English Subtitles by Mr.Radar Version 1
Adopted from 2002 R1 Kino Video DVD release and Google Translate
The film "Metropolis" was heavily edited and abridged shortly after its premier.
About 1/4 of the film was considerd lost forever. Only in 2008, in Buenos Aires, was
a nearly-complete copy discovered. Unfortunately it was in terrible condition
and a cropped 16 mm version.
A substantially complete reconstruction was made using the Argentinian material
and material from the previous restoration. Spanish intertitles were identified using
censor cards translated into German. To accurately portray the correct position
of the cropped images, black borders have been added to them.
The Intertitles appear in their original font. Intertitles with a different typeface
(like this one) have been added to summarize the plot of missing segments.
Black film stock indicates shorter sections of missing footage.
An Ufa production Distributed by Parufamet.
Director: Fritz Lang. Screenplay: Thea van Harbou.
Set Design: Otto Hunte, Erich Kettelhut, Karl Vollbrecht.
Camera: Karl Freund, Gunther Rittau.
Music: Gottfried Huppertz. Sculptor: Walter Schultze-Mittendorf.
Thea von Harbou's novel Metropolis first appeared in the magazine Illustriertes Blatt,
Frankfurt. The book was published by August Scherl Verlag G.m.b.H.
The film's cast: Joh Fredersen: Alfred Abel
Freder, Joh Fredersen's Son: Gustav Frölich Rotwang, the inventor: Rudolf Klein-Rogge
The Thin Man: Fritz Rasp Josaphat: Theodor Loos
11811: Erwin Biswanger Grot, the guardian of the Heart Machine: Heinrich George
The Creative Man The Machine Man
Death The Seven Deadly Sins
Maria: Brigitte Helm
Epigram: THE MEDIATOR BETWEEN HEAD AND HANDS
MUST BE THE HEART!
Shift change.
Deep below
the earth's surface lay
the worker's city.
As deep as
lay the workers' city below the earth,
so high above it towered the complex named the "Club
of the Sons," with its lecture halls and libraries, its theaters and stadiums.
Fathers, for whom every revolution of a machine wheel meant gold, had created for
their sons the miracle of the Eternal Gardens.
"Which of you ladies shall today have the honor of entertaining
Master Freder, Joh Fredersen's Son?"
"Freder-! Freder-!"
"Look! These are your brothers!"
"L o o k - - !"
"These are your brothers!"
"Who - was that?"
But this is what happened to Freder - son of Joh Fredersen,
master of Metropolis - when he went in search of the girl:
"To the new Tower of Babel - to my father-!"
"Why is it, Josaphat, that I learn of the explosion
from my son, and not from you--!"
"The details--!"
"What were you doing in the machine halls, Freder?"
"I wanted to look into the faces of the people
whose little children are my brothers, my sisters..."
"Your magnificent city, Father- and you the brain of this city-
and all of us in the city's light...--"
"...and where are the people, father, whose hands built your city---?"
"Where they belong..."
"...where they belong...?"
"...in the depths...?"
"And if those in the depths should rise up against you?"
"The chief foreman of the Heart Machine, Grot - with an important message..."
"Two more of those damned plans, Mr. Fredersen..."
"... in the pockets of two men involved in today's accident at the M-Machine..."
"Why is it, Josaphat, that these plans were brought to me by Grot and not by you?"
"Apply to the G-Bank for your remaining wages..."
"Father, do you know what it means to be dismissed by you? --
It means: Go below! - Father! - go below! Into the depths--!"
"Do you know what it means to be dismissed like that by Joh Fredersen?"
"Do you want to work for me, Josaphat?"
"Go home, Josaphat, and wait for me... I still have a long way to go tonight..."
"Into the depths, - to be with my brothers..."
"Beginning today I wish to be kept informed of every step taken by my son..."
"Brother..."
"...the machine!... Someone h a s t o stay at the machine!"
"Someone w i l l stay at the machine..."
"ME"
"Listen to me... I want to trade lives with you!"
"Wait for me - both of you..."
In the middle of Metropolis there was a strange house, overlooked by the centuries.
The man who lived in it was Rotwang, the inventor.
"Joh Fredersen......"
HEL; BORN FOR MY HAPPINESS AND MANKIND'S BLESSING
LOST TO JOH FREDERSEN; DIED GIVING BIRTH TO FREDER, HIS SON
"A brain like yours, Rotwang, should be able to forget..."
