ANIME CLASSICS – METROPOLIS (メトロポリス, Metoroporisu)

• dir Rintarō
• 2001 / Japan / 108mins / Japanese with English subtitles
• Doors: 7pm / Intro + Film: 7:30pm / Food served to 9pm / Event: 18+

“WILL MANKIND DESTROY ITSELF BY DEVELOPING TECHNOLOGY TOO FAR?”

Shunsaku, a private investigator, and his nephew Kenichi, discover a sinister plan which threatens humanity while apprehending a mad scientist accused of human trafficking.

Based on a manga by one of the founding fathers of Japanese animation, Osamu Tezuka (ASTRO BOY, KIMBA THE WHITE LION), directed by Rintarō (X: THE MOVIE, GALAXY EXPRESS 999), and written by Katsuhiro Ōtomo (AKIRA, STEAMBOY), METROPOLIS is a potent gateway to some of the most original creative minds in anime.

Osamu Tezuka was inspired to write his 1949 manga after reading about Fritz Lang’s 1927 silent sci-fi classic of the same name, a film he never actually saw. The anime leans more heavily into Lang’s film, using a cutting-edge (for the time) combination of CGI and traditional, hand-painted visuals. 

Quite simply, it’s a world-building masterpiece as the beautifully designed characters explore METROPOLIS, “a grimy, fascist, violent place” (The Ghibliotheque Anime Guide), to discover its rotten secrets. The film’s stunning, jazz-infused score by Toshiyuki Honda, uses an entire Ray Charles song – “I Can’t Stop Loving You” – to chilling effect.

“The new milestone in anime. It has beauty, power, mystery, and above all… heart. Images from this film will stay with you forever.”

James Cameron

ANIME CLASSICS is a celebration of Japanese animation, hosted by queer film fanatic Token Homo (BAR TRASH). All films screen in Japanese with English subtitles and an introduction. Tickets £3.