Figure 1: Film Poster
Metropolis directed by Fritz Lang is a German expressionist sci-fi silent horror movie. It was directed seven years after The Cabinet Of Dr. Caligari in 1927. The story is about a futuristic city where it’s society is divided into two classes. The “managers” and the “workers” that live and work underground. “Metropolis is a story about the people whose backs wealth and success is built upon. It clearly illustrates the dichotomy between those that do, and those that benefit by the sweat of others.” (Samudrala, 2010).
Figure 2: Workers in Metropolis city
The film starts with Freder who is Fredersen’s son the city’s builder. Freder sees and falls in love with Maria, a worker who keeps the worker’s children.
Figure 3: Maria with children.
Freder becomes infatuated with her and follows her down where the workers work and live. He sees with horror the workers lives when he sees an accident that happens to a worker. His luxury upper class life is shattered. The film explores the social crisis between workers and owners inherent in capitalism.
Figure 4: Freder trying to help worker
Metropolis features special effects and set designs that still impress modern audiences with their visual impact. It’s a big Hollywood movie with lots of special effects. The design of the buildings and of the whole city is really impressing. The whole sets are enormous and very tall. The architecture as portrayed in the film appears based on contemporary Modernism. The movie contains many contemporary scenes. Metropolis was the most expensive silent movie ever. “The movie is still a masterpiece because of the atmospheric setting that Lang creates. From its art deco skyscrapers and interior sets to the god-like machines to the zombie movements of the workers, Metropolis has left a legacy through the years.” (Davis, 2009).
Figure 5: Metropolis City
In the film we see Rotwag a scientist who has been characterized after the movie as the classic mad scientist who has previous history with Fredersen regarding a woman. The two men hate each other. Rotwag has constructed the machine man, a robot. Rotwag captures Maria and gives the machine man her image.
Figure 6: The scene were the Machine Man takes the figure of Maria.
The machine man leads the workers to chaos, it persuades them to destroy the city. The city is destroyed and flooded. Metropolis is the grand alley for disastrous movies. In the whole movie you have the feeling for total destruction. In the end Maria escapes from Rotwag and saves the children with the help of Freder. The workers realize what they have done and they burn the machine man. Rotwag battles with Freder and falls from the cathedral to his death. “Its various elements, like the architecture of Metropolis, the destitution of the working class, and the Man-Machine of Rotwang, allow for a fascinating visual experience and one that is driven by feelings rather than ideas.” (Ring, 2010)
I really enjoyed the film despite the fact that it is a silent film. The feeling of chaos, the amazing sets, the nice orchestral music, and the storyline were really impressing for such an old film. “Metropolis is a monument of cinema. Lang, as a silent-era director, understood that movies most powerful elements are those that we can see.” (Ring, 2010)
Illustarion List:
Figure 1: Lang, Fritz. (1927) Metropolis: Movie’s poster
(Accessed 10/11/2011)
Figure 2: Lang, Fritz. (1927) Metropolis: The workers
(Accessed 10/11/2011)
Figure 3: Lang, Fritz. (1927) Metropolis: Maria
(Accessed 10/11/2011)
Figure 4: Lang, Fritz. (1927) Metropolis: Freder facing the worker’s accident.
(Accessed 10/11/2011)
Figure 5: Lang, Fritz. (1927) Metropolis: The city
(Accessed 10/11/2011)
Figure 6: Fritz. (1927) Metropolis: The machine man.
(Accessed 10/11/2011)
Bibliography:
John K. Davis (2009) Metropolis Film review
(Accessed 10/11/2011)
Robert Ring (2010) Metropolis Film review
(Accessed 10/11/2011)
Ram, Samudrala (2010) Metropolis Film review
(Accessed 10/11/2011)
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