Film: Metropolis

Yesterday, second day in a row with Meetup, I was back with London Social & Cultural Meetups for a screening of Metropolis at the Genesis Cinema - also advertised with the London European Club and Film, Art and History Matters.. I did manage to get myself up in time - in fact, quite early - and took a couple of buses there. Mind you, Google Maps had me going on one more stop, just so I could have stops that were more closely aligned on either side of the road (I had to head back the way I'd come, slightly). Ridiculous.. you can hardly ever cross the road exactly at the point you want anyway!

The bus dropped me right outside the door of the cinema!

..which has a quirky piece of street art outside:

..as well as a list of all the films they're showing cheaply, as part of their birthday celebrations!

Inside, I discovered a nice foyer, complete with seating area, socialist bookstall, coffee shop, and box office - and past the ticket check, a cinema counter selling all the usual snacks. I was hungry, but didn't fancy the pastries they had in the coffee shop - explained to the nice man that I wasn't going in yet, and wandered over to the cinema counter, where I decided on a packet of Minstrels.. nobody was yet on duty there (it was still quite early), so I wandered over to the staff in the other section, and one ran over and took payment.

I hung around the seating area until the others arrived - one asked the staff whether there were ads beforehand and was told there were, so we weren't in a hurry in. All the others needed the loo.. I didn't, and when they were taking a while, I went in to the screen and picked a convenient set of four seats for us. And they joined me, eventually..

Well, it's an epic. You really couldn't call it anything else. And the opening credits explain how 25 minutes of extra footage, thought lost, was recently found, restored, and added to the whole.. run time is the better part of three hours, and the sets are incredible, designed to stun, all Art Deco and spectacular.

It's divided into three acts - first a prelude, in which the setpieces are introduced to us, and the basics of this dystopian society are explained: an almost subhuman worker class, which operates the machines on which the metropolis depends, are depicted as automatons, shuffling into and out of work in synchronised groups. They spend their lives underground. Contrast this with the upper classes, enjoying the fruits of this labour in pleasure gardens. The whole thing is supervised by a dictator, whose son is entranced one day, when Maria, a saint-like figure who works with the underclass, gatecrashes the pleasure gardens with a whole bunch of scruffy-looking kids from the underworld..

In the middle section, he illegally travels to the underworld, where he falls in love with her, and agrees to act as a mediator between the upper and lower worlds. And of course, the final act sees an awful clash between the two societies, and the gleeful destruction of many of the spectacular sets we saw earlier.

It's completely OTT - and even now, nearly 100 years later, the first act retains the power to awe.. not least for the bombastic music. I heard the Dies Irae many times - of course, it's so often been used, both in horror films, and in other films to depict moments of great trauma or tragedy. And so much of the imagery is iconic.. some of the scenes are so visually stunning, I'll never forget them. Indeed, as any review of the film will tell you, it had such an influence on others - the depiction of the machine that can make copies of humans, for instance, had an influence on the later Frankenstein film.

Of course, as with any old film, we can poke fun - and as our German organiser explained, it's a classic example of the overly sentimental way that romance was depicted in early German cinema. Plus, the restoration has people moving unnaturally quickly - and wow, the lead actors wore lots of makeup. And some of the frames are damaged, stained.. we're lucky to have it at all. But the fact remains that it was an amazing piece of filmmaking, with a huge effect on so many other films. A bit of a marathon - but I'm glad I saw it.

Afterwards, my companions fancied a coffee or the like - but with the only nearby coffeeshop packed, we ended up in The White Hart. Where we were very impressed by the decor:

And with the coffee more expensive than beer - why, they had beer instead! Me, I discovered that one of the cheapest things on the menu was the steak, at £16.50, so I ordered that - they have app ordering here, and I swear, I was never waiting more than a couple of minutes! To be fair, the steak is only 7oz - but it's gorgeous. Very nice pub, hope to be back here again some day. As usual, got home too tired to blog - in fact, if I have time this afternoon, I'll sneak in a nap..

Tonight, more storytelling - this one is from the Crick Crack Club (CCC) again, and is The Grateful & The Dead, with Ben Haggarty, in the East Dulwich Tavern - and my sometime companion is coming too. Part of the Dulwich Festival. I've booked a table for beforehand in the pub, as Google Maps recommended it.

Tomorrow, was thinking of heading to a film - and was thinking of Seven Days in May, with Burt Lancaster and Kirk Douglas in an Oscar-nominated thriller about an army colonel (Kirk Douglas) who alerts the president about a planned military coup against him - because he supports nuclear disarmament. Showing in Finsbury Park Picturehouse at 5.30. Then I checked the listings again - and decided on The Sheep Detectives, with Hugh Jackman as the farmer who reads detective stories to his sheep, which then use their learned skills when he is murdered! One of them is voiced by Patrick Stewart. Showing in Peckhamplex. And a couple of people said they might be interested as well. And then.. an old school friend I haven't seen in years messaged to say he'd be in town, tomorrow only, and would I like to meet? So that's the final plan for a day that's turned out to be the most confusing to plan.. we're meeting in The Sun Wharf, because he's staying in Canary Wharf, where it's kind of hard to find a decent place at a decent price, and I figured I might as well pick somewhere convenient to me!

