Film
Metropolis
1927 (RR 2010)
UK Quad / Double Sided (30" x 40")
UK / British
Near mint minus; originally rolled (as issued)
Fritz Lang
Alfred Abel, Brigitte Helm, Fritz Rasp, Gustav Fröhlich, Rudolf Klein-Rogge, Theodor Loos
“There can be no understanding between the hands and the brain unless the heart acts as mediator”
Based upon an original 1927 design by Boris Bilinsky this stunning original UK quad for the Eureka / Masters of Cinema 2010 re-release for “Metropolis” is a visual treasure. Reconstructed and restored with an additional 25 minutes Fritz Lang’s sci fi classic is truly deserving the accolade of a cinematic masterpiece. Originally rolled this looks spectacular and displays to impressive effect. Due to a very limited cinematic release (a small number of ‘art-house’ theatres) these examples are extremely scarce and sought after and represent a fine item of very collectable film movie memorabilia.
Trivia: So influential on Superman creators Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster that they named their character’s city after it.
…more detailVintage Movie Posters Grading Criteria... read more +
Metropolis Movie Poster
“Sometime in the future, the city of Metropolis is home to a Utopian society where its wealthy residents live a carefree life. One of those is Freder Fredersen. One day, he spots a beautiful woman with a group of children, she and the children quickly disappear. Trying to follow her, he is horrified to find an underground world of workers who apparently run the machinery that keeps the Utopian world above ground functioning. One of the few people above ground who knows about the world below is Freder’s father, John Fredersen, who is the founder and master of Metropolis. Freder learns that the woman is called Maria, who espouses the need to join the “hands” – the workers – to the “head” – those in power above – by a mediator who will act as the “heart”. Freder wants to help the plight of the workers in their struggle for a better life. But when John learns of what Maria is advocating and that Freder has joined their cause, with the assistance of an old colleague. an inventor called Rotwang, who turns out to be But their nemesis goes to works towards quashing a proposed uprising, with Maria at the centre of their plan. John, unaware that Rotwang has his own agenda., makes plans that include shutting down the machines, with the prospect of unleashing total anarchy both above and below ground.”
It’s 2026 and wealthy industrialists rule the vast city of Metropolis while the lower class toils away in the underground to keep the city’s power running. The Master of Metropolis’s son, Freder (Gustav Fröhlich), follows the beautiful underground-dweller, Maria (Brigitte Helm), under the city, where he is exposed to the horrors of life below his privileged world up top. Maria prophecies of a great mediator who will come and bring the two classes together, but when Freder’s father learns of this he aims to destroy Maria and any uprising that may occur…When METROPOLIS was originally released in 1927 people didn’t understand it. German expressionistic science-fiction wasn’t exactly a hot genre at the time, and the film’s long runtime and forced censors caused a hack-and-slash cut that left the world without Fritz Lang‘s true vision…It wasn’t until 1984 that music producer Giorgio Moroder pieced together what was once thought to be a lost film. The Moroder version was tinted throughout, featured additional special effects, subtitles instead of intertitles, and a pop soundtrack featuring well-known singers including Freddie Mercury and Pat Benatar. This was the definitive version for close to 20 years…and it was AWESOME. Lang’s art deco dystopian world sizzled and popped while a raging soundtrack blew you away. If silent films cause you any hesitation, this version takes away all your excuses and provides the perfect gateway into an incredible classic film…But then in 2005, an original and complete cut of METROPOLIS was discovered in Argentina and contained more than 25 minutes of unseen, unfound footage, preserving Lang’s original vision. Full restoration was completed in 2010, and, while the Moroder version is a phenomenal and fun ‘80s watch, this version features Lang’s true vision…Whether you’re a cinephile completist or casual movie fan, you owe it to yourself to witness the true cinematic power of METROPOLIS, made even more powerful by Gottfried Huppertz score accompaniment.
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Mint
A poster that has never been used or displayed and may show the most minor signs of age and wear. The poster should have no holes or tears.
