{"id":51378,"date":"2026-01-16T07:00:43","date_gmt":"2026-01-16T12:00:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.cinema-crazed.com\/blog\/?p=51378"},"modified":"2026-01-14T18:20:26","modified_gmt":"2026-01-14T23:20:26","slug":"the-bootleg-files-metropolis-2027","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.cinema-crazed.com\/blog\/2026\/01\/16\/the-bootleg-files-metropolis-2027\/","title":{"rendered":"The Bootleg Files: Metropolis 2027"},"content":{"rendered":"

BOOTLEG FILES 926:<\/strong> \u201cMetropolis 2027\u201d (Fritz Lang\u2019s 1927 science fiction classic, updated with color and a dialogue track). <\/p>\n

LAST SEEN:<\/strong> On YouTube.<\/p>\n

AMERICAN HOME VIDEO: <\/strong>None.
\n
\nREASON FOR BOOTLEG STATUS:<\/strong> A fan film made without the clearance of the rights owners of the original classic. <\/p>\n

CHANCES OF SEEING A COMMERCIAL DVD RELEASE:<\/strong> Nein.<\/p>\n

The other day, I received an email from a person named Garrett Guynn, who reminded me that I wrote a Bootleg Files review in September 2019 of \u201cMetropolisRemix,\u201d<\/a> which took Fritz Lang\u2019s 1927 silent black-and-white classic and reimagined it as a color film with spoken dialogue. Mr. Guynn included a link to my review, which was helpful because I had no memory of his film. And when I reread my review, I could only vaguely recall the production.
\n<\/p>\n

My review of \u201cMetropolisRemix\u201d was not supportive of the endeavor, and I was rather surprised that Mr. Guynn did not send me a negative message. Instead, he informed me that he updated his work with changes that addressed many of the problems I had with his 2019 production. I was very surprised and more than a little embarrassed \u2013 my review was strictly a statement of opinion and I sincerely hoped that Mr. Guynn didn\u2019t think my observations required him to devote time, energy and (I assume) money to redo the work strictly because I wasn\u2019t bowled over by his first offering.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m reaching out because I\u2019ve released a materially revised cut that directly addresses the core issues you flagged (especially the soundtrack and dubbing), and I\u2019d genuinely welcome your take on whether the new version improves things\u2014or simply fails in new ways,\u201d Mr. Guynn wrote to me.<\/p>\n

Well, I took at the new offering, which is now on YouTube as \u201cMetropolis 2027.\u201d And it is with great pleasure that I can declare \u201cMetropolis 2027\u201d is first great online video of this year. <\/p>\n

For starters, the colorization is a vast improvement over the 2019 version, which looked like a two-color Technicolor film from the late silent era. In \u201cMetropolis 2027,\u201d the colors are more vibrant and contemporary, and many of the sequences look astonishing with these digital hues \u2013 especially the Babel segment and in the transformation of the robot into the Evil Maria. This version\u2019s colorization also downplays the garish visual touches that were not so obvious in the black-and-white version, most notably the very heavy eye make-up worn by Gustav Fr\u00f6hlich\u2019s Freder and Rudolf Klein-Rogge\u2019s Rotwang. This version was also upscaled to 4K with what Mr. Guynn referred to as a \u201cselective restoration applied to the rougher \u2018found footage\u2019 segments.\u201d <\/p>\n

\u201cMetropolis 2027\u201d also has a wonderfully robust soundtrack that perfectly matches the on-screen action. In his email to me, Mr. Guynn promised the \u201coverall sound is pulled back to let performances and score carry emotional beats\u201d while the music track was \u201cre-scored to follow scenes more precisely, with themes pulled from the original score.\u201d And, damn, it works brilliantly. The music soundtrack is one of the best accompaniments to a silent film that I’ve heard.<\/p>\n

As for the use of dialogue to replace the intertitles of the original silent version, I am still not entirely convinced that this was the best idea. That being said, I do not see it interfering with one\u2019s enjoyment of the film \u2013 and if Giorgio Moroder could attach an 80s rock soundtrack to \u201cMetropolis,\u201d there is no reason why Garrett Guynn cannot give voices to Lang\u2019s characters.<\/p>\n

The original \u201cMetropolis\u201d is under a quirky copyright regimen \u2013 the film is in the public domain in the United States, but it is copyright protected in its native Germany and in the other European Union nations until 2046. Thus, this can be only be seen online as a fan film offering. <\/p>\n

I strongly recommend that you take the time to enjoy \u201cMetropolis 2027,\u201d and I so grateful that Mr. Guynn alerted me to his updated work. This work is nothing short of a triumph of imagination and artistic perseverance. Bravo, Mr. Guynn!<\/p>\n