I never would’ve seen this it wasn’t for CineFix and the 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die list. I even find it better than Star Wars. And even better than Sunrise and Napoleon IMO.
100% agreed. I think more reactors should do this. After all, most reaction channels claim to do their channel because they are into movies. And if you are into movies, you should watch at least some of the classics and milestones at some point. Same goes to foreign films too. There is so much more to discover in cinema than - to over-simplify - just the MCU and Star Wars. It's like if you claim you love food, and than just order burgers and pizza day in day out. Burgers and pizza can be great, no doubt, but there is so much more out there you would miss out on.
The Art-Style is called "German Expressionism" - another great movie by Fritz Lang to check out would be "M" (which is labelled as a mystery-suspense-thriller) - also a classic from this period would be "Nosferatu" by F.W. Murnau (basically a Dracula-movie) - regarding the latter, there is a movie called "Shadow of the Vampire" (starring Willem Dafoe) a fictional take on the making of Nosferatu
We're on the same page! Normally, I scroll down to check I'm not just repeating what someone else said, but this time, excited at a reaction to a classic silent movie, I just jumped in with the same comment as you: check out Nosferatu, with the fun follow up of "Shadow...".
You watching films like this is the reason I subscribed to your channel. I love your open minded excitement for these movies and it’s a joy to take this journey with you.
1927 was an amazing year for films!! We had Sunrise: A Song Of Two Humans, Wings (first Best Picture winner), Napoleon and The Jazz Singer (first film with spoken dialogue).
Sunrise is such a masterpiece! Truly one of the most beautiful films ever made, along with Le Passion de Jeanne d'Arc. Silent film really reached an artistic peak in the late twenties. Much as I like sound films, I feel like a lot of the visual artistry was lost in the scramble for the new technology. I still need to see Wings and Napoleon.
@@melanie62954 I could also suggest The Crowd (1928), La Roue (1923), Battleship Potemkin (1925), Greed (1924), City Lights (1931), Thief Of Baghdad (1924). I could suggest DW Griffith’s films including Birth Of A Nation (1915) for its techniques if you don’t mind the racism. Intolerance (1916), Broken Blossoms (1919) and Way Down East (1920) are great films from him as well. He founded United Artists with Charlie Chaplin, Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks in 1919. There’s a documentary about him called DW Griffith: The Father Of Film.
@@melanie62954 especially Cabinet Of Dr Caligari, Intolerance, Birth Of A Nation, La Roue, The Crowd, A Trip To The Moon. I’d also recommend City Lights as it’s my favourite silent movie.
One of my absolute favorites! So glad you got to see the most complete version. I remember freaking out when they made the announcement that the missing footage had been found. I lived in NYC at the time, and my now-wife and I made a trip to the Film Forum to see the updated version in a theater. Was an almost religious experience.
"She just Naruto-ran!" That cracked me the hell up, you're so funny dude xD Metropolis is certainly one of the best German expressionist films imo (only just overtrumped by 'The Cabinet of Dr Caligari') I imagine your videos on these more obscure movies don't bring in a lot of views compared to others but they're the ones I enjoy watching most, so thank you :D
An amazing movie,glad to see you appreciate it.All of Fritz Lang's early German movies are worth checking out,especially his sound movies, "M" and The Testament of Dr Mabuse.
And Fritz Lang's Destiny (in German "Der müde Tod", "The Weary / Tired Death"), a fairy tale pioneering special effects, some of which were invented for that film (and cited ever after). It is said to have been Alfred Hitchcock's favorite silent film.
Things to Come (1936) written by H. G. Wells, and starring Raymond Massey, is a notable, early sci-fi movie that’s an interesting watch. Love the older stuff…
This is another landmark Science Fiction film for you to react to. Try to find the longest version of the film as possible here on RUclips, as the US version of the film was butchered by the censors for having a Socialist theme, along with showing how far behind America was in technological advances and public infrastructure.
The mad scientist in this movie had a single leather glove on one hand. There is some speculation that this was the inspiration for the single leather glove worn by Dr. Strangelove.
This is a masterpiece of filmmaking. At the risk of sounding pretentious, it is the type of film studied by film students, revered by artists and the true cinephile. Don't be upset if not many people tune in.
So glad you watched one of my favs. Loved your interpretation too. The care and thought that went into every frame is amazing in this film. Not to mention, it’s still as relevant today, as it was then. We are still sacrificing our own to the beast (technology without heart) that will destroy us if it remains unchecked. Much love to all 🖖
The director of Akira made a remake of this film as an anime under the same name. (That remake also inspired Blade Runner 2049, the ending shot of 2049 is an exact 1:1 copy of one of the scenes in the remake for Metropolis.)
Just to let you know (I'm not a habitual commenter) your willingness to look at all shades of film including stuff like this is why I rate your reaction channel so highly.
I love that you choose to react to this. I've always appreciated your adventurous taste in films and I'm glad to see another side of that here. The Passion of Joan of Arc WHEN bro??
