Finally coming to DVD thanks to Kino International, this is the most controversial restoration of Fritz Lang's 1927 sci-fi epic Metropolis. Released in 1984, the Moroder Version, as it has come to be known, takes the classic silent film and gives it a new look and sound by making major alterations such as color tinting the film, adding subtitles rather than the traditional intertitles used in silent films, and most radically, by giving the film a modern pop rock soundtrack. Equally reviled and revered by silent film buffs and lovers of '80s music and still a source of controversy and debate among film restorers and historians, the restoration has become rather infamous and for many it was the first introduction to silent films.
As I've not yet seen this version, but have been wanting to for years, it should prove interesting to see what this generation makes of Moroder's Metropolis, especially after Kino has already released two excellent restorations of the film that are faithful to the original version. What's exciting is that it will include the original score and soundtrack (which won a 1985 Razzie Award) featuring songs by Freddie Mercury of Queen, Pat Benetar, and many others.
We shall see how it holds up 27 years later...