Metropolis (Paramount/UFA, 1927). Very Good/Fine on Paper. Insert (14" X 36").. ...

Description

Metropolis (Paramount/UFA, 1927). Very Good/Fine on Paper. Insert (14" X 36").
The most coveted title in the entire movie poster field, this is an original U.S. insert for Fritz Lang's sci-fi masterpiece, Metropolis. The story is a dystopian allegory, pitting the elites in the futuristic skyscraper city with abundant technological comforts against the workers living lives of grueling subterranean drudgery who sustain their oppressors' cushy lifestyle. The son of the Master of Metropolis (Gustav Froehlich) discovers this underground support structure and learns of the plight of its people and their despair through their spokesperson, Maria (Brigette Helm). The ruling gang gets wind of Maria's efforts to foment unrest, and the Master (Alfred Abel) hires the mad scientist Rotwang (Rudolf Klein-Rogge) to construct a robot double to undermine the resistance movement. The special effects in the robot creation sequence would not be equaled in cinema for another 50 years. All original release paper on this title is exceedingly scarce and hotly coveted. U.S. posters, in particular, are excessively hard to find - not a single one sheet or three sheet has ever been confirmed to turn up and an entire lobby card set has yet to be presented. Heritage has only ever encountered two examples of this spectacular insert. Prior to restoration, this rolled poster had some color fading, as well as missing paper along the bottom right border, some of which went into the image and resulted in partial warping due to restoration. The lower right corner has had a slight impact post restoration, and there is a small surface crack at top left. There was a also a tiny chip of surface paper loss along the left side of the top border and all of the borders have been neatly airbrushed. There was also a small strip of missing paper along the right side of the top border. These defects had a very minimal effect on the poster's interior image, and the expert restoration has in fact rendered these issues nearly invisible. Property from a Distinguished Collection.


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