The production of this film was truly monumental, they shot something like 350 hours of film, thats 600 kilometer of film tape! They had to build an entire new giant hall in only a couple months (still standing!) and used almost 27000 starving children and unemployed workers as extras. Took 310 days to shoot and cost 5 million Reichsmark or 1.1 million USD in 1927, thats 19 million USD in 2024. The grandfather of all and any sci-fi
It makes you wonder how many films from this period have been lost forever. Lots of parts of this film were used in the official music video of Queen's Radio Ga Ga.
The animated film Metropolis 2001 is worth checking out, its based on a manga from 1949 that was inspired by this Metropolis (1927). The manga shares no plot elements from 1927 but the 2001 animated film does and references some scenes.
I'm so glad you are watching this. This is a prewatch comment just because i wanted to tell you that I did a film study of this in college. It's one of my favorite films ever made. I will be commenting again once I watch your video 😂
I remember first seeing Metropolis after picking up a copy at the Sci-Fi museum in Seattle and it blew me away. It's amazing to see the primordial form of so much that would end up in later films, from the sci-fi city architecture, C-3PO looking robots, Rottwang's evil hand, even the soundtrack. I liked how you pointed out the dichotomy between Joh and Rottwang, one copes with a tragic loss by shutting off their feelings and the other engage in an excess of emotion. It'd be interesting to see how a modern version would handle those sorts of things. Fritz Lang was definitely a visionary director. His first sound film "M" is amazing as well, especially for how little sound he decides to actually include.
Oooooh!!!! You are gonna LOVE this movie. It influenced everything from Star Wars to Blade Runner. For years, about 40 minutes we’re missing until they were discovered in Argentina in 2008. Reportedly, there are still several scenes yet to be found.
As you pointed out, James, the production design is a minor miracle, taking full advantage of the Art Deco sensibility of the time. I loved your enthusiasm for this film. Great analysis!
this is one of my favorite movies of all time!!! I had the opportunity to see the restored “complete” cut on the big screen in a historic theatre (i even found a picture of the original ticket from where it was shown there in 1927!) and it was one of my favorite moviewatching experiences ever. so much heart and such incredible leaps and bounds in visual effects techniques and its my go-to to show people who are a little iffy about watching silent films
Yeah, I don't think I've ever seen a RUclips reaction to Metropolis - good for you dude! You really need to react to some of Fritz Lang's other films...he was an amazing director!
I was so excited to see you’d reacted to this film. 😊 I live in St. Louis and I sometimes like to take whole days and go on “urban odysseys” that consist of no plans, lots of walking, getting on and off the Metrolink at random spots and just seeing where the day takes me. On one of these special days, I wandered past an old theater and decided I’d go in and watch whatever movie was playing next because I was tired from walking. This was the movie. It was so fantastic, and I was so grateful that the day had taken me to it. Thanks for reacting to such a great variety of films. ❤
An influential Sci Fi Epic! They rereleased the movie in 1984 with a kicking soundtrack by Freddy Mercury, Pat Benatar, Cycle V, Bonnie Tyler, Jon Anderson, Adam Ant, Loverboy, Billy Squier, and Giorgio Moroder. There's a lot of versions of this movie: 155 minutes (Original Cut) 116 minutes (1927 edit) 107 minutes (1927 US) 128 minutes (1927 UK) 118 minutes (August 1927) 91 minutes (1936) 83 minutes (1984) 124 minutes (2001) 148 minutes (2010 cut)
That 80s version is a mess in my view. About half is still missing and the crass soundtrack does it no favours. I grew up with that version and it nearly put me off revisiting the later restorations.
I saw the restored 2008 edition when it first came out in theaters. It's an impressive film for 1927 but I think you do a way better job of latching on to all the texture and symbolism than I did! You see this reflected in so many things that came after, including but absolutely not limited to 1984, THX 1138, The Matrix, Thom Yorke's ANIMA, etc. The 1902 Georges Méliès film _La Voyage Dans La Lune_ was restored and set to a great soundtrack by the french electronic duo AIR in 2011, it's not feature length but well worth a watch, speaking of early sci-fi! Then Scorcese made the 2013 film _Hugo_ about Méliès.
Finally! A reactor I follow has reacted to my favourite film of all time ❤ The impact this film had on me on first viewing I can’t put into words how. Starting with the colourised version with the modern soundtrack and then discovering different restoration versions, it’s a travesty that this masterpiece will never be seen in its original form. I love this film so much so thank you so much for doing this reaction. I’m sure comments will have mentioned that Hel was the inspiration for C3-PO from Star Wars. The central building was copied directly into Blade Runner as the police headquarters. The city model sequences again were hugely influential in the city scape of Blade Runner. The crazy amount of effect shots, the huge amount of extra’s cast, the accidental flooding of the set during the flooding of the workers town plus other production problems, saw the cost of this film soar to a million dollars. A huge amount for the time and it crippled the industry in Germany. There’s a lot in the making of this film and definitely worth reading up on.
