“Metropolis” (メトロポリス), Original Japanese Re-Release Movie Poster (1984) Rare Tall Format (approx. 37 × 103 cm) — Giorgio Moroder Version / Towa Q142

A striking original Japanese 1984 re-release poster for Fritz Lang’s Metropolis — メトロポリス — issued for the Japanese presentation of the Giorgio Moroder-produced version of the film. This is an unusually tall-format Japanese theatrical poster, measuring approximately 37 × 103 cm, a far less common format than the standard B2.

The Film & Its Place in Cinema History

Fritz Lang’s Metropolis, first released in 1927, is one of the foundational works of science-fiction cinema. Its vision of a divided futuristic city, monumental architecture, mechanised labour and the unforgettable Maschinenmensch robot helped define the visual grammar of cinematic futurism. Britannica describes the film as Lang’s vision of a grim futuristic society containing some of the most impressive images in film history, while the BFI has described it as a landmark of science fiction and a high point of late silent cinema.

By 1984, Metropolis had already become an object of restoration, reinterpretation and cult fascination. Giorgio Moroder’s version was controversial but historically important: it compressed and modernised the viewing experience, adding tinted imagery, subtitles and a pop / electronic soundtrack that brought the silent film into dialogue with 1980s music culture.

The Japanese 1984 Re-Release

This Japanese poster belongs to that 1984 Moroder re-release context. The right-hand vertical credit reads:

映像・音楽・総合プロデュース / ジョルジオ・モロダー
— “Image, music and overall production: Giorgio Moroder”

The left-side text positions Metropolis as the origin point of science fiction:

映像と音楽との完璧なる融合へ
— “Toward a perfect fusion of image and music”

あらゆるSFの原点 メトロポリスが21世紀を語りはじめた……
— “The origin of all SF, Metropolis, begins to speak of the 21st century…”

This wording is particularly evocative of the 1984 campaign: not simply selling a silent-film revival, but presenting Metropolis as newly reanimated through sound, image and modern spectacle.

Design Notes

The composition is elegant, severe and highly graphic. At the top, the English title METROPOLIS is printed in thin white modernist lettering across a grey ground. The centre is dominated by the huge vertical Japanese title メトロポリス, rendered in bold red with a strong blue shadow, giving the poster an almost Constructivist theatrical force.

Maschinenmensch image: the robot Maria appears at lower left, isolated against the grey field, functioning as the poster’s key icon. Its placement is restrained but instantly recognizable.

Architectural still: the lower section uses a black-and-white image of the great Metropolis city gate / industrial architecture, with crowds moving through the scene. This anchors the poster visually in Lang’s monumental urban world.

Graphic linework: diagonal white lines sweep across the lower half, linking the robot and the city architecture while giving the composition a sense of speed, electricity and modern technological movement.

Vertical slogans: the right-side red slogan reads:

時代はいま最高のスペクタクル・パフォーマンスを生んだ。
— “The age has now produced the ultimate spectacle performance.”

The poster’s tall format amplifies this effect, allowing the typography to rise dramatically through the sheet like a tower or skyscraper.

Why Collectors Prize This Example

• Original Japanese 1984 re-release poster: a genuine period poster for the Moroder version, not a modern decorative reproduction.

• Unusual tall format: at approximately 37 × 103 cm, this is a much less common Japanese theatrical format than the standard B2, giving it distinctive vertical display presence.

• Moroder-version significance: tied to the cult 1984 reworking of Metropolis, which brought Lang’s silent classic into the visual and musical language of the 1980s.

• Iconic film subject: Metropolis remains one of the most important and influential science-fiction films ever made.

• Striking Japanese design: massive red-and-blue vertical title typography, robot Maria, architectural still imagery and modernist grey field combine to create a highly collectible Japanese campaign piece.

• Excellent condition: unusually strong preservation for a tall, display-format poster of this type.

Condition Report

Overall condition: Excellent

Please review the provided photos, including the front and back images — they show the exact poster offered.

It is an original 1984 Japanese re-release theatrical poster, not a modern reproduction or reprint.
Certificate of Authenticity included.