Interesting that this was the quality of most releases for many years

Up until the release of the restored versions this was how most sci fi fans got to see this movie. I saw prints like this on PBS before the days of VHS and 16mm prints would play at conventions. I assume some museums had better prints but I never lived near a museum that screened movies. My local library did screen a print just like this one.

The Internet Archive website's version of Metropolis is a travesty. The film's unanimous regard as one of the greatest films ever made would be difficult to comprehend if this were the only version extant, Fortunately, the recently discovered missing sections have been restored to the film and you will find this wonderful tribute to the genius of its creators on YouTube.There is another reason that Internet Archive's version of Metropolis is beyond awful. The sound track tacked onto the Internet Archive version of Metropolis is not the original and trivializes the movie's message.The original score is a masterpiece and you can hear it on the YouTube site https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B8sraSoClbI.