Eric Chaim Kline, Bookseller - Old and Rare Books

Metropolis (UFA Magazine) [SPECIAL ISSUE, DUTCH LANGUAGE EDITION]

de Haas, Max; Thea von Harbou (texts by)

Berlin: UFA/ BUKWA, [ca. 1927]. First edition. Softcover. Small quarto. Unpaginated (32 pages). Issued by UFA to herald the release of Fritz Lang's masterpiece "Metropolis". Original wraps with color lithograph by Werner Graul on the front cover. The iconic lithograph features the head of the film's heroine Maria, strapped into Rotwang's transformation machine. The same image was used to publicize the movie's showing at the UFA Pavillion in 1927.

The expressionist film is set in a futuristic urban dystopia and explores the social crisis between blue collar workers and their exploitation by the rich in a corrupt capitalistic society. Includes articles on the making of the epic film and statistical information about its large-scale production. Some two million feet of film were shot and the cast, including extras, numbered around 38,000! Approximately 200,000 costumes were used. Metropolis was filmed in 310 days and 60 nights. Released in 1927, the movie was the most sumptuous production mounted in the silent film era. The special affects were astonishing for filmmaking in its incunabular days. With an essay by Fritz Lang's wife, Thea von Harbou, titled "The Children of Metropolis" and a piece by Lang in which he details his ideas of how the movie should be presented. Profusely illustrated with b/w reproductions of photographs of the actors, film stills, the director, production documents, and many other aspects of the production of the film. Rare special edition of the UFA magazine, with incredible in depth documentation of the making of this groundbreaking masterpiece.

Text in Dutch.

Very minor rubbing to edges of wraps. Light foxing to covers. Interior with some sporadic minor foxing, in most cases to the edges of pages. Images vibrant throughout. Wrappers in very good-, interior in very good+ condition overall. Protected in mylar. vg- to vg+. Item #53536

Price: $3,750.00