It’s Very nice you are reacting to Silent Movies I recommend you to Watch : The Cabinet of Dr Caligari, Nosferatu (1922), The kid (1921), The Gold Rush(1925) and The Passion of Joan of Arc
Director Fritz Lang's best films are all about societal divisions and how an evil element can arise within that disparity. In Metropils it's done on a very grand scale, but Lang also creates that same schism in M (1931) or my favorite SCARLET STREET (1945) and also the excellent THE BIG HEAT (1953), all of which you should definitely check out. Great reaction!
@@robertjewell9727 I only watch metropolis and dr mabuse so far....oh wait, also ring of niebelungen, but the dragon not ageing well and looks like toy nowadays 😅
This is one of the best movies ever made. I think they’ve found even more lost footage since the Criterion version was released. There is a beautifully restored and colored version of the brothel scene on RUclips that is a must see.
Absolutely LOVE that you're willing to give some older movies a chances! There are some incredible silent movies out there that are even to this day genuinely great. (I also recommend Haxan if you want a very VERY weird silent horror film. It's one of my favourites)
Glad you watched this early masterpiece. Also, lets not forget that less than 25 years prior to this movie cities were lit by gas, petrol or candle, the streets were filled with people walking and horse-drawn carriages and if you wanted to be entertained you went to see a live performance or read a book. The technological advancements people experienced back then was stunning.
It amazes me every time I watch this at how self aware everyone involved in this film were. They had a good understanding of film despite it literally being in it's infancy. The way they were able to move from theater to movie production and do it so well, just blows me away.
The first time I saw this, it was a version with modern rock music instead of the original soundtrack. It included Pat Benatar and other legends. It was so cool!
Anyone who has ever worked in a factory knows and understands the hell it is. It's repetitive death. It sucks the life out of you knowing that as soon as you leave, totally exhausted you have to return 12 hours later to repeat the whole process over again. I've worked in a few factories in my day, and this film perfectly captures the misery it is.
I'm so glad you got into this classic Sci-Fi film - you should try Battleship Potemkin - it's hard hitting ans influential on so many films that followed it.
Wow! So awesome you went so far back. You choose fantastic and culturally important films, unlike most reactors. I believe you watched Nosferatu on this channel. That's actually older than Metropolis!
Consider this: the masters of B&W film making always had one extra character to direct which color directors do not....shadow. Every shadow in every frame had to be carefully managed as though it were another player. Indeed it is.
Back in 1989, I was stationed in England and got to see the Metropolis: The Musical based upon this movie. The set was elaborate and huge. The music can be found here on RUclips.
OMG! I can't beleive there is a reaction, by a film-maker to this! This haunted my early tweens, but totally prepared the young me for 2001, Bladerunner. Apocalypse etc.
Absolutely fantastic reaction, always interesting to hear your take on films such as this! And very strong start in regards to silent cinema on this channel as well.
LOVE that you did this. As you rightly spotted, this still resonates hard today. From Kubrick to Ridley Scott to James Cameron. Although Philip K Dick had written the core of Blade Runner 20 years previously, Scott merged it brilliantly with threads and ideas from Metropolis. And Terminator, RoboCop? Both owe their lineage to Brigitte Helm's brilliant performance as Maria. Also important to note how pivotal both Metropolis and Fritz Lang were. The movie comes after s bunch of German expressionist classics like Nosferatu and Dr Caligari (all those shadows and angles), and Fritz Lang himself went onto be a pioneer of noir (with his Mabuse trilogy amongst others) which is also reflected in subsequent cinema (Godard's Alphaville, Bladerunner again). And of course it also continued to revolutionise production design, in camera trickery (from miniatures to mirrors) and FX. So yes this film deserves all the praise it gets.
Thinking about it, alongside Buster Keaton's stunt work from the time, almost all cinema has evolved from a combination of the two. Maybe add a bit of Japanese Noh theatre and you get the rest of the action genres. 🤔😉
I saw this twice with 2 percussionists reimagining the score live while movie played behind them on a stage - once in a theatre and once outside - two mesmerizing experiences.
You wisely noticed the lighting and shadowing. The Italian artists have a term for this effect - it's called "Chiaroscuro". It is a formidable form of expression and lends atmosphere to paintings, film and even scenery outside. It is particularly effective in the Art Deco style which this movie is made.
I apparently need to rewatch this, I remembered so little. This might be my favorite reaction from you still though, really highlights what makes you unique among the reaction community.
One of the most beautiful films ever made and one the most influential especially with science fiction. Fun fact about this movie is that if you were to watch Blade Runner and this side to side they’re almost identical. (I believe they are similar but it’s either this one or Blade Runner 2049 I can’t remember which. Maybe some one in the comments can help explain.) if you looking for a good drama after going through your list of Science Fiction, I highly recommend The Trial directed by Orson Welles.
Hi James. There is a 2001 anime film of the same name (based on a 1949 manga by one of the godfathers of the medium, Osamu Tezuka of Astro Boy fame) that draws heavily on this film and has its own very storied history (the manga was based very loosely only on the still frame of the robot being awakened having never actually seen the film itself, while the 2001 film adaptation incorporates a lot more of the actual plot and themes from Lang's original) that would be an interesting companion watch.
