ONLINE: "The World's End" and "Metropolis"

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courtesy UW Cinematheque

A still image from director Fritz Lang's "Metropolis."

press release: Beginning Thursday, March 4, at 7 p.m. through Sunday, March 7, at 7 p.m., the UW Cinematheque, in collaboration with the UW Madison Division of the Arts Interdisciplinary Arts Residency Program, will present a special free view-at-home double feature of The World’s End and Metropolis. The program was specially curated by current Interdisciplinary Artist-in-Residence Litza Bixler.

THE WORLD’S END (UK, 2013, 109 min., Directed by Edgar Wright)

Fast approaching middle age and hoping to recapture the excitement of a legendary evening from his youth, the perpetually irresponsible and immature Gary King (Simon Pegg) rounds up four old school buddies: Andy (Nick Frost), Oliver (Martin Freeman), Steven (Paddy Considine), and Peter (Eddie Marsan). The group’s mission to re-create a debaucherous and never completed pub crawl in their small British hometown is potentially thwarted by the realization that the citizens in the village have been replaced by a mysterious, non-human species that our heroes eventually refer to as “blanks.” Following Shaun of the Dead (2004) and Hot Fuzz (2007), the third feature in director Wright’s genre-blending trilogy of acclaimed comedies (each co-written with leading man Pegg) is a hilarious and action-packed sci-fi satire featuring a uniquely collective villain. In order to make the comically creepy “blanks” visually memorable, director Wright once again recruited frequent collaborator Litza Bixler to choreograph the movements of the performers.

METROPOLIS (Germany, 1927, 149 min., Directed by Fritz Lang)

With this science fiction epic, Lang brought to the screen one of the most ambitious and iconic movies ever made. The story takes place in a city of the future, in which slaves toil underground for a ruling class that lives above in an urban utopia. Amidst this setting, two young idealists hope to unite the workers and bring the two worlds together while a mad scientist’s robotic creation threatens to topple Metropolis.

Lang's prescient vision of an urban world in disarray was restored to its original premiere length when over 20 minutes of footage missing for over 80 years was discovered in South America! Metropolis, in its various versions, has still remained the most iconic of all movies about futuristic cities gone to hell. This Cinematheque-at-home presentation will allow viewers to experience Lang’s complete vision. The director employs specific and rhythmic choreography of both performers and moving machine parts, a stylistic touch that has been a continual inspiration for artist Litza Bixler, who personally selected Metropolis for this presentation.

Both movies will be available for viewing beginning Thursday, March 4 at 7 p.m. To receive instructions on how to view both movies for free, send an email to info@cinema.wisc.edu and simply remember to include the code BIXLER in the subject line. No further message is necessary. Both movies will be available through Sunday, March 7 at 7 p.m.

On a new episode of our Cinematalk podcast available March 3, our special guest is Litza Bixler, choreographer, filmmaker, movement director, visual artist and screenwriter. She has produced work on stage, screen, and art galleries and has been a working artist and educator since 1995. Her work in feature films includes contributions to three movies directed by Edgar Wright, Shaun of the Dead (2004), Scott Pilgrim vs. the World (2010, and The World’s End (2013). She also served as choreographer for the 2014 jukebox musical Walking on Sunshine and the 2014 salsa dance comedy Cuban Fury starring Nick Frost, Rashida Jones, and Chris O’Dowd.

Bixler is currently Interdisciplinary Artist-in-Residence in UW Madison’s Division of the Arts’ Interdisciplinary Arts Residency Program. The program brings innovative artists to UW Madison’s campus to teach semester-long, interdepartmental courses and to publicly present their work for campus and community audiences. The program is funded through the university’s Office of the Provost. The spring 2021 Interdisciplinary Arts Residency Program is presented by the UW Madison Division of the Arts and hosted by the Dance Department with Professor Li Chiao-Ping as lead faculty. Co-sponsors include the Art Department and Department of Communication Arts.