show. In the discussions I read about the projection speed for this film, most people seem to agree that anything between 18fps and 20fps is most appropriate, but having said that, most video releases where faster.
There was a very informative and interesting threat on Metropolis in general and partly specifically about the projection speed on the alt.movies.silent newsgroup. Well worth reading. Find it here:
alt.movies.silent discussion
- Rob
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