Metropolis press book US 1927

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Lawrence Journal World, 27 October 1927

A deal of mystery surrounds the American promotional campaign for Fritz Lang's monumental film Metropolis. Produced by UFA, Germany, it was released by Paramount in the United States during March 1927. This followed on the Berlin premiere in January. Unfortunately, few elements of the US campaign exist, apart from the following 15 smallish items:

• An insert poster (1)
• A window card (1)
• An oversized lobby card (1)
• A jumbo lobby card (1)
• Various lobby cards (4) from an original set of 8
• A herald (1)
• Still photographic images (8, of which 5 have a Paramount Pictures inscription)
• Full colour trade advertisements (3)

Associated promotional items include:

• A press book (3 pages extract a available)
• Newspaper advertisements (various)

Whether this was the totality of the original promotional campaign is unknown. For example, the number of black and white still images made available is unclear. More importantly, there are no extant 1-sheets or larger posters, unlike with the campaigns in various countries around the world. In France, for example, there was a number of large posters, along with a novelisation and other promotional material, plus a press book. The same occurred in Germany. A copy of the original Paramount press book outlining specific elements of the campaign is only known to this author from three blurry, low-grade black and white photographs from a late 1990s(?) auction sale. From that it is unclear whether some of the images therein relate to posters ranging from 1-sheet through to 24-sheets in size, or are merely small, newspaper advertisement inserts. Reproductions off all the known original promotional material are included below, along with copies of contemporary newspaper advertisements featuring artwork from the press book and other, independent or official Paramount sources.

The artist responsible for the official Paramount campaign is unknown, though it is possibly Glenn Cravath, who did the poster and supplementary artwork for Lang's 1928 Paramount release Spies and, more famously, 1933's King Kong for RKO. Cravath was therefore likely responsible for the majority, if not all, of the original American Metropolis campaign art. It should be noted that some of the artwork is cartoonish and very American, with little relationship to the actual footage from the German film or to the original German-release artwork as evidenced by the posters of Heinz Shulz-Neudamm and Werner Graul. This is understandable as Cravath came from a cartooning background and may not have seen the film prior to its American release, apart from a few still photographs.

This blog attempts to reconstruct the US press book and related campaign material from various sources, including subsequent auction sales and contemporary newspaper advertisements. All items are related to the 1927 American premiere campaign, and not the later 1936 and subsequent re-releases. As a result of this research, some 28 pieces of original artwork have been identified and are listed below.

Press book images

Three images from the original 1927 Paramount Metropolis press book are reproduced below. A fourth image was posted during the late 1990s / early 2000s online auction sale but has subsequently disappeared. The images are of low quality and the text therein cannot be discerned, so it is impossible to determine if the images represent posters or mere suggestions for newspaper advertisement. In addition, during 2019 this author also came across so-called newspaper advertisement slicks sold by the New York gallery Posteritati and apparently related to the press book. The nine items corresponded to two included in the press book extract and one of the known, official full colour trade advertisements.

1. Evil Maria captured - poster or newspaper advertisement. Refer copy above from a contemporary newspaper and illustrated at the top of this blog.

2. ?Posters or newspapers advertisement slicks, and a herald cover.

3. Lobby cards, 11 x 14 inches - set of 8.

Extant campaign materials
1. Insert, 14 x 36 inches, stone lithograph in 4 colours. This is the only poster known to have survived from the original 1927 Paramount Metropolis promotional campaign. A single copy has sold at auction.

2. Oversized (jumbo) lobby card, 22 x 28 inches. Features the unconscious Maria strapped into Rotwang's transformation machine.

3. Window card, 14 x 22 inches. This image is derived from the original German release Werner Graul art utilised in a large, lithographed 3-sheet poster and on the cover of the German novelisation by Thea von Harbou. Therein the image was of a blue face with red lips and dark brown background, rather than the orange and yellow-green of the US version.

4. Jumbo lobby card, 14 x 17 inches (possibly from the 1935-6 re-release). The image is of Freder Fredersen holding a collapsed and exhausted Georgy in front of the the paternoster machine. The image has been coloured with sepia, red and blue tones.

5. Lobby card #5, 11 x 14 inches. Number 5 of a set of 8. Image of a group off exhausted, stooped workmen passing in front of the paternoster machine.

6. Lobby card #4, 11 x 14 inches. Number 4 of a set of 8. Image of Joh Fredersen standing before a articulating Rotwang and the female robot behind.