Every couple of years, the AFI Silver in Silver Spring, Maryland shows the "complete" version with live music accompaniment. I've been twice, and it's fantastic.
A big help in restoring the film was that they found the original music score and could put the lost sequences in order. I was able to see the restored version at a theatre, an amazing experience. I have the DVD and watch it once or twice a year. I like your comparison to Brazil, interesting thought.
This is the only silent film in my collection, the production design and special effects for its time are amazing also influencing modern films like Star Wars and Bladerunner.
Awesome. Love seeing reactions to the older movies. So many good ones out there waiting to be rediscovered.. They're not old if you're seeing them for the first time.
One thing i find insane is that as iconic and influential as this is, we dont even have the full copy anymore. If i remember correctly, it's estimated that there's about an hours worth of footage that's been lost to time.
Another great older german silent film from this same time is called 'Nosferatu' (1922). I'm always amazed by the shadow work and the lighting in these older black and white movies.
Regarding Sci-Fi, Cyrano de Bergerac was a French author in the 17th century and he has written a story about a man from the moon. This is considered the earliest instance of what can be called Sci-Fi.
Another TV series that you should definitely check out is Mr Inbetween. It is only a short series with 3 short seasons, however, the dialogue and attention to detail while tackling some very serious subject matter is too notch, I would highly recommend it for anyone!
Metropolis is one of my favorite movies, one of just a couple movies that I've purchased multiple versions of. Brigitte Helm does a brilliant job switching between Maria and Robot Maria. And the special effects were ground-breaking; it's absolutely worth checking out how they did some of those in-camera effects! Thanks so much for reacting to this masterpiece!
If you can make it to Tampa Theater it is an amazing experience to see a silent film in a theater still setup as it was in the 1920s. They show 3 silent films a year and the organ player does such a great job. Took my dad to see Metropolis there and it blew is mind how much better that movie was in the setting with a live organ playing the soundtrack. Seen the movie tons of times and that viewing blew his mind.
It might take more 3½ minutes before you run the film but it is worth while waiting,, yr skill warmth and enthusiasm,, yr passion, is a joy to experience 🎉 thank you 😊😊😊
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Speaking only for myself, I love when reactors give older movies a chance
Agreed
I never would’ve seen this it wasn’t for CineFix and the 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die list. I even find it better than Star Wars. And even better than Sunrise and Napoleon IMO.
I agree
I hope he does Passion of Joan of Arc. I consider it my personal favorite silent movie.
100% agreed. I think more reactors should do this. After all, most reaction channels claim to do their channel because they are into movies. And if you are into movies, you should watch at least some of the classics and milestones at some point. Same goes to foreign films too.
There is so much more to discover in cinema than - to over-simplify - just the MCU and Star Wars. It's like if you claim you love food, and than just order burgers and pizza day in day out. Burgers and pizza can be great, no doubt, but there is so much more out there you would miss out on.
The miniatures work is still amazing almost 100 years later.
It’s incredible. Totally see Blade Runner being inspired by this at least from the miniature work standpoint.
The Art-Style is called "German Expressionism"
- another great movie by Fritz Lang to check out would be "M" (which is labelled as a mystery-suspense-thriller)
- also a classic from this period would be "Nosferatu" by F.W. Murnau (basically a Dracula-movie)
- regarding the latter, there is a movie called "Shadow of the Vampire" (starring Willem Dafoe) a fictional take on the making of Nosferatu
We're on the same page! Normally, I scroll down to check I'm not just repeating what someone else said, but this time, excited at a reaction to a classic silent movie, I just jumped in with the same comment as you: check out Nosferatu, with the fun follow up of "Shadow...".
James has already viewed M (until today his earliest film) but not yet done Shadow of the Vampire or Nosferatu (either version, Murnau's or Herzog's).
@@brettcoster4781 oh - i must have missed that - thank you :)
"The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari" (1920) also deserves a mention - perhaps *the* quintessential German exressionist film.
the pinnacle of german expressionist silent cinema in terms of visuals is Faust, also by Murnau
One of the biggest influences on sci fi films, tv, and literature.
Felt it!
Killing it with the movie selection as usual dude
Appreciate ya for peeping this one. People skip out on gems like these
You watching films like this is the reason I subscribed to your channel. I love your open minded excitement for these movies and it’s a joy to take this journey with you.
This is awesome, exactly the vibe of this channel. Happy you have this up here!
Dude...I JUST saw this at Seattle, WA’s Benaroya Hall last night, with Frank Strobel conducting the live orchestra! 😮😮😮
Dude THAT’S a moment. Hell yeah!
Love when they do stuff like that
What an unforgettable night!!
1927 was an amazing year for films!! We had Sunrise: A Song Of Two Humans, Wings (first Best Picture winner), Napoleon and The Jazz Singer (first film with spoken dialogue).
