For these series of photos, I'd like to focus on the background paintings, which are absolutely stunning and my favorite element of this movie. I missed a chance to see the anime Metrpolis on the big screen, but I always thought it looked good on DVD. This Blu-Ray, even in 720p resolution, blows it away. I am constantly distracted by details in the backgrounds, from the bustling of the futuristic city life, to the sharply detailed artwork of this sprawling world.
As always, click on the photos to see the full-size version. They're very large (720p) so keep that in mind. This Blu-Ray is coming to the US later this year, right? As soon as it's available, grab it immediately. This is an absolutely spectacular visionary film, and it will make your LCD and plasma screens sing.
Can you tell I've had connection trouble? That's why I'm stacking this post with so many screenshots. Of course, it helps that everything in the movie looks so great. I'm not sure where this Metropolis ranks among the anime faithful, but to me, this was a magnificent film, and certainly my favorite anime before discovering Studio Ghibli. Expect at least a couple more themed photo posts.
6 comments:
I absolutely loved this movie. I especially liked the jazz soundtrack. It went along with the style and made it seem very old-timey, Which I thought was appropriate considering what it was based on. The anime is a lot more like the 1927 silent film classic than it is like the manga (or so I hear)
Speaking of the original Metropolis, I heard they found a complete copy of the movie in some old film museum, and a restored version of the film is supposed to be coming out next year.
My take on this movie goes like this: it's Fritz Lang's Metropolis, viewed through the lens of everything it influenced. This includes Osamu Tezuka's manga, of course, although the manga was very different in many ways. The other child, obviously, is Blade Runner. I think the Blade Runner influence is just as great as Tezuka, maybe a little more.
Then there is the political element, and that's the thing that first drew me in. It's John Lennon, Bob Marley, Che Guevara, the Zapatistas (there's one bar with missing letters in the name; I always thought it said, "Zapatista), Vietnam, the Civil Rights era, etc. etc.
The jazz soundtrack was a masterstroke. That one addition to the movie gives it greatness. I don't know if Rintaro ever understood the racial and political dimensions to jazz, but his Metropolis strongly suggests it. This is not the case of simply taking Western icons because they looked cool, without any conscious or deeper meaning (Evangelion commits this sin, IMHO).
And, yes, I have heard about the discovery of the entire, uncut Fritz Lang Metropolis. I remember the last great discovery and restoration a decade ago, and how exciting it was to see the movie in its limited theatrical run. Previously, the best-known Metropolis was the 1980s version, with the MTV-style pop soundtrack. Weirdly enough, that kind of worked, but it was still a "Warriors of the Wind" assault on the original.
Previously, the best-known Metropolis was the 1980s version, with the MTV-style pop soundtrack. Weirdly enough, that kind of worked, but it was still a "Warriors of the Wind" assault on the original.
It was the first time I saw Metropolis I hate to admit, and enjoyed it that way over a later screening in college from a 16mm print with a standard piano score.
The animation in Metropolis is impossibly exquisite, as these screenshots attest. They are merely a glimpse, of course. Every frame of the movie is an incredibly detailed and colorful work of art. It's anime like no other. It gives new meaning to the word "brilliance." Stunning. Vibrant. Breathtaking. It's impossible to do it justice with words.
Part of what makes the art so impressive to me is how varied it is, making use of countless colorschemes throughout the movie to set the tone according to setting and subtext. Even with these 10 shots alone, you can see an entirely different colorscheme in each one. I've never seen anything else like it, and there are so few films or filmmakers daring enough to employ this kind of variation. I think Metropolis is a landmark for its innovative production design, if nothing else.
A fantastic movie. I was originally put off by the 'old style' character design of the main two characters, but this grows on you. You really can't imagaine any other soundtrack for this movie, it fits perfectly. The visuals in part are really quite beautiful, but overall the atmosphere created is so rich and full of detail. If I wasn't already watching Princess Mononoke, and the fact I have to go to bed, I'd watch it again now!!
I mus watch this movie no matter what! :P I love genres about the future so I think this movie might be perfect for me :P
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