"Only once in my life did I forget anything: that Hel was a woman and you a man..."
"Let the dead rest in peace, Rotwang... For you, as for me, she is dead......"
"For me, she is not dead, Joh Fredersen,- for me, s h e l i v e s --!"
"Do you think that losing a hand is too high a price to pay for re-creating Hel-?!"
"Do you want to see her-?!"
"So, Joh Fredersen-?! Isn't it worth the loss of a hand to have created
the man of the future, the M a c h i n e - M a n -?!"
"Give me another 24 hours-, and no one, Joh Fredersen, no one will be able to tell a
Machine-Man from a mortal--!"
"The woman is m i n e, Joh Fredersen! The son of Hel was yours!"
"And what brings you to me, Joh Fredersen?"
"As usual, when my experts fail me, I come to you for advice..."
"For months now, we have been finding these plans in my workers' clothes.
What do they mean?"
"...at two... at the end of the shift! S h e has summoned us again..."
"Father-! Father-! Will ten hours n e v e r end--??!!"
"-it is a plan of the 2000-year-old catacombs deep below the lowest levels
of your Metropolis..."
"I should like to know what my workers are doing in the catacombs..."
"Today I will tell you the legend of THE TOWER OF BABEL..."
The legend of THE TOWER OF BABEL...
"Come, let us build us a tower whose top may reach unto the stars!"
"And on the top of the tower we will write these words: Great is the world
and its creator! And great is Man!"
...but the minds that had conceived the Tower of Babel could not build it.
The task was too great. So they hired hands for wages.
But the h a n d s that built the Tower of Babel knew nothing of the dream of the
b r a i n that had conceived it.
One man's hymns of praise became other men's curses.
People spoke the same language, but could not understand each other...
GREAT IS THE WORLD AND ITS CREATOR AND GREAT IS MAN
"HEAD and HANDS need a mediator."
"THE MEDIATOR BETWEEN HEAD AND HANDS MUST BE THE HEART!"
"And where is o u r mediator, Maria-?"
"Wait for him! He will surely come!"
"We will wait, Maria...! But not much longer--!"
"Oh mediator, have you finally come?"
"You called me-- here I am!"
"Rotwang, give the Machine-Man the likeness of that girl."
"I shall show discord between them and her! I shall destroy their belief in this woman--"
"Leave me alone now, Joh Fredersen... You will find the way back without me..."
"You fool! Now you will lose the one remaining thing you have from Hel-
y o u r s o n!"
"Until tomorrow, in the cathedral!"
Freder sees a monk in the pulpit who preaches: "Verily, I say unto you,
the days spoken of in the Apocalypse are nigh!"
The monk's hand points to the Bible, in which is written:
"And I saw a woman sit upon a scarlet colored beast, full of names of blasphemy
having seven heads and ten horns. And the woman was arrayed in purple and
scarlet color, having a golden cup in her hand. And upon her forehad was a name,
written, mystery, Babylon the Great, the mother of abominations of the Earth."
"You will destroy Joh Fredersen - him and his city and his son -!"
Gluttony, Greed, Pride
Lust, Envy, Wrath, Sloth
"If you had come earlier, you wouldn't have scared me... But now I beg you:
Stay away from me and my beloved...!"
"Where is the man whose clothes you wear?"
"Will you please wake Georgy? We must go at once to the workers' city..."
"No. 11811, go back to your machine and forget this ever happened - understood?"
"I must have someone who is faithful to me, Josaphat, how else can I fulfil my destiny?!"
"I must go, Josaphat,- I must look on my own for the person to whom
11811 was supposed to lead me."
"Tonight, Josaphat - tonight when I come back..."
"So, what is your price for leaving this appartment tonight?"
"You do not seem to understand on whose behalf I am here..."
"T h i s m a n does not wish his son to be here this evening!"
"In three hours I will come for you!"
"Come! It is time to give the Machine-Man your face!"
"Maria--!!!"
"MARIA!!!"
"Where is Maria-?!"
"She is with your father..."
"I tell you, she is with your father---!"
"She is the most perfect and obedient tool that ever man possed. You will see, tonight,
when she dances before the eyes of the the hundred richest gentlemen..."