Sunrise is such a masterpiece! Truly one of the most beautiful films ever made, along with Le Passion de Jeanne d'Arc. Silent film really reached an artistic peak in the late twenties. Much as I like sound films, I feel like a lot of the visual artistry was lost in the scramble for the new technology. I still need to see Wings and Napoleon.
@@melanie62954 I could also suggest The Crowd (1928), La Roue (1923), Battleship Potemkin (1925), Greed (1924), City Lights (1931), Thief Of Baghdad (1924).
I could suggest DW Griffith’s films including Birth Of A Nation (1915) for its techniques if you don’t mind the racism. Intolerance (1916), Broken Blossoms (1919) and Way Down East (1920) are great films from him as well. He founded United Artists with Charlie Chaplin, Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks in 1919. There’s a documentary about him called DW Griffith: The Father Of Film.
@@melanie62954 especially Cabinet Of Dr Caligari, Intolerance, Birth Of A Nation, La Roue, The Crowd, A Trip To The Moon.
I’d also recommend City Lights as it’s my favourite silent movie.
One of my absolute favorites! So glad you got to see the most complete version. I remember freaking out when they made the announcement that the missing footage had been found. I lived in NYC at the time, and my now-wife and I made a trip to the Film Forum to see the updated version in a theater. Was an almost religious experience.
"She just Naruto-ran!" That cracked me the hell up, you're so funny dude xD
Metropolis is certainly one of the best German expressionist films imo (only just overtrumped by 'The Cabinet of Dr Caligari')
I imagine your videos on these more obscure movies don't bring in a lot of views compared to others but they're the ones I enjoy watching most, so thank you :D
An amazing movie,glad to see you appreciate it.All of Fritz Lang's early German movies are worth checking out,especially his sound movies, "M" and The Testament of Dr Mabuse.
"M" is mind blowingly good.
And Fritz Lang's Destiny (in German "Der müde Tod", "The Weary / Tired Death"), a fairy tale pioneering special effects, some of which were invented for that film (and cited ever after). It is said to have been Alfred Hitchcock's favorite silent film.
This film was ahead of it's time. Saw it in a film class and I was blown away.
Things to Come (1936) written by H. G. Wells, and starring Raymond Massey, is a notable, early sci-fi movie that’s an interesting watch. Love the older stuff…
Yes, portions of TTC have the same grand scale as Metropolis.
This is another landmark Science Fiction film for you to react to. Try to find the longest version of the film as possible here on RUclips, as the US version of the film was butchered by the censors for having a Socialist theme, along with showing how far behind America was in technological advances and public infrastructure.
C3PO was designed in homage to Maria and R2D2 was in homage to Drone 1, Drone 2 and Drone 3 in "Silent Running"
The mad scientist in this movie had a single leather glove on one hand. There is some speculation that this was the inspiration for the single leather glove worn by Dr. Strangelove.
This is a masterpiece of filmmaking. At the risk of sounding pretentious, it is the type of film studied by film students, revered by artists and the true cinephile.
Don't be upset if not many people tune in.
So glad you watched one of my favs. Loved your interpretation too. The care and thought that went into every frame is amazing in this film. Not to mention, it’s still as relevant today, as it was then. We are still sacrificing our own to the beast (technology without heart) that will destroy us if it remains unchecked. Much love to all 🖖
The director of Akira made a remake of this film as an anime under the same name. (That remake also inspired Blade Runner 2049, the ending shot of 2049 is an exact 1:1 copy of one of the scenes in the remake for Metropolis.)
Katsuhiro Otomo wrote the adapted screenplay from Osamu Tezuka's 1949 _Metropolis_ manga, while Rintaro directed it.
Just to let you know (I'm not a habitual commenter) your willingness to look at all shades of film including stuff like this is why I rate your reaction channel so highly.
Thanks for that!
One of my favorite films ever made.
I love that you choose to react to this. I've always appreciated your adventurous taste in films and I'm glad to see another side of that here.
The Passion of Joan of Arc WHEN bro??
The Passion of Joan of Arc is incredible! I hope he reacts to it.
The production of this film was truly monumental, they shot something like 350 hours of film, thats 600 kilometer of film tape! They had to build an entire new giant hall in only a couple months (still standing!) and used almost 27000 starving children and unemployed workers as extras. Took 310 days to shoot and cost 5 million Reichsmark or 1.1 million USD in 1927, thats 19 million USD in 2024. The grandfather of all and any sci-fi
Been around a decade since I've watched this; stellar to see someone reacting to it! You're 100% correct in this being a major influence on Brazil.
It makes you wonder how many films from this period have been lost forever. Lots of parts of this film were used in the official music video of Queen's Radio Ga Ga.
I've read that about 50% of films made before 1950 have been lost. Such a shame.
The animated film Metropolis 2001 is worth checking out, its based on a manga from 1949 that was inspired by this Metropolis (1927). The manga shares no plot elements from 1927 but the 2001 animated film does and references some scenes.
I second this. A gem of millennial era anime. And it was written by Katsuhiro Otomo, author/director of Akira.
