LANG'S VISION RETURNS IN NEWLy RESTORED METROPOLIS' "Metropolis" Kino Films Directed by Fritz tang Screenplay by Thea von Harbou Fritz land, bar.ed on the book by Harbou Produced by Erich Pommer Starring Alfred Abel, Gustav Frohlich, Brigitte Helm, Rudolf Klein Rogge, Fritz Rasp, Theodor Loos and Heinrich George Not Rated Now Playing at the Broadway Center and newly avail able on Kino Video (out of four) re my Mathews hv J all It You started with "Metropolis." can watch "2001: A Space Odyssey," "Blade Runner." "Dark City" or "Minority Report" in admiration, but Fritz Lang was the first director to create an entirely new and. as the trend remains, bleak futuristic world in a science fiction film. Special effects and elaborate sets created the earth of 2026, in which the upper and working classes live completely separate from, and oblivious to, each other. The former lives in an extravagant paradise of skyscrapers, trains and airplanes, the latter in a dark underground work place where the downtrodden walk in unison, looking like the machines they operate. Now, Lang's masterpiece has been restored to as near its intended form as it has been since its Berlin premiere in 1927, after which the German and U.S. studios drastically cut the 157 minute film down to what they considered normal length in order to The Lee g Jae-wo- o Hyo-he- e, Eun-kyun- Jeremy Mathews I Way Home" is a simple film about an amazingly bratty boy who spends some time at his mute grandma's house. It's quite clear that by the end, the boy will show some compassion and respect for the woman who he's staying with, so the story's worth is Judged by how it gets i there. Director Lee Jeong-hyanbrings a poetic simplicity to the film that brings emotional truth and balances out the repetitive scenes and moments when the boy grows annoying. Yoo Seung-ho- , who works in Korean TV, portrays the young Sang-woin an unsympathetic g o RjO I s' f. poignant- Maria preaches to the workers that they shouldn't revolt, saying "The mediator - between brain and hands must be the heart." The new version of the film was digitally restored from several different sources in an effort to preserve all the surviving scenes in the structure that Lang intended. While 30 minutes are still missing, and probably will be forever, extra intertitles explain the missing footage. The prints of the restoration have been circulating for about a year, and the print arrived in Salt Lake City last week, shortly before the film came out on DVD. Presuming the film is presented in the correct aspect ration of 1.33:1 (instead of the current 1.85.1 standard cuts off the and bottom that top of the screen), the ideal way to see it is on film, where Karl Freund's shadow-fillecinematography and Eugen Schiifftan's special effects photography can be fully appreciated. The film's intimidating visuals impressed the Nazis, who apparently missed the point and asked Lang to become the head of film propaganda. Lang declined and fled to the United States, where he went on to make such classics as ''''..- l u ' - . . 35-m- wide-scree- it 3-- :?ff- , to - n d "Scarlet Street." The camerawork, special effects and set designs were all very influential. The mad scientist Rotwang's lab, where he's build- - Fritz Lang's masterpiece "Metropolis" is now like it's never been before. ing a robotic woman to replace his lost love, became standard and was echoed repeatedly, most notably in the "Frankenstein" And, of course, every science-fictiofilm owes something to Fritz Lang's brilliant, disturbing future. movies. jeremyred-mag.co- OS light, showing the emotions of a spoiled child. While his mother looks for a job, city boy Sang-woends up with his frail grandmother (Kim and is horrified to find a world without TV, pizza, hamburgers and "Kentucky chick-eEul-boo- n) n, g (out offour) iP fatal explosion, there are new men back on the machine within minutes. Another machine looks like a giant clock with a stream of 40 lightbulbs on the side. The worker has to move the heavy hands back and forward to the different lights. In terms of purpose, I can't imagine what this machine does, but the image of an exhausted man battling with the hands of a o Produced by Whang and Whang Woohyun Starring Kim Min Seung-ho- , Dong Kyung hyun and Yim Rated PG In Korean with English subtitles Opens tomorrow at the Tower Theatre by her. The first thing he sees is a giant machine, manned by several men who move in sharp, mechanical patterns. When there's a horrible, clock still captures the worker's plight today. Lang's vision of leaders using technology to make humans act like machines came true to a certain degree, and the film's moderate message, which calls for both sides to avoid violence in the struggle for justice, remains Mi "The Way Home" Paramount Classics Written and directed by Jeong-hyan- make it more commercial. These changes created some awkward story moments, but despite the incomplete versions, the film has alway ; remained a landmark of German Expressionism and science fiction, even if it was missing giant chunks of time or set to rock and roll music (this version features Gottfried Huppertz's original 1927 score). The story makes more sense than it used to, but the amazing visuals it inspired have always spoken for themselves. In the workers' city, thousands of people march dutifully toward the giant, grotesque factory that dwarves them. The buildings they live in are austere and uniform, in contrast to the elaborate architecture of the city. Freder (Gustav Frohlich), the son of the city's leader, sees the beautiful Maria (Brigitte Helm) when she brings working class children to the upper level to show them their "brothers" who are engaging in frivolous play while the children's parents slave away. Having fallen in love in 30 seconds, he descends into the hellish underground city to find He spends most of his time being a jerk and playing his portable video game, but when his batteries go dead, he's stuck going outdoors for enjoyment. In one scene, he desperately tries to find a store that sells batteries, but none of the small towns have the right kind. Lee shows a strong eye for visual storytelling, following her subjects through everyday life. Sang-wogradually becomes open to his grandmother's love and begins looking at the rest of the world, developing a crush on local girl again. Many children are like that, but that doesn't mean we want to spend a lot of time with the little monsters. Yoo saves the film by giving the boy's emotions the correct attitude and authenticity. He's not mean to his grandma because he's a jerk, but because he's an obnoxious child who is used to getting what he wants. We take pleasure when we finally see him feel sorry about the things he has done and the pain that he's caused other people. Lee found Kim, who had never actedor seen a movie in a small Korean town and asked her to appear in the film. Kim is an excellent discovery, showing love and a desire to help without speaking at all. She makes Sang-wo- o less sympathetic because he is mean to such a nice, harmless person. The film's most poetic moments come from the image of the grandmother walking up the hill to her house, severely bent over. and of going to see Sang-wothe mad horned cow Sang-wo- o frequently sees running through the forest. The grace of Lee's storytelling in this second film by the director, shows a talent early in the career. She must have learned from many life experiences before beginning her career. If she works on a story that has a little more content and possibilities, she could make something really wonderful. jeremyred-mag.co- m WTmmm . V ' -V v. j t o Hae Yeon (Yim Eun-kyung- ). But he still shows jealously and frustration, and the movie is about coming to terms with feelings of love. While the film only runs 85 minutes, it's a bit long for such a basic story. Once you see the boy cry because his sweet grandma got chicken for him and it isn't fried, you don't need to see him get upset February 2j, 2003 RED Magazine -- L "77i Way Home" Is v - v, ' "&x:i-a- . -- a simple story about a boy who learns about love white stuck at his grandma's house . n