Image: Metropolis, Original Film Poster, UFA
Do you know which film inspired C-3PO in Star Wars? Or gave Superman's home its name? It is Fritz Lang's Metropolis. Lang produced his epic silent film in the brief period of stability and astounding intellectual productivity between the two world wars known as the Weimar Culture. With a budget equivalent to over $200 million in modern currency, Metropolis was the mega-blockbuster of 1927. But the film was too long for audiences and underwent a series of cuts and edits shortly after its original Berlin opening.
Film historians gave up on ever restoring the film to its original condition, as missing bits simply could not be found. Nonetheless, the film was the first ever to be recognized in UNESCO's "Memory of the World" register. Now it will open the Berlinale Film Festival next week--in its full, original version. To properly frame the significance of the event, Berlinale directors turned to American designer Christina Kim, renowned for selling eco- and human-friendly couture under the brand name dosa. The story of the recovery of Lang's film, and the details of the recycled art project grand enough to pull back the curtain on it, are as provocative and fascinating as the city which will once again premier the original cut of Metropolis.
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