I don’t usually do the straight blog thing, but two really cool items came across my screen today. First, by way of Kevin C. Murphy at Ghost in the Machine, Zeit magazine in Germany is reporting the discovery of a complete print of Metropolis from 1928, which had apparently floated around in private collections in Argentina for 80 years. I haven’t seen Metropolis in years, and unfortunately it was the rock-and-roll “Moroder version.” I remember finding it confusing and sleep-inducing, but according to the article, several key scenes have been restored which make it much more sensible. So I’m excited to see this when, as I’m sure will happen, the Criterion people get their sticky fingers on it, make it beautiful again, add some sweet commentaries, and charge $90 a pop for the DVD.
Speaking of which, I just came across this guy, who’s made it his goal to watch and write about the entire Criterion Collection. I thought watching and reviewing the whole Cassavetes box set was a job, but the scope of this dude’s ambition makes me feel very small.