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Metropolis: A Cinematic Laboratory for Modern Architecture

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This new Metropolis picture book is a must-have for all fans and students of Fritz Lang's classic 1927 silent film. Printed in large format and on high gloss paper, this bilingual (German/English) edition is worth the price alone for the collecton of spectacular black and white images, the majority of which deal with the film's production during 1925-6. However, supplementing this, is a comprehensive introductory essay which reveals the often savage reception the film received upon its premiere, along with the overwhelming accolades. In addition, there are articles presenting a concise outline of the director's original film (now severely edited, and with perhaps a quarter lost forever), and a history of the various prints surviving in film archives throughout the world. Finally, a comprehensive bibliography and expansive footnotes add to what is undoubtedly an essential reference text for anyone interested in Fritz Lang's masterwork. Many questions are answered within this book, e.g. the 1968 statement by Lang that Thea von Harbou wrote the novelised version of Metropolis after she finished the movie script, and not before, is significant. It is just one of many such snippets which the German editors of the book have now provided to a worldwide audience. The production by Axel Menges is also to be commended. 28 November 2000