@@maniac086 A solid thirding from me, too. And it has such a wonderful score and, for its time, a great melding of 2D and digital artwork.
I'm so glad you are watching this. This is a prewatch comment just because i wanted to tell you that I did a film study of this in college. It's one of my favorite films ever made. I will be commenting again once I watch your video 😂
I remember first seeing Metropolis after picking up a copy at the Sci-Fi museum in Seattle and it blew me away. It's amazing to see the primordial form of so much that would end up in later films, from the sci-fi city architecture, C-3PO looking robots, Rottwang's evil hand, even the soundtrack. I liked how you pointed out the dichotomy between Joh and Rottwang, one copes with a tragic loss by shutting off their feelings and the other engage in an excess of emotion. It'd be interesting to see how a modern version would handle those sorts of things.
Fritz Lang was definitely a visionary director. His first sound film "M" is amazing as well, especially for how little sound he decides to actually include.
Oooooh!!!! You are gonna LOVE this movie. It influenced everything from Star Wars to Blade Runner. For years, about 40 minutes we’re missing until they were discovered in Argentina in 2008. Reportedly, there are still several scenes yet to be found.
As you pointed out, James, the production design is a minor miracle, taking full advantage of the Art Deco sensibility of the time. I loved your enthusiasm for this film. Great analysis!
'Just did a Naruto move in 1924" My thought exactly when I first saw it. That comment only made my day and I subscribed!
Dude thanks for doing Metropolis. Legit one of my all time favorites.
this is one of my favorite movies of all time!!! I had the opportunity to see the restored “complete” cut on the big screen in a historic theatre (i even found a picture of the original ticket from where it was shown there in 1927!) and it was one of my favorite moviewatching experiences ever. so much heart and such incredible leaps and bounds in visual effects techniques and its my go-to to show people who are a little iffy about watching silent films
I just recently watched this with my 14-year-old - I was very surprised and thrilled when they chose it for a Friday night movie tonight!!
And also, I'm sure these videos get less views but those of us watching are so grateful you're exploring older and more obscure films!
I’ve watched this in 2 consecutive college film classes, it’s a really impressive film even today.
One of my favourite films! Hard to believe it's almost a century old.
Some of the lost footage was found in my country, Argentina, I'm glad it exists!
Yeah, I don't think I've ever seen a RUclips reaction to Metropolis - good for you dude! You really need to react to some of Fritz Lang's other films...he was an amazing director!
I believe he's done M as well, which was also great
I was so excited to see you’d reacted to this film. 😊
I live in St. Louis and I sometimes like to take whole days and go on “urban odysseys” that consist of no plans, lots of walking, getting on and off the Metrolink at random spots and just seeing where the day takes me. On one of these special days, I wandered past an old theater and decided I’d go in and watch whatever movie was playing next because I was tired from walking. This was the movie. It was so fantastic, and I was so grateful that the day had taken me to it.
Thanks for reacting to such a great variety of films. ❤
An influential Sci Fi Epic!
They rereleased the movie in 1984 with a kicking soundtrack by Freddy Mercury, Pat Benatar, Cycle V, Bonnie Tyler, Jon Anderson, Adam Ant, Loverboy, Billy Squier, and Giorgio Moroder.
There's a lot of versions of this movie:
155 minutes (Original Cut)
116 minutes (1927 edit)
107 minutes (1927 US)
128 minutes (1927 UK)
118 minutes (August 1927)
91 minutes (1936)
83 minutes (1984)
124 minutes (2001)
148 minutes (2010 cut)
That 80s version is a mess in my view. About half is still missing and the crass soundtrack does it no favours. I grew up with that version and it nearly put me off revisiting the later restorations.
This was my second favorite silent film. The first being Abel Gance's Napoleon, which was released the same year.
I saw the restored 2008 edition when it first came out in theaters. It's an impressive film for 1927 but I think you do a way better job of latching on to all the texture and symbolism than I did! You see this reflected in so many things that came after, including but absolutely not limited to 1984, THX 1138, The Matrix, Thom Yorke's ANIMA, etc. The 1902 Georges Méliès film _La Voyage Dans La Lune_ was restored and set to a great soundtrack by the french electronic duo AIR in 2011, it's not feature length but well worth a watch, speaking of early sci-fi! Then Scorcese made the 2013 film _Hugo_ about Méliès.
Finally! A reactor I follow has reacted to my favourite film of all time ❤ The impact this film had on me on first viewing I can’t put into words how. Starting with the colourised version with the modern soundtrack and then discovering different restoration versions, it’s a travesty that this masterpiece will never be seen in its original form. I love this film so much so thank you so much for doing this reaction.
I’m sure comments will have mentioned that Hel was the inspiration for C3-PO from Star Wars. The central building was copied directly into Blade Runner as the police headquarters. The city model sequences again were hugely influential in the city scape of Blade Runner.
The crazy amount of effect shots, the huge amount of extra’s cast, the accidental flooding of the set during the flooding of the workers town plus other production problems, saw the cost of this film soar to a million dollars. A huge amount for the time and it crippled the industry in Germany.