 7. Lobby card #7, 11 x 14 inches. Number 7 of a set of 8. Image of the Evil Maria during her dance at the Yoshiwara nightclub emerging from a large crystal bowl. [Faded]

8. Lobby card #8, 11 x 14 inches. Number 8 of a set of 8. Image of the Evil Maria preaching before a group of workers.

9. Herald, 6 x 9 inches. Front and back reproduced below. The front features a drawing of Rotwang's robot,  whilst the back reproduces images from the film.

10. Trade advertisement. Source: 15th Anniversary Paramount Exhibitor's Book, 1926-7. It is suggested therein that one of these images is of the soon to be released 24-sheet for Metropolis. The artwork - possibly by Glenn Cravath - is decidedly different to the on screen imagery, with, for example, the male and female leads clothed in American-style dinner attire, rather than the simple clothes of Freder and Maria as in the original movie. The image is of Freder rescuing an exhausted Maria from the flooding, underground city.

11. Trade advertisement. The image features the head of the Evil Maria on the left, glaring at the image of the real Maria sounding the alarm gong in the underground city as flood waters rise. 9 1/4 x 12 1.4 inches.

12. Trade advertisement. Reproducing an image from the film of Freder and Maria meeting up as the flood rages and they attempt to rescue the children.

13. Maria in the transformation machine, still photograph, black and white, 8 x 10 inches. Image of Maria in Rotwang's transformation machine. This was turned vertical to form the basis for the jumbo lobby card. Photographic negative number: 933-39A. Paramount Pictures inscription and UFA logo.

14.  Flood scene, still photograph, black and white, 8 x 10 inches. Photographic negative number: 933-34A. Paramount Pictures inscription and UFA logo.

15. Still photograph, black and white, 8 x 10 inches. Joh Fredersen, Rotwang and the Robot. Photographic negative number: 933-5A.Paramount Pictures inscription and UFA logo.

16. Evil Maria captured, still photograph, black and white, 8 x 10 inches. Photographic negative number: 933-3A. Paramount Pictures inscription and UFA logo.

17. Joh Fredersen and Rotwang, still photograph, black and white, 8 x 10 inches. Paramount Pictures inscription.

18. Maria, still photograph, black and white, 8 x 10 inches. Photographic negative number: 933-27. Culver Pictures label on reverse.

19. Moloch Machine, still photograph, black and white, 8 x 10 inches. Photographic negative number: 933-37. No inscription

20. Freder and Rotwang fighting on the top of the cathedral, still photograph, black and white, 8 x 10 inches. Photographic negative number 933-86. Inscription - Printed in the USA.

Ad Slicks

During the 2010s the New York gallery Posteritati sold a collection of Metropolis Press Book 'Ad Slicks', two of which were seen in the press book extract reproduced above. The status of these items is not known.

1. Moloch machine with crowd of workers.  Size: 2 ¹⁄₂ x 5 ⁷⁄₈ inches. Image reproduced in press book.

 

2. Maria sounds the gong alarm as a flood rages around the abandoned children. Size: 4 ¹⁄₈ x 2 ¹⁄₈ inches.

3. Maria, instead of Freder, collapses on the paternoster machine. Size: 3 x 1 ¹⁄₂ inches.

4. The Evil Maria is captured, as in the background the true Maria tries to save the children from drowning. Size: 4 ³⁄₄ x 5 ¹⁄₄ inches.

5. The robot's stylised head before a cityscape of the metropolis. Size:  3 ³⁄₄ x 1 ¹⁄₄ inches.

 

6. Rotwang's robot.  Size: 3 x 4 ³⁄₄ inches.

7. The Metropolis cityscape of tall buildings. Size: 1 ³⁄₄ x 4 ³⁄₈ inches. Image reproduced in press book.

8. Part of the robot's head and skyscrapers. Size: 2 ¹⁄₄ x 5 ¹⁄₄ inches.

9. Maria and the gong alarm. This image also appeared as a full colour trade advertisement (refer above). Size: 8 ³⁄₄ x 11 ¹⁄₄ inches.

 

Some of the above slicks appeared in newspaper advertisement known to this author, whilst additional promotional copy was also used. Reproductions are included below from the 1927 original release campaign in the US.

Miscellaneous advertising material

* Paramount Pictures, Ladies Home Journal, September 1927, p.43. 'Metropolis - High into the air! Deep into the earth! The indescribable Paramount-Ufa cine-miracle that startled New York. Directed by Fritz Lang, adapted by Channing Pollock. The advertisement includes promotional artwork produced by Paramount Pictures of a tied up woman floating in the air above a cityscape.

Last updated: 27 February 2020
Michael Organ, Australia