Ghibliotheque presents: Metropolis

This spectacular anime sci-fi classic brings to the screen the 1949 Metropolis manga created by Osamu Tezuka (Astro Boy), itself loosely inspired by Fritz Lang’s 1927 German silent film of the same name.

 

Plus enjoy an introduction from Michael Leader and Jake Cunningham, co-hosts of the podcast Ghibliotheque and co-authors of The Ghibliotheque Anime Movie Guide.

  • Director

    Rintaro

  • With

    Yuka Imoto, Kei Kobayashi, Kohki Okada, Taro Ishida and Kousei Tomita

  • Japan 2001. 104min

  • Digital 2K

  • Certificate

    PG

  • Japanese with English subtitles

Set in a futuristic city at the height of its civilisation, Metropolis tells the story of Tima – a beautiful and mysterious female humanoid who does not realise that she is actually a highly advanced robot. But it is Tima who must discover her true self and begin to bridge the gap between human and the humanoids in order to save the entire city from the dark dictator Duke Red.

Brought to the screen by two once-in-a-generation filmmakers, director Rintaro (Galaxy Express 999) and screenwriter Katsuhiro Otomo (Akira), this spectacular sci-fi anime acts as a dual tribute to the groundbreaking, genre-defining genius of both Fritz Lang and Astro Boy creator Osamu Tezuka – the ’god of Manga’ who, famously, created his own Metropolis series after only seeing a single frame from the 1927 original film. With cutting-edge animation and design from some of the anime industry’s leading talents mixed with boundary-pushing CG, the film draws inspiration from the past while looking ahead to the future of the medium.

On its international release in 2002, it was at the forefront of a new appreciation of anime in the West, led by a new generation of fans and advocates, including filmmakers such as James Cameron, who offered a spirited recommendation: “Metropolis is the new milestone in anime, a spectacular fusion of computer graphic backgrounds with traditional character animation. It has beauty, power, mystery and, above all, heart. Images from this film will stay with you forever.”

This special screening will be introduced by Michael Leader and Jake Cunningham, co-hosts of the podcast Ghibliotheque and co-authors of The Ghibliotheque Anime Movie Guide, which charts a path through the wildly creative and influential anime industry with 30 standout feature films, from Akira to Your Name. Following each screening, Jake and Michael will be selling and signing copies of the Ghibliotheque Anime Movie Guide and their previous book, Ghibliotheque: The Unofficial Guide to the Movies of Studio Ghibli.