One might have thought it was ‚carved in stone’ that ALPHA-OMEGA would be picked to digitally restore the rediscovered Scenes of METROPOLIS, that were found just in 2008 in Argentina.

As a matter of fact quite a number of companies have applied to take over this extraordinary task of film restoration. After thoroughly testing various offers based on scans of the argentinian negative, Friedrich-Wilhelm-Murnau-Foundation has decided in September 2009, that ALPHA-OMEGA offers the best matching restoration concept for the dramatically scratched and damaged footage. Unfortunately all the damage is printed into the 16mm-material, therefore in this case traditional methods of cleaning and wetgating are completely useless.

We are certainly very proud to take over a restoration task far beyond usual difficulty again. Anyone who had a chance to see the image quality of this particular footage is tempted to use a word like ‘irrestorable’.

For the restoration of these extreme image defects a new designated software is presently developed in our hands here in Munich, to rediscover the scenes from behind a ‘curtain of hailing scratches’.
Just as 9 years ago our aim of the restoration is, that after the 2010 Berlinale Film Festival people speak about the cinematric masterpiece METROPOLIS, and how these scenes recompiled the original artwork that left Fritz Lang’s editing room in 1927.
Technical aspects of the restoration are not required to play a lead role when it is time to celebrate the film itself.

We look forward with Friedrich-Wilhelm-Murnau-Foundation to finish up this restoration work, see a good result and listen to what people have to say about the completed METROPOLIS after the world premiere in Berlin.