Director’s cut of Metropolis found

The long-lost original print of a Fritz Lang’s silent masterpiece, Metropolis (1927), has been found in Argentina.

The original 3½-hour film was believed lost  after its US distributor, Paramount, cut it by 30 minutes after a poor reception from critics. But the German newspaper Die Zeit has reported that a copy of the original was sent to Argentina in 1928, where it has been gathering dust in the Buenos Aires Film Museum.

The lost footage, some of which is badly scratched, includes battle scenes and sections that flesh out a number of subplots and characters. Paula Felix-Didier, the curator of the museum, viewed the film only after a chance remark from a projectionist, who noted that it was longer than other versions. A film restorer who has seen the new footage said the film had its rhythm back. Source: The Telegraph – London