Metropolis Film Review1927

Lilly Powling

Metropolis (1927) is a German science-fiction drama film which starred Brigitte Helm, Gustav Frohlich, Alfred Abel and Rudolf Klein-Rogge. It was directed Fritz Land and his wife. Costing five million approximately it was the most expensive film to have been released around the time. Not only being a science-fiction genre film its can also be said to be a romantic film as well as a horror. This leaves the viewer gripped throughout but also unsettled, and in discomfort.

Its inspiring scenes of high, vertical builds and bold structure clearly shows the wealth and power in which the city holds for the high class citizens. In contrast to this the dark power stations giving heaps of steam and heat shows the poverty and almost a sense of slave labour which is portrayed to the lower class citizens. The two classes are unable to connect or work together without a mediator, Freder, within the one city there are two story’s connected but incapable to connect with the other "Metropolis is not one film; Metropolis is two films joined by the belly, but with divergent, indeed extremely antagonistic, spiritual needs. Those who consider the cinema as a discreet teller of tales will suffer a profound disillusion with Metropolis. What it tells us is trivial, pretentious, pedantic, hackneyed romanticism. But if we put before the story the plastic-photogenic basis of the film, then Metropolis will come up to any standards, will overwhelm us as the most marvellous picture book imaginable." (Great Film Directors, edited by Leo Braudy. Morris Dickstein, 1978, quoted at CeltoSlavica’s page on Metropolis)

"Head and hands need a mediator. The mediator between head and hands must be the heart!” was said by Maria who is a saint figure towards the workers, she spoke of peace and hope for the future of metropolis. Her character is the main influence to the lower class which is why she was used to create the sinful Maschinenmensch. The robot Maschinenmensch influenced an uprising which caused the destruction of the lower city. She had an uncontrollable hold over the workers which is clearly shown in the scene below. How she is raised up by the men and given complete power is shown by the pyramid shape shown with her on top and workers below.

How she is raised up by the men and given complete power is shown by the pyramid shape shown with her on top and workers below.It was said the Lang’s style of producing the film was a lot like Maschinenmensch. He would be careless with the extras and actors to create the best of what he wanted. “the extras were hurled into violent mob scenes, made to stand for hours in cold water and handled more like props than human beings. The heroine was made to jump from high places, and when she was burned at a stake, Lang used real flames.” Patrick McGilligan, The book ‘Fritz Lang’

Metropolis is a remarkable German expressionism film as well as one of the greatest films of that time. It gives an insight into how different classes are easily separated and influenced. It also shows parts of who Lang is.

http://www.shadowlocked.com/20100609487/reviews/metropolis-1927-restoration-review.html

http://unaffiliatedcritic.com/2013/02/metropolis-1927-independent-study-in-world-cinema/

http://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/great-movie-metropolis-2010-restoration-1927

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