A new definitive version of Fritz Lang’s masterpiece Metropolis is set to premiere next Friday in Germany. Rumors have been swirling for  some time now about a possible restoration of the original edit which apparently includes a plethora of new footage that could change everything we know about the film.

To put this in perspective, reports place Metropolis’ original running time at 210 minutes. Since the film’s German release, the longest running time we’ve seen is 118 minutes. The reintegration of so much material could profoundly impact the film’s tempo, cohesion and even meaning. Source AICN

The news of additional footage is enough reason to celebrate, but to top it off, reports from this German website claim that the film will be ‘publically broadcast’ for a world premiere. The details are still not exactly clear whether or not this means the film will be streamed directly on the internet, but according to Roger Ebert it will. If so, this is an amazing opportunity for the world to experience one of (if not) the greatest silent film ever made again for the first time.

Would you watch Metropolis streamed on the internet?