> :I thought the film was almost awful. I'm glad they cut it down. God only > :knows why such a lumbering primary school plot originally required over two > :and half hours. > I dunno, I've seen it 3 or 4 times over the years. It's as much a fairy tale as Snow White; it's as far from naturalistic as one can get. You can see that as corny, or you can see it as the armature that Lang hangs his amazing visual ideas on. The editing style and visual vocabulary of silent movies is completely different from what came after; you need to get your rhythm in sync with the odd pacing to really enjoy it.
I think Mills' fascination with Metropolis came out of it's futurism; Mills own preoccupation with futurism meshes nicely with it... And this is verging even MORE off topic, but most movies from the 20s and 30s seem really strangely edited to modern ideas. Last Xmas I got sucked into watching 'It's a Wonderful Life' and it dawned on me that Frank Capra was one of the very first directors to find a really fluid, brisk, editing style. Even Charlie Chaplin's silent features seem alternately slow and choppy by comparison --------------------------------------------------------------------- To unsubscribe, e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] For additional commands, e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