There’s a lot in the making of this film and definitely worth reading up on.
This film FEELS iconic..still to this day!
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Have a great day!
It’s Very nice you are reacting to Silent Movies I recommend you to Watch : The Cabinet of Dr Caligari, Nosferatu (1922), The kid (1921), The Gold Rush(1925) and The Passion of Joan of Arc
This film inspired the likes of Spielberg, Lucas, Raimi, and Scorsese.
Director Fritz Lang's best films are all about societal divisions and how an evil element can arise within that disparity. In Metropils it's done on a very grand scale, but Lang also creates that same schism in M (1931) or my favorite SCARLET STREET (1945) and also the excellent THE BIG HEAT (1953), all of which you should definitely check out. Great reaction!
The 1984 blade runner city loosely based on metropolis, theme about man-made human and question about soul is there as well
@@robertjewell9727 I only watch metropolis and dr mabuse so far....oh wait, also ring of niebelungen, but the dragon not ageing well and looks like toy nowadays 😅
This is one of the best movies ever made. I think they’ve found even more lost footage since the Criterion version was released. There is a beautifully restored and colored version of the brothel scene on RUclips that is a must see.
I love that you do all kinds of films throughout history. Love it!!!
To the people not knowing it: He has indeed already reacted to Fritz Lang's "M".
So glad you took a chance on this amazing piece of film. I find something new with every time I watch it. Hope you bring us more classics James.
Absolutely LOVE that you're willing to give some older movies a chances! There are some incredible silent movies out there that are even to this day genuinely great. (I also recommend Haxan if you want a very VERY weird silent horror film. It's one of my favourites)
That soundtrack...oh my.
I saw this for the first time on the big screen and it blew my tiny mind.
Glad you watched this early masterpiece.
Also, lets not forget that less than 25 years prior to this movie cities were lit by gas, petrol or candle, the streets were filled with people walking and horse-drawn carriages and if you wanted to be entertained you went to see a live performance or read a book. The technological advancements people experienced back then was stunning.
It amazes me every time I watch this at how self aware everyone involved in this film were. They had a good understanding of film despite it literally being in it's infancy. The way they were able to move from theater to movie production and do it so well, just blows me away.
The first time I saw this, it was a version with modern rock music instead of the original soundtrack. It included Pat Benatar and other legends. It was so cool!
This is an amazing film. Proud of you for reacting to a silent film.
Anyone who has ever worked in a factory knows and understands the hell it is. It's repetitive death. It sucks the life out of you knowing that as soon as you leave, totally exhausted you have to return 12 hours later to repeat the whole process over again. I've worked in a few factories in my day, and this film perfectly captures the misery it is.
I'm so glad you got into this classic Sci-Fi film - you should try Battleship Potemkin - it's hard hitting ans influential on so many films that followed it.
What an iconic choice. I remember watching this in a history of sci-fi class and being blown away.
I rewatched the reaction to 'M' last night, and wished James would react to Metropolis. My wish was answered.
Wow! So awesome you went so far back. You choose fantastic and culturally important films, unlike most reactors. I believe you watched Nosferatu on this channel. That's actually older than Metropolis!
Consider this: the masters of B&W film making always had one extra character to direct which color directors do not....shadow. Every shadow in every frame had to be carefully managed as though it were another player. Indeed it is.
Oh my gosh, this G is the absolute wild card. Your choices for reactions rule. I can’t wait!
Back in 1989, I was stationed in England and got to see the Metropolis: The Musical based upon this movie. The set was elaborate and huge. The music can be found here on RUclips.
OMG! I can't beleive there is a reaction, by a film-maker to this! This haunted my early tweens, but totally prepared the young me for 2001, Bladerunner. Apocalypse etc.
Very nice, James. I would follow this up with "Things to Come" by HG Wells (1935 or so, I think it is). It expands on this.
1936.
@@LaptopLarry330 Thanks for the correction, Larry. I meant to go look and totes forgot.
Glad you took the chance to watch this one.
Absolutely fantastic reaction, always interesting to hear your take on films such as this! And very strong start in regards to silent cinema on this channel as well.
LOVE that you did this. As you rightly spotted, this still resonates hard today. From Kubrick to Ridley Scott to James Cameron. Although Philip K Dick had written the core of Blade Runner 20 years previously, Scott merged it brilliantly with threads and ideas from Metropolis. And Terminator, RoboCop? Both owe their lineage to Brigitte Helm's brilliant performance as Maria.
Also important to note how pivotal both Metropolis and Fritz Lang were. The movie comes after s bunch of German expressionist classics like Nosferatu and Dr Caligari (all those shadows and angles), and Fritz Lang himself went onto be a pioneer of noir (with his Mabuse trilogy amongst others) which is also reflected in subsequent cinema (Godard's Alphaville, Bladerunner again). And of course it also continued to revolutionise production design, in camera trickery (from miniatures to mirrors) and FX.
So yes this film deserves all the praise it gets.
