Unless there is a decent turnout in January– and by that we mean far more than a hundred people– our 100th anniversary screening of Fritz Lang’s Metropolis (1927) will be the final silent film that the Pickwick Theatre Classic Film Series will present. We’ll leave these types of screenings to other venues and organizations. Even though it was shown at the Pickwick Theatre as recently as 2024 by the Silent Film Society of Chicago— with an organ accompaniment by the late Jay Warren– there are specific reasons we are bringing it back to the Pickwick once again.
- We are presenting “the complete Metropolis” courtesy of Kino Lorber. The last time Metropolis was shown, it did not come from this distributor. We will be presenting the most complete version of the film that is currently available. It will be shown in a stunning 4K DCP restoration.
- We will be presenting the film with the original score by Gottfried Huppertz. This music is almost never heard theatrically because the film is typically shown with a live organ, or sometimes piano, accompaniment. But the Kino Lorber version has a 5.1 channel music score, which is a major bonus. For the first time ever with this title, we will be taking full advantage of the Mega-Theatre’s sound system. To those who bemoan the lack of an organist, they don’t have an understanding of the poor condition of the Pickwick’s Mighty Wurlitzer. (It would cost an estimated $50,000 just to get it in a respectable playing condition. Given the state of our economy, now is not the time to ask people to donate to a GoFundMe!) It gets by for pre-show music, but only someone like Jay Warren– who knew the organ intimately– had the ability to play around all the bad notes on it– for over two hours! In terms of sound quality, hearing the original score will be a superior audio experience to any other alternative.
- With the re-release of Star Wars (1977) set for February 2027– marking its 50th anniversary– January is an ideal time to present the mother of all science fiction movies. But Metropolis is more than just a historical landmark in the genre– it’s one of the ten greatest silent movies ever made (and a personal favorite).
In terms of its content, there are significant reasons why Metropolis is relevant a hundred years after its release, and we will explore those reasons in the weeks leading up to its January 13 show date. Metropolis will undoubtedly be screened at other venues in 2027 given the significance of the anniversary, but the Pickwick Theatre will be the first to offer it. It will be your only opportunity to experience it on the Mega-screen.
~MCH