"I w a n t you to visit those in the depths, in order to destroy the work of
the woman in whose image you were created!"
C.A. Rotwang invites Mr. Joh Fredersen to be his guest tonight.
"Verily I say unto you: the days spoken of in the Apocalypse are nigh...!"
"For her- all seven deadly sins!"
"Death descends upon the city---!"
The Book of Revelations
"I put on this disguise to escape from the Thin Man... But for ten days your
father's spy has been making even the workers' city risky..."
"Only their hope for a mediator is keeping the workers in check..."
"There are still more strange things happening, Freder..."
"On the evening when you fell sick..."
"...once the best of friends... because of that woman..."
"...the other man... the same evening..."
"...The Eternal Gardens lie abandoned... but night after night in Yoshiwara..."
"And this woman, at whose feet all sins are heaped... is a l s o named Maria..."
"The same woman who those in the depths look up to as a saint---?!"
"Many now go to the city of the dead, to a woman who has proven herself
as true as gold..."
"But the mediator must appear..."
"Whatever happens tonight: it is my express order to let the workers do as they will..."
"Joh Fredersen wants to let those in the depths use force and do wrong,
so that he can claim the right to use force against them..."
"When you spoke to your poor brothers, you spoke of peace, Maria... Today a
mouthpiece of Joh Fredersen is inciting them to rebel against him..."
"She will destroy their belief in a mediator!"
"You know that I have always spoken of peace... but your mediator has not come..."
"You have waited long enough! Your time has come-!"
"...but I have tricked Joh Fredersen! Your double does not obey h i s will-
only m i n e!"
"Who is the living food for the machines in Metropolis-?!"
"Who lubricates the machine joints with their own blood-?!"
"Who feeds the machines with their own flesh--?!"
"Let the machines starve, you fools-! Let them die-!!"
"Kill them- the machines-!!"
"You are not Maria-!!!"
"YOU ARE NOT MARIA-!"
"Maria speaks of peace, not killing-! This is not Maria-!!"
"Joh Fredersen's Son-!!"
"Kill him, the dog, in his white silken fur-!!!"
"Get your women, your sons, from the workers' city! Let no one stay behind!
Death to the machines-!!!"
In the attic with Maria, Rotwang grows ever more intoxicated by
his triumph over Fredersen.
"...and I tricked Joh Fredersen twice over-! For I concealed from him that
his son wants to be your brothers' mediator - and loves you-!"
Maria is not the only one listening to Rotwang. Outside the attic window
Joh Fredersen has been evesdropping...
Joh Fredersen breaks into Rotwang's attic. He battles with his old rival,
overcoming him. Maria is free.
"...faithful after all..."
"Come on, Freder! We still have the workers' city."
"Women and men, let no one miss today-! Death to the machines-!!"
"Not one man - or woman remaines behind-!"
"Away from the machines-! L e t them spin out of control-!"
"The Heart Machine-!"
DANGER
"Open the gates!"
"Open the gates, I said!"
"If the Heart Machine is destroyed, the entire machine district will end up in ruins!!"
"Have you gone mad-?? If the Heart Machine is destroyed,
the entire workers' city will be flooded-!!"
"Where are your fathers, your mothers?"
"Do you know that your son is among the workers?"
"Yes-you! You are Maria-!"
"To the air shaftes - quickly! The reservoirs have burst! The city is flooding-!"
"We will take the children to the Club of the Sons!"
"Why are all the lights out?"
"I must know! Where is my son?!!!"
"Tomorrow thousands will ask in fury and desperation:
Joh Fredersen, where is my son-!"
"Where are your children??!"
"The city lies underwater, the shafts are completely flooded-!!"
"Who told you to attack the machines, you idiots? Without them you'll all die!!"
"It's the witch's fault-!"
"Let's all watch as the world goes to the devil!"
"Find the witch, this is all her fault-! Strike her dead-!!"
"Now I'm going to take you home, my Hel!"
"The witch-! the witch-! There she is-! there she is-!"
"Where are our children, you witch-??!"
"Burn the witch.- To the stake with her!!!"
"To the stake with her-!"
"Maria--!!!"
"Hel-! My Hel-!!"
"Your children... saved--!!!"
"Head and hands want to join together, but they don't have the heart to do it...
Oh mediator, show them the way to each other..."