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Fritz Lang’s original cut of METROPOLIS found in Buenos Aires museum

July 5th, 2008 by Scott Marks

In May, rumors that an uncut, 131 minute print of Orson Welles’ The Magnificent Ambersons was discovered at the São Paulo Cinematheque. A fellow named Roberto posted this tidbit on the Turner Classic Movies website adding, “cans labeled correctly but ignored by over-worked local preservation staff which assumed it was regular print of film.”

Recently, staff members of the Museo del Cine Pablo C. Ducros Hicken in Buenos Aires, found a 16mm negative of what was thought to have been long lost missing scenes from Fritz Lang’s 21st Century masterwork Metropolis.

On Thursday, the recently discovered material was shown to journalists for the first time in decades. Museum director Paula Felix-Didier said theirs is the only copy of German director Fritz Lang’s complete film.

All this talk of Brazil and Buenos Aires being the meccas of lost movies prompted compulsive Emulsion Compulsion loyalist ‘Bushido’ John Decapias to slide back his porkpie hat, scratch his head and muse, “Boy, everything is being rediscovered in South America. Let’s see if they find anything else.”

How about unearthing the missing reels to Greed, the pie fight from Dr. Strangelove and a copies of London After Midnight and Don Siegel’s Baby Face Nelson while they’re at it?

The last time anyone saw the complete version of Lang’s futuristic tale of man vs. machine was in May of 1927. According to Zeit Online, “At the time it was the most expensive German film ever made. It was intended to be a major offensive against Hollywood. However the film flopped with critics and audiences alike.”

Fanning flopsweat, American reps from Paramount took a scissors and started snipping away at Lang’s creation. The plot was restructured to the point of oversimplification and many crucial scenes excised. In their wake, all that remained of the original Metropolis was an incomplete original negative and copies of shortened and reedited release prints. For eighty years, over a quarter of Lang’s original vision had been considered missing in action.

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New Photos added: Jerry Lewis, TAXI DRIVER, Betty Boop, Jean Arthur, The 3 Stooges and more!

April 5th, 2008 by Scott Marks

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Is nothing sacred?

For the past month, Emulsion Compulsion’s burgeoning Image Vault underwent some minor tweaking to smooth a few kinks in the system. Now it’s back up to speed and better than ever with over 10,000 photos for your entertainment pleasure!

Every weekend, I will post a list of all the pictures added to the Image Gallery during the previous week. It’s a bountiful harvest this week. Enjoy!

  • Cartoon All-Stars - 15 Photos (Betty Boop, Popeye, Bugs Bunny, Felix the Cat, etc.)
  • Signed 1963 LIFE Magazine ad featuring Irv Kupcinet for Meister Brau Beer
  • The 3 Stooges - 19 Photos from Larry Fine’s autobiography Stroke of Luck
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