Metropolis Film Review

Figure 1. Metropolis Poster (1927)

Fritz Lang's Metropolis explores hierarchies, capitalism, dystopias and totalitarianism. 'Deep below - the earth's surface - lay the worker's city.' The hands that built the Metropolis are kept in the depths with their families to work the machines that operate the Metropolis. Immediately the themes of hierarchy and capitalism are introduced.

Pessimism growing strong down in the depths, they rely on a woman named Maria who preaches of hope, that there's a ‘mediator between the head and the hands must be the heart’ and that this heart will bring fairness and a mutual agreement between the workers (the hands) and the Metropolis Masters (the Heads). Metropolis' Master: Joh Frederson has a son named Freder, when Maria shows up with some of the lower class children to show them the world of the rich and is immediately escorted back to the depths, Freder goes in search for Maria, he goes down into the depths and realizes how people are treated different on the hierarchy and how ignorant the classes are of one another, in figure 2 below the audience are shown the Heart Machine and how Freder sees the workers - being fed to the machines. 'Who is the living food for the machines in Metropolis? Who lubricates the machine joints with their own blood ? Who feeds the machines with their own flesh?' Freder then trades places with a worker for a day. 

Figure 2. Metropolis 'The Heart Machine' Set (1927)

Later on he finds Maria in the catacombs that she and the people use as a church/a sanctuary. Frederson visits the inventor Rotwang to show him plans he keeps finding in people's work clothes, it is not a plan but a map to the catacombs, Rotwang and Frederson take their own route to the catacombs and spy on Maria's church session where she tells a story: The Tower of Babel. Frederson orders that their hope be destroyed - here the theme of totalitarianism and religion is introduced. 

Figure 3. Metropolis Transformation Scene (1927)

Both Rotwang and Frederson were in love with a woman named Hel, Hel chose Frederson but died whilst giving birth to Freder, Rotwang has been working to resurrect Hel using a robot, he gives this robot Maria's face and body, above in figure 3 shows the transformation scene. The robot goes out and causes chaos among the Metropolis, causing an uprising in the depths 'Let the machines starve, you fools! Let them die! Kill them - the machines!', flooding the depths and starting fights in the Metropolis above. In the end, Freder fulfills his purpose by being the heart that brings together the head and hand and they come to a mutual agreement.

Figure 4. Metropolis 'Grot's Last Stand' (1927)

The sets in Metropolis are spectacular and used in a way to help communicate the story shown in figure 1 the Heart Machine set is used as a metaphor. In figure 5, 6 and 7 below you can see the Metropolis is a better place to live than in the workers city (figure 8) which looks a lot like a prison - again the set is used to reflect the themes of dystopia, hierarchy etc.

Figure 5. Metropolis set (1927)

Figure 6. Metropolis set (1927)

Figure 7. Metropolis set (1927)

Figure 8. Metropolis 'Worker's City' set (1927)

Praise for Metropolis for its story, sets and cinematography, Lang uses camera shots to give the audience a good view of everything like in the transformation scene and during the exploration of Metropolis, the shots make the Metropolis feel big. However it's really unfortunate a quarter of footage was lost it makes it a little bit harder to understand. Historian David Bordwell in 2001 said "it survives in several variations and a complete version may never be constructed" but he added "Nonetheless, all the footage we have displays mesmerising inventiveness." In addition to part of the film missing, it is slightly let down by the acting despite it being a silent film so it's the actors jobs to get the story across it feels over dramatic and you don't get lost in the film because it stopped feeling real, you're no longer in the world of that film, “To enjoy the film, the viewer must observe but never think,” the critic Arthur Lennig said.


Illustration List:

Lang, F. (1927). Figure 1. Metropolis poster. 

http://retromovieposter.com/poster/metropolis/ (Accessed on 28/09/16)

Lang, F. (1927). Figure 2. Metropolis 'The Heart Machine' Set  

https://deanoinamerica.wordpