Metropolis

[Jerry Turner]

Are there any websites where one could get a glimpse of this film?
----- Original Message -----
From: Don Brown <the8thsamurai at hotmail.com>
To: <kinejapan at lists.acs.ohio-state.edu>
Sent: Monday, June 04, 2001 2:09 AM
Subject: Metropolis


>
> You know it's summer in Japan when the explosions on a movie soundtrack
> aren't as loud as the air conditioning.  It sounds like there's a 747
> making extra-long preparations for take-off in the ceiling.
> Anyway, ears adjust to the barrage after a while, and I in the end I was
> able to make out most of what was going on in "Metropolis", a new anime
> from director Rintaro and screenwriter Otomo Katsuhiro, based on a story
by
> Tezuka Osamu.  It's quite a stunning film, when you appreciate the time
and
> craftsmanship that has gone into producing it.  The rendering of the city
> is painstakingly immaculate, perhaps best described as a cross between the
> imagined worlds of Fritz Lang, Astro Boy and "Akira".  The influences at
> work here are recognisable but well matched, and combine to create a work
> with its own intrinsic value.  Each frame is filled with so much
> information that it'll surely wear out the pause button on every otaku's
> DVD player when it's released for the home market.  The mix of traditional
> and CG animation here is exemplary, although it contrasts strongly with
the
> depiction of the characters.  Visually they are true to Tezuka Osamu's
> distinctive style, and their nostalgic design works to enhance the
> retro-futuristic look of the film, but to an extent it also emphasises the
> fact that most of the work here has gone into creating the labyrinthine
> cityscape rather than memorable characterisation.  That's not to say it's
a
> failure in this aspect, as the screenplay does have a certain depth to it.
> Otomo works a fair bit of social commentary into the story, which follows
a
> sentient android's search for identity in a society where robots are
slaves
> to the human populace.  We see how this has disenfranchised a large
section
> of the population and created an underclass who live at the lowest level
of
> the city where light barely penetrates, consequently giving rise to an
> undercurrent of hate towards the docile, servile robots.  On the other
hand
> we see the opulent upper levels of this literally stratified society,
> distanced from the murk below by its shining skyscrapers and
window-grazing
> blimps.  At times the two-dimensional characters were seemingly being
swept
> along by the plot rather than acting as antagonists in their own right,
but
> the magnitude of the storyline and the awe-inspiring visual detail are not
> to be discounted.  At almost two hours long the movie has something of an
> epic feel to it, topped off by the grandstanding finish, where Otomo once
> again displays his habit of ending his movies by blowing everything up.
> Despite an impressive trailer that began playing in theatres several
months
> ago, the film seems to have opened with little fanfare here and ultimately
> should cause more of a ripple overseas.  Which is what I believe the film
> deserves - it is quite breathtaking, and stakes a further claim for anime
> as a legitimate, adult genre.
> Don Brown
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