Metropolis Film Review

Metropolis is a German science fiction film. It was directed by Fritz Lang and written by Thea von Harbou. It was released in Germany on the 10^th January 1927, then the restored version was first shown in the UK on the 17^th November 2001. (Figure 1 IMDb. 2019)

Figure 1

Compared to the Cabinet of Dr Caligari, this silent film interested me more due to the dystopian story line. Plots that focus on dystopian worlds hidden by utopia is something that has always interested me. As is supports the fact that living a utopian life is impossible and there is always something negative somewhere even if it hides itself at the beginning. “Dystopian nightmare about a city-state built on slave labour” (Bradshaw,2019) This sums up the main plot of the film as society was split into two, the workers (hands) and the wealthy (head). Therefore, for this “nightmare” to end a mediator was needed to act as the heart to bring both of the sides together.



This film is set in a city called Metropolis (during the year 2026), which was originally considered as a utopian community. Freder Fredersen (the son of the creator of the city [Joh]) spots a woman (named Maria) with some children, as they disappear Freder follows them to an underground city full of workers. These workers are working upon multiple machines in order to keep Metropolis running smoothly. Freder then witnesses an incident and goes to tell his father what happened, Joh gets frustrated with his assistant (Josephat) for not knowing about the incident and dismisses him.



As Freder was appalled by the workers conditions, he trades lives with one worker (11811). He then attends a meeting led my Maria who talks about a mediator who will end the separation between the head and the hands. This it while Rotwang (a scientist) is showing Joh a robot he was in the process of building. Joh convinces Rotwang to give the robot the appearance of Maria so he can have more control over the workers.



Once created the robot Maria goes back underground to convince the workers to destroy the Heart Machine, however not only will this destroy Metropolis but also flood the underground city. Just before the city gets flooded the real Maria, Freder and Josephat save the children; while the workers realise the consequences and start to chase down the real Maria. In confusion they capture the robot Maria and attempt to kill her. The workers find out that in fact their children are safe and gather around a cathedral where Rotwang is chasing the real Maria. Freder steps in to save her and fights with Rotwang, where he falls to his death. Once back on the streets Maria unites the workers with the wealthy with the help of Freder who is the mediator.



This film links closely to German Expressionism, which was an early 20^th century German art movement. This emphasised the artists or narrators’ inner feelings. “Metropolis is a spectacular example of Expressionist design.” (Rotten Tomatoes,2019) This film shows the views of both Lang’s and Harbou’s view of the war, from the condition of what soldiers had to live with for example, the trenches; to the rise of communism and Germany’s economic condition (hyperinflation).



When looking at the two contrasting environments, I noticed a huge difference. The workers city had a dark and depressing feel to it, which helped in presenting the atmosphere and the feelings of the workers (as shown in figure 4 IMDb. 2019). Compared to the upper Metropolis which had a very clinical feel to it, from the bare plain buildings, no sight of dirt, rubbish, derelict buildings and the environmentally friendly modes of transport (as shown in figure 2 and 3 IMDb. 2019). This was their representation of what they believe the future cities would be.

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

This film had a huge influence within the future of science fiction films, “work of art whose influence on science fiction, set design and symbolism” (Rotten Tomatoes,2019). The most popular films that were inspired were Star Wars (the design of C-3PO is very similar to the robot) alongside, the futuristic cities of Blade Runner. Therefore, Metropolis could be seen as one of the films that acts like the foundation of science fiction films now.



Bibliography:

( Rotten Tomatoes. 2019) Metropolis (1927). [online] Available at: https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/1013775_metropolis [Accessed 9 Oct. 2019]

(Bradshaw, P. 2019) Film review: Metropolis. [online] the Guardian. Available at: https://www.theguardian.com/film/2010/sep/09/metropolis-restored-film-review [Accessed 9 Oct. 2019].



Illustration List:

(Figure 1 IMDb. 2019) Metropolis (1927) - IMDb. [online] Available at: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0017136/mediaindex?ref_=tt_pv_mi_sm [Accessed 10 Oct. 2019].

(Figure 2 IMDb. 2019) Metropolis (1927) - IMDb. [online] Available at: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0017136/mediaindex?ref_=tt_pv_mi_sm [Accessed 10 Oct. 2019].

(Figure 3 IMDb. 2019) Metropolis (1927) - IMDb. [online] Available at: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0017136/mediaindex?ref_=tt_pv_mi_sm [Accessed 10 Oct. 2019].

(Figure 4 IMDb. 2019) Metropolis (1927) - IMDb. [online] Available at: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0017136/mediaindex?ref_=tt_pv_mi_sm [Accessed 10 Oct. 2019].