A Visit to the Cinematheque Francaise's Metropolis Exhibit

[Brooksie]

Recently I was fortunate enough to visit the Cinematheque Francaise, whose current feature exhibition is about none other than the production of 'Metropolis'.

There is a quite extraordinary collection of artefacts on display relating to the production, promotion, and various restorations of the film, including early concept art and original mattes (some of which I had already seen in the permanent collection of the Berlin Filmmuseum, which owns a large proportion of the items), to original costume designs, replica costumes, actual props (some fabulous Art Deco banknotes from the Yoshiwara sequence, the casts on which the Seven Deadly Sins masks from the church sequence were modelled), and even camera equipment which belonged to Karl Freund's assistant on the film, Robert Babesker. Particularly fascinating to me was a recreation of Freund's original camera rig, mounted on a sort of wooden hammock contraption in order to achieve his famous soaring camera effect.

Early concept art had the city looking somewhat more 1960s than in the final product. Several different Babel Towers were conceived, and there was also concept art from abandoned scenes, such as one set in a women's bathhouse. Various interesting revelations abounded amongst the anecdotes - for example, that Thea von Harbou gradually changed her personal image from frumpy to quasi-futuristic during the course of the production, and the fact that the Gottfried Huppertz score was composed in tandem with the production, evolving as the film did. There were some fun behind-the-scenes pictures of Brigitte Helm goofing around, extras in the Yoshiwara scene relaxing (Lang kept them compliant and in good spirits with large quantities of hooch), and Mae Murray visiting the film set.

The mooted highlight of the exhibition is a replica of the robot, commissioned by Lotte Eisner in the 1972 and constructed by the makers of the original (there is another replica in the museum's permanent display).

The various different versions and restorations are covered in great depth - the 16mm film can in which the remaining lost footage was discovered in Buenos Aires is on display - and even the Moroder version receives a thoughtful analysis.

For the collector, one of the highlights is one of the four known original one-sheet posters for the film, again from the Deutsche Kinematek, which I believe mounted a similar exhibition in Germany. The Cinematheque Francaise version includes an extra section on the exhibition and reception of 'Metropolis' in France.

The exhibition is as well organised as it can be in the cramped exhibition space (a symptom of every Frank Gehry building I've ever been inside), which had visitors getting in one anothers' way as they attempted to watch the six key sequences around which the exhibition is organised. Still, it was encouraging to see the visitors giving it their rapt attention. It's always a thrill to see audiences kept spellbound by a movie celebrating its 86th birthday.

There is an extensive exhibition catalogue but alas, it appears that it is currently only available in German or French. There is more information on the exhibition (again, French language only) at http://www.cinematheque.fr/fr/expositio ... index.html.

The museum's permanent collection is not large (though I understand it is rotated regularly), but contains some particularly impressive early cinema and pre-cinema equipment, much of it from the collection of early exhibitor Will Day. There is a particular focus on Melies and the part played in the development of film by stage magicians. Most stunning of all was a costume from Melies' 'Voyage to the Moon'. It's almost eerie to see a survivor from those mythical days!

Some other silent-era artefacts on display include a wonderful Erte-esque gown from Jacques Feyder's 'L'Atlantide' (1921), some of the original cogs from the machine from Chaplin's 'Modern Times', a Theda Bara rhinestone headpiece (no production named, but looked like 'Salome' to me) and other jewellery; Louise Brooks' bracelet from 'A Girl in Every Port' and a brief letter from Brooks to Langlois, thanking him for bringing her to Paris for the revival of 'Pandora's Box'. My only disappointment was that Rene Clair was represented only by some concept art for 'Sons le Touts de Paris'.

It goes without saying that it is well worth a visit if you're in that neck of the woods.

[Ann Harding]

The museum's permanent collection is not large (though I understand it is rotated regularly)...

Alas, Brooksie, what is on display nowadays is a tiny proportion of the HUGE collection of the CF. In its previous building (Palais de Chaillot), the permanent collection was infinitely bigger. Unfortunately, since it moved to Bercy, most of it is kept in storage... I don't think I'm wrong if I say that the CF collection is one of the biggest (if not the the biggest) in the world. They have cameras, costumes and memorabilia of all kind.

[Brooksie]

The museum's permanent collection is not large (though I understand it is rotated regularly)...

Alas, Brooksie, what is on display nowadays is a tiny proportion of the HUGE collection of the CF. In its previous building (Palais de Chaillot), the permanent collection was infinitely bigger. Unfortunately, since it moved to Bercy, most of it is kept in storage... I don't think I'm wrong if I say that the CF collection is one of the biggest (if not the the biggest) in the world. They have cameras, costumes and memorabilia of all kind.

Perhaps I should have reworded it as 'the display is not large' - I'd gained the impression that there was plenty more in storage, simply because I have read of so many things that are in the collection that I didn't see exhibited.

