I watched both "Metropolis" (1927) and "From the Terrace" (1960) this weekend, thinking that there might be some sort of parallel lines between the two - they both center around the stories of the sons of captains of industry. But that is pretty much where the comparison ends. Fritz Lang's influential "Metropolis" was UFA's most expensive silent picture, and has been called one of the most important works in the history of cinema. It was a financial failure, shown only four months in its original form. Censored in Germany and cut drastically as part of a distribution deal with Paramount and Metro, it was quickly shelved, and the excised footage was destroyed. It has always been the object of intense interest by film buffs and historians, and has been studied, screened and re-released on numerous occasions, including Giorgio Moroder's colorized version with its pop rock sound track in 1984. In 2008 an additional 25 minutes of previously lost footage was discovered in the Museo del Cine in Buenos Aires, Argentina. In 1926 a distributor from Argentina had seen a screening before the cuts were made, bought it and took it back to Argentina with him, where it ended up in a private collection that eventually made its way to the Museo del Cine. The most recently restored "Metropolis" is out now on DVD and is the closest that it will probably ever be to Fritz Lang's original version. It is amazing to look at. The image of Maria the Robot is one of the iconic images in all of cinema history.
Reportedly Lang's vision for the film was inspired in part by the New York City skyline when he first arrived via ocean liner in 1924. The still below reminds me of the 10, 210 and 110 freeway interchanges south of downtown Los Angeles.
This new DVD has the beautiful original score by Gottfried Huppertz, performed by the Rundfunk Symphony Orchestra, Berlin, and conducted by Frank Strobel. "Metropolis" is an intense examination of class warfare, profoundly visual, prophetic, and still relevant nearly a century after it was made.
On the other hand, "From the Terrace" is a light weight period piece - a pre sexual revolution 1960's era soaper. It is the story of the son of a wealthy industrialist played by Paul Newman, who weds a socialite played by Joanne Woodward at her deliciously ash blond best. It was a serious film at its time based on John O'Hara's novel of the same name, and centers around the sexual and political machinations of the rich, as Newman tries to shake the influence of his overbearing father and strike out on his own after serving in World War II. Like the character Freder in "Metropolis", Newman's Alfred Eaton rejects all that his father stood for. Unlike Freder, who literally goes underground to become an anarchist, Eaton stays in the game. Of course its really not fair to compare the two films. "Metropolis" remains an influential classic, and "From the Terrace" has weathered into camp. ("The Best Years of Our Lives" it never was.) Still, "Terrace" is a fun compliment to the uber serious "Metropolis" - like a little dish of raspberry jello after a complex gourmet meal. In "Terrace" we get to see Paul Newman at his blue eyed dreamiest. We get to see Myrna Loy play a soused spouse. We get to see Barbara Eden in only her third big screen appearance do a party cameo as a flirt named Clemmy Shreve. We get to see Woodward as the spoiled, shallow socialite Mary St. John wearing a lot of great outfits. We get to see the opulent interiors and exteriors of rich people's houses. We get to see Elizabeth Allen (who looks very much like my friend the jazz singer Gina Saputo) play a character named Sage Rimmington who, when interrupted making out with Alfred Eaton's best friend Lex Porter on the couch, exits saying, "I think I'll go slip into something more comfortable - like my husband."
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