Thinking about it, alongside Buster Keaton's stunt work from the time, almost all cinema has evolved from a combination of the two. Maybe add a bit of Japanese Noh theatre and you get the rest of the action genres. 🤔😉
I saw this twice with 2 percussionists reimagining the score live while movie played behind them on a stage - once in a theatre and once outside - two mesmerizing experiences.
You wisely noticed the lighting and shadowing. The Italian artists have a term for this effect - it's called "Chiaroscuro". It is a formidable form of expression and lends atmosphere to paintings, film and even scenery outside. It is particularly effective in the Art Deco style which this movie is made.
I apparently need to rewatch this, I remembered so little. This might be my favorite reaction from you still though, really highlights what makes you unique among the reaction community.
One of the most beautiful films ever made and one the most influential especially with science fiction. Fun fact about this movie is that if you were to watch Blade Runner and this side to side they’re almost identical. (I believe they are similar but it’s either this one or Blade Runner 2049 I can’t remember which. Maybe some one in the comments can help explain.) if you looking for a good drama after going through your list of Science Fiction, I highly recommend The Trial directed by Orson Welles.
Hi James. There is a 2001 anime film of the same name (based on a 1949 manga by one of the godfathers of the medium, Osamu Tezuka of Astro Boy fame) that draws heavily on this film and has its own very storied history (the manga was based very loosely only on the still frame of the robot being awakened having never actually seen the film itself, while the 2001 film adaptation incorporates a lot more of the actual plot and themes from Lang's original) that would be an interesting companion watch.
Every couple of years, the AFI Silver in Silver Spring, Maryland shows the "complete" version with live music accompaniment. I've been twice, and it's fantastic.
You keep watching more wonderful but more obscure films James... and I'll keep watching them with you!
I'm almost shocked that they haven't made a remake of this with over the top CGI.
thank you for bringing this film which is true art
YES. This is one of my all time favourite movies!
War of the Worlds 1953 is a classic film. Forbidden Planet, Day of the Triffids is some others you should react too.
A big help in restoring the film was that they found the original music score and could put the lost sequences in order. I was able to see the restored version at a theatre, an amazing experience. I have the DVD and watch it once or twice a year. I like your comparison to Brazil, interesting thought.
This film is so influential. The entire "mad scientist" trope originates from this film.
I saw this in Montreal in the 90's at Place Des Arts and there was live symphonic music playing during the showing. 👍👍
German Expressionist films from the 1920 - 30s really was the golden age.
This is the only silent film in my collection, the production design and special effects for its time are amazing also influencing modern films like Star Wars and Bladerunner.
I recently had the pleasure of watching this in the cinema, truly a timeless masterpiece.
Awesome. Love seeing reactions to the older movies. So many good ones out there waiting to be rediscovered.. They're not old if you're seeing them for the first time.
One thing i find insane is that as iconic and influential as this is, we dont even have the full copy anymore.
If i remember correctly, it's estimated that there's about an hours worth of footage that's been lost to time.
I am glad you watched this movie. I think if you love cinema or are a student of cinema,this movie is a must see.
What's insane to me is I remember watching this as a kid in the 1980s and that would be like kids today watching films from the 1960s.
Another great older german silent film from this same time is called 'Nosferatu' (1922). I'm always amazed by the shadow work and the lighting in these older black and white movies.
This film is where you learn the art of visual storytelling.
I love this movie so much!! Glad that you have enjoy it
One of the most influential movies of all time.
This film is not cinema... it made cinema.
Great reaction. Great wrap up. Well done James.
Regarding Sci-Fi, Cyrano de Bergerac was a French author in the 17th century and he has written a story about a man from the moon. This is considered the earliest instance of what can be called Sci-Fi.
Another TV series that you should definitely check out is Mr Inbetween. It is only a short series with 3 short seasons, however, the dialogue and attention to detail while tackling some very serious subject matter is too notch, I would highly recommend it for anyone!
Metropolis is one of my favorite movies, one of just a couple movies that I've purchased multiple versions of. Brigitte Helm does a brilliant job switching between Maria and Robot Maria. And the special effects were ground-breaking; it's absolutely worth checking out how they did some of those in-camera effects! Thanks so much for reacting to this masterpiece!
Epic. Great to get your reaction to this, the genesis of modern fantasy and sci fi cinema.
As a student of film, you will find references to Metropolis all over the history of cinema, from C3PO to Joe Vs the Volcano.
If you can make it to Tampa Theater it is an amazing experience to see a silent film in a theater still setup as it was in the 1920s. They show 3 silent films a year and the organ player does such a great job. Took my dad to see Metropolis there and it blew is mind how much better that movie was in the setting with a live organ playing the soundtrack. Seen the movie tons of times and that viewing blew his mind.
Just wanna say I really appreciate ur reaction/analysis to this. I shared many of the same thoughts during my watch. Left a like! Great film indeed.
I appreciate that!
It might take more 3½ minutes before you run the film but it is worth while waiting,, yr skill warmth and enthusiasm,, yr passion, is a joy to experience 🎉 thank you 😊😊😊