I wonder, do you know what (if anything) was lost in the fire at the previous location? When I saw some of the rare old equipment at the current venue, my blood ran cold at the thought of it being anywhere near flames ...

[Ann Harding]

You don't have apologize. I think it's disgraceful that the CF doesn't display properly its holdings. As for the previous fire at Palais de Chaillot, I don't know what got damaged. The fire happened upstairs, above the museum. But to stop it, they had to use vast amount of water. I can imagine a lot of water damage happened. During a temporary exhibition at the CF last year, they displayed some of their costumes. But, when I saw them I got a shiver down my spine. They were not originals, but replicas. I am absolutely sure of it as I saw these before and none looked pristine as they did. The costumes on display were: Swanson's dress from Male and Female, Pickford's wedding dress from Taming of the Shrew, Garbo's from Anna Karenina, Stroheim's from Wedding March, etc. I hope the originals are still extant...but I wonder.

[Harlett O'Dowd]

You don't have apologize. I think it's disgraceful that the CF doesn't display properly its holdings. As for the previous fire at Palais de Chaillot, I don't know what got damaged. The fire happened upstairs, above the museum. But to stop it, they had to use vast amount of water. I can imagine a lot of water damage happened. During a temporary exhibition at the CF last year, they displayed some of their costumes. But, when I saw them I got a shiver down my spine. They were not originals, but replicas. I am absolutely sure of it as I saw these before and none looked pristine as they did. The costumes on display were: Swanson's dress from Male and Female, Pickford's wedding dress from Taming of the Shrew, Garbo's from Anna Karenina, Stroheim's from Wedding March, etc. I hope the originals are still extant...but I wonder.

Am I kicking myself! All the times I've been to Paris and I've never visited the CF.

I guess I just have to go back.

[Brooksie]

It is easy to miss, in the sense that it's not nearby the other major museums. You have to catch a train quite a long way from the centre of the city, and have to be quite determined to visit it. Given the problems the organisation has encountered in the past, I guess we should be happy that it exists at all ...

[rudyfan]

Fabulous write up! I'm envious! Never been to Paris and the CF is totally on my list of places to see.

[Mark Pruett]

My wife and I visited during the Méliès exhibition of 2008. I suspect we saw only the tip of the Méliès iceberg, which the Cinémathèque put at 700-plus pieces at the time. (Few museums with substantial permanent collections have the space to display more than a fraction of their holdings.) Still, what we did see was beautifully mounted and intelligently arranged: costumes, props (including some by Robert-Houdin), cameras, projectors, sketches, posters, even a mockup of the glass studio that Méliès built in Montreuil. There was also a small screening area where groups of Paris schoolchildren were being introduced to the films themselves. It was worth the trip just to watch those kids watch Méliès.

Among the non-Méliès artifacts on display that month was one I had not expected to see: Mrs. Bates's head, gifted to Henri Langlois by Alfred Hitchcock.

[Kevin2]

My wife and I visited the CF in the early 1990s when it was in the lower floor of the Palais de Chaillot. They only allowed a certain amount of visitors in at one time, and it was a guided tour. Our reservations were for 2:00, so we wound up touring with a class of young teenage girls, who were not very interested in all of the cameras and projectors that were on display in the lobby, let alone much in the exhibit. Our guide knew that his spiel wasn't going to do much, so, after a few perfunctory facts about the origin of film, he led us in to the museum proper to wander on our own.

As soon as we turned the corner, we were greeted by a seated robot Maria from Metropolis. Behind her was a set from Caligari. There were also plenty of displays, behind glass, of various gowns, etc. (one of Marilyn's from Prince and the Showgirl, if I remember correctly, and one or two from Gone With the Wind). Like Mark, I also remember peeking into a smaller glass window and being wonderfully startled at seeing "mother" from Psycho staring back at me.

Unfortunately, photographs were not allowed, and the only book on sale at the gift shop that featured items in the museum cost over $100.

[Brooksie]

Among the non-Méliès artifacts on display that month was one I had not expected to see: Mrs. Bates's head, gifted to Henri Langlois by Alfred Hitchcock.

Good grief, I'd forgotten about that ... on purpose, I think!

Some of the Melies material is now part of the permanent display - other than the costume I mentioned, the model of Melies' studio is there, as is a specially commissioned model of one of the aliens, a recreation of one of the sets, and a large screen where 'Voyage to the Moon' plays on a loop. It's a very attractive display.

I found an article which has details of the museum as it was in 1973 - http://www.jonathanrosenbaum.com/?p=24132. I saw several of the items mentioned on display. The Asta Nielsen self-portrait was a cracker, and not at all campy (judge for yourself if you like - http://www.flickr.com/photos/tribe/2699117120/).