Near Mint
A generally unused poster with fresh, saturated colors. May have minimal tears at folds. Has no significant holes, no paper loss, may have minor tears along edges, may have fine pin holes.
Very Fine
A poster with bright colour and crisp overall appearance. It may have very general signs of use including slight fold separation and fold wear. It may have pin holes or very minor tears. This is the highest grade allowed for a poster that has been restored either on linen or on paper.
Fine
A poster with good colors and overall clean appearance. It may have minor tears small paper loss and minor stains. It may have some fold seperation.
Good
An average poster with overall fresh color. May have tears, minor paper loss, minor hazing. Paper may be brittle due to age, may have minor stains. May have a small amount of writing in an unobtrusive place. May have medium or major restoration.
Fair
A poster with faded colors and brittle paper, showing significant signs of use. May have tears and paper loss. May have tape, writing, stains in image area. In need of restoration or had major restoration.
Poor
A poster that is worn, torn, and/or damaged. May have staining, cracking, dry rot, and/or large tears. May be heavily soiled, may have pieces missing. In need of major restoration.
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LOBBY CARD
11 x 14″ printed on heavy stock paper. Used as display in theatre lobbies. Originally made in sets of eight. Some sets have a title card, which contains credits and artwork, essentially a mini-poster. The remaining seven cards are coloured photographic credits and poster artwork showing different scenes from the movie.
WINDOW CARD
14 x 22″ printed on heavy stock paper with the top 4-6 inches usually left blank for the local cinema owner to fill in the cinema and the date it was due to play. Largely discontinued during the 1970’s.
HALF SHEET
22 x 28″ printed on heavy stock paper. The image displayed is normally a smaller version of the main poster, although some do have different artworks and sometimes come in two versions.
INSERT
14 x 36″ printed on heavy stock paper. Inserts usually have the same artwork as a one sheet. Popular with collectors since they are smaller and easier to frame. Normally come tri folded or rolled.
STYLE Y/FORTY BY SIXTY
40 x 60″ printed on heavy stock paper. Rare since they were primarily used for major motion pictures only. Designed to be used outside the theatre, on an easel, normally at a drive-in movie theatre.
ONE-SHEET
27 x 41″ printed on paper. This is the most common size of poster, intended to be displayed in a glass “marquee” case. It is the most sought after size by collectors. Since the 1980’s most posters are sent to the theatre rolled and maybe slightly smaller measuring 27″ by 40″ and with the advent of backlit light boxes a growing number of modern movie posters are available double-sided and the more traditional single-sided.
THREE-SHEET
41 x 81″ printed on paper. These were printed on two or three separate sheets designed to overlap, few survive. Used for larger advertising spaces, normally posted on walls, perfect for huge movie theatres the drive-in, where people could see them from a distance. From the 1970’s on, three-sheets were sometimes printed in one piece and issued as “international” versions to be used abroad.
BRITISH QUAD
30 x 40″ Most common poster size used in the UK. British Quads are horizontal and may have different artwork to the US one sheet. Like a US one sheet they normally come in two versions. Like a US one sheet they are usually supplied single-sided or more commonly now as a double sided poster.
BRITISH ONE-SHEET
27 X 40″, printed on paper. Very rarely used size.
ITALIAN LOCANDINA
13 x 28″ six inches shorter than the US insert, very nice size to frame. Italian poster illustrators are some of the best in the industry.
ITALIAN PHOTOBUSTA
18 x 26″ Glossy, high quality, used as lobby cards in Italy. Size may vary, either vertical or horizontal format. There are also double Photobusta or mini Photobusta.
2-FOGLIO (DUE)
(DUE): 39 x 55″ This is the standard poster size used in Italy. Italian poster illustrators are some of the best in the industry.
4-FOGLIO
(QUATTRO) 55 x 79″ Very large Italian poster printed in two pieces, often contains very beautiful artwork.
FRENCH
47 x 63″ (GRANDE) or 24 x 33″ (PETITE) French movie posters normally come with different artwork to either the US or the UK. Like the Italian’s some of the artwork is extrememly beautiful.
