Metropolis (2001 film)
Metropolis (Japaneseメトロ ポリス, metoroporisu ) is a manga by the Japanese cartoonist Osamu Tezuka from 1949 with 160 pages. The work was implemented in 2001 as a movie.
Action
The scientist Charles Laughton is investigating the possibility of artificially living cells. When he is asked by the tycoons Duke Red, the creation of an artificial People succeed. But he fears that Michi, as he calls it, is abused, destroyed his lab and fakes his death and Michi. Duke Red is actually the leader of a secret organization, the Red Party, with which he intends to seize power in the city of Metropolis and the world itself. To this end, he manipulates with his technology, the sun, so it comes across the world to the growth of giant plants and animals.
The escaped Michi soon meeting the boy Ken'ichi. His father is the Japanese policeman Shunsaku Ban, which meets at the same time on Duke Red, but can not arrest him. Then he learns of Laughton, who dies shortly afterwards, from the creation of Michi. As Shunsaku Ban is with his son, he also meets Michi. You want to Reds machinations proceed, but Shunsaku Ban is captured. Ken'ichi and Michi can escape, but just Michi is required by Duke Red for the implementation of its plans. The police is already controlled by the Red Party.
Finally Shunsaku Ban can escape, but is soon captured by the Red Michi party. When trying Duke Reds, abusing him for his purposes, he explains that he is only a machine and not a human. Then Michi attacks the Red Party on, soon the other robot forces with him and explain to mankind the war. At the same time Shunsaku Ban and Ken'ichi can destroy the transmitter, which manipulated the sun and the Red Party dissolves. Finally Shunsaku Ban fighting against Michi, who collapses on it soon. This explains the scientist Dr. Bell, is due to the decayed special rays of the sun, which would only Michi also revived.
Formation
Tezuka was inspired by a picture of the birth of a female robot from Fritz Lang's silent film Metropolis, which he had seen in an issue of the film magazine Kinema Junpo, and designed the Manga without knowing the content of the film.
Publications
On September 15, 1949 Ikuei Shuppan brought the full manga in book form without prior publication out. Later, several new editions, for example, in 1979 as part of the series complete works of Osamu Tezuka at Kodansha published.
The U.S. publisher Dark Horse Comics published in April 2003, an English translation of the comic, in Taifu comics he appeared in French in Glénat in Spanish.
Filming
Production
In 2001, the manga was converted from a screenplay by Katsuhiro Otomo from the studio Madhouse as anime movie. Directed by Rintaro, the character design designed Yasuhiro Nakura and the artistic direction took Shuichi Hirata. The music was composed by Toshiyuki Honda, including the opening credits title Metropolis. Was used for the end credits There'll Never Be Goodbye by Minako " Mooki " Obata. Production costs were 1.5 billion yen.
Publication
The film was released in Japanese theaters on May 26, 2001. It has been translated among others into English, French, Spanish and Italian and broadcast in North America, Latin America, Great Britain, Taiwan and Southeast Asia on television.
As a result of the opposition of the Friedrich- Wilhelm -Murnau -Stiftung, which holds the licenses to Fritz Lang's silent film of the same name, the film, however, had to be renamed in the German-speaking area in Robotic Angel. The theatrical release in Germany took place on 31 October 2002, the film is in German with Tristar Home Entertainment also released on DVD.
Synchronization
Reception and interpretation
According to Paul Gravett, the manga is an early warning of the uncontrolled technical progress. The film was screened at several film festivals, including the Future Film Festival in Italy and the Fantasia Festival in Canada. He has received several positive reviews in U.S. newspapers.