GCF2025 Event 4 / Metropolis

Experience the visionary brilliance of Fritz Lang’s 𝘔𝘦𝘵𝘳𝘰𝘱𝘰𝘭𝘪𝘴 (1927) like never before in the vast, gothic surroundings of Glasgow Cathedral. Unfolding in a fever-dream of Art Deco cityscapes, mad scientists and futuristic robot creations, this sci-fi epic is a genre-defining work of cinematic expressionism—visually stunning, emotionally charged and terrifyingly prophetic in its prediction of 21st-century class divides.

Taking a year to shoot and involving 37,000 extras, the original version of the film was harshly redacted only 10 weeks after its premiere, by the ultra-nationalistic German authorities. Lang’s true version was then considered lost, until an Argentinian film archive’s miraculous discovery in 1988 began a twenty-year process which ultimately restored vast swathes of the missing footage.

For our exclusive GCF screenings, this legendary 2008 restoration of the film is paired with the UK premiere of a live score composed by sisters Linda Buckley and Irene Buckley. Performed by ensemble Bangers & Crash and featuring over a dozen percussion instruments, the soundtrack brings exhilarating new dimensions to Lang’s beguiling cinematography—transporting you from the catacombs to the penthouses of his dystopian megacity. As pulsating, rhythmic energy surrounds you, enter the metropolis and submit to the machine.

𝘈 𝘧𝘪𝘭𝘮 𝘧𝘳𝘰𝘮 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘩𝘰𝘭𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘍𝘳𝘪𝘦𝘥𝘳𝘪𝘤𝘩-𝘞𝘪𝘭𝘩𝘦𝘭𝘮-𝘔𝘶𝘳𝘯𝘢𝘶-𝘚𝘵𝘪𝘧𝘵𝘶𝘯𝘨 (𝘸𝘸𝘸.𝘮𝘶𝘳𝘯𝘢𝘶-𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘧𝘵𝘶𝘯𝘨.𝘥𝘦) 𝘪𝘯 𝘞𝘪𝘦𝘴𝘣𝘢𝘥𝘦𝘯.

𝘛𝘩𝘦𝘴𝘦 𝘴𝘤𝘳𝘦𝘦𝘯𝘪𝘯𝘨𝘴 𝘢𝘳𝘦 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘴𝘦𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘺 𝘎𝘊𝘍 𝘪𝘯 𝘢𝘴𝘴𝘰𝘤𝘪𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘊𝘰𝘳𝘬 𝘐𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘍𝘪𝘭𝘮 𝘍𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘢𝘭. 𝘚𝘤𝘰𝘳𝘦 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘮𝘪𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘺 𝘊𝘰𝘳𝘬 𝘐𝘯𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘯𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘢𝘭 𝘍𝘪𝘭𝘮 𝘍𝘦𝘴𝘵𝘪𝘷𝘢𝘭 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘴𝘶𝘱𝘱𝘰𝘳𝘵 𝘰𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘈𝘳𝘵𝘴 𝘊𝘰𝘶𝘯𝘤𝘪𝘭 𝘰𝘧 𝘐𝘳𝘦𝘭𝘢𝘯𝘥'𝘴 𝘊𝘰𝘮𝘮𝘪𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘰𝘯𝘴 𝘈𝘸𝘢𝘳𝘥, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘱𝘳𝘦𝘮𝘪𝘦𝘳𝘦𝘥 𝘢𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦 66𝘵𝘩 𝘊𝘐𝘍𝘍 𝘪𝘯 2021.

You may also like the following events from Glasgow Cathedral Festival:

• This Saturday, 20th September, 06:30 pm, GCF2025 Event 5 / Interstellar 10 in Glasgow
• This Sunday, 21st September, 01:00 pm, GCF2025 Event 7 / ‘With Joy': Emerson plays Panufnik in Glasgow
• This Sunday, 21st September, 05:00 pm, GCF2025 Event 8 / Metropolis in Glasgow

Also check out other Entertainment events in Glasgow, Workshops in Glasgow, Arts events in Glasgow.