On Wednesday, back with Up in the Cheap Seats (UITCS) - unusually, because lately, most of what I'm seeing advertised with them is already sold out - for Stage Kiss, an acting drama, in Hampstead Theatre.

On Thursday, more storytelling with the CCC - this is a Story Pick+Mix, with Laura Sampson and Minnie Wilkinson delivering Beowulf, at Next Door at Theatre Deli - an unusually early start, so we can have an interval in what is a long piece.

Then I'm finally back on an overdue trip to Ireland for the weekend - first in two months..! Have arranged to have lunch with my friend from there on Saturday, in Jade Cottage as usual.

Next Monday, back with UITCS in Soho Place for The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind - a musical based on the true story of a boy in Malawi who built a wind turbine from scrap materials and provided necessary power to his community. Chiwetel Ejiofor, who starred in, and directed, the film, is executive producer. I got my ticket on Seatplan, which I used a Seatplan voucher for, and which garners me extra Seatplan points! Eating in Bistro1 beforehand - and I must remember not to have the calamari..

On the 19th, I'm with TAC for Way Upstream, a dark comedy performed by final year students at the Court Theatre Training Company, at their onsite theatre, The Courtyard. Eating beforehand in Schnitzel Heaven.

On the 20th, yet more storytelling from the CCC! This one is Downright Rude! with TUUP (wow, it's ages since I've seen him), Sarah Liisa Wilkinson, and Nell Phoenix, in Folklore. (How they'll all fit in there, I dunno - it's tiny!) Eating beforehand in The Blues Kitchen Shoreditch.

On the 21st, back with CT at the Backyard Comedy Club.

On the 22nd, Movie Roadhouse London are finally having a social again! Ah, it's been so long.. so, back at the BFI Balcony Bar, and I've booked to eat at The Archduke beforehand. I tell you, without the main organiser in town, these things don't happen.. strange that numbers are limited, mind- never happened before.. Sadly, it isn't in conjunction with The Hideout any more, and also the cap on numbers means some were excluded.. 

On the 23rd, The Hideout organiser is talking about heading to a cat cafe.. watch this space. Anyway, that evening I've signed up to go with him, and The Hideout, to a new slasher, Corporate Retreat - details TBA.

On the 24th, talking about heading back to The Lanesborough for sachertorte, this time with Mark and Martin.. our monthly catch-up. Waiting on Martin to confirm a time.

On the 25th, going to see Player with CT at Riverside Studios.

On the 26th, back at last with Rune for a medieval concert in St. Bartholomew the Great - this one is Saints and Miracles. I've booked to eat beforehand in the Old Red Cow.

On the 27th, taking instruction from LGBTQ Culture Lovers again, who kindly shared that CT has cheap tickets for a performance of The Creation by Haydn, in the Royal Festival Hall. So, headed to that (solo), and eating in The Archduke beforehand.

Then I have two appropriately vampiric days! On the 28th, I'm back with The Hideout for Vampire's Kiss, an old comedy with Nicholas Cage, in which he thinks he's been dating a vampire, and is now turning into one himself. Showing in the Prince Charles of course, and we're meeting in Victory House beforehand. I've booked to eat in Bella Italia before that - took two goes though, the site was down the first time!

And on the 29th - well, one of the things LoMAZ were talking about doing for the series of Dracula events was going to a ballet - and sure enough, there is a Dracula ballet in town! Supposed to be good, with a classical soundtrack - and sure enough, when I checked, it was almost completely booked up. The only tickets left were on the evening of the 26th - which I couldn't manage - and the matinees of the 27th and 29th - so I'm taking the 29th off, being a Friday, and will go to it that day! Can't see I'll persuade anyone to go with me though - they'd either have to take time off work, or if not, they might not be in work, and might baulk at the price! Showing in the Palladium - I had to take the Second Circle to get the lowest price, and as legroom is reportedly tight, I made sure to get an aisle seat. Eating in the Shakespeare's Head (Soho) afterwards.

On the 30th - back with Laurence Summers and the 45+ Not Grumpies for his Nooks and Crannies of London walk - and damnit, Meetup is charging for RSVP again! (plus an extra charge, of course). And afterwards, back with The Hideout for Backrooms - the film version of Backrooms on Creepypasta, a series of liminal horror stories about featureless, unending rooms and corridors, sometimes with hostile beings in them.. stars Chiwetel Ejiofor and Renate Reinsve, as his psychiatrist, as - well, he might be expected to need one, with this kind of tale. Details TBA.

Then, two days with CT.. On the 31st, I got a cheap ticket for the Sunday concert at Conway Hall, with Francesca Dego and Alessandro Taverna.

And on the 1st, back with Shake It Up: The Improvised Shakespeare Company, first Monday of every month in the Hen & Chickens.

On the 2nd, back with London Fun for Churchill's Urinal, about a female Chancellor of the Exchequer wanting the urinal in No. 10 removed.. showing in the King's Head.

And on the 3rd, more from Story Pick + Mix in Next Door at Theatre Deli - this time, it's We Are Fox, with Alys Torrance and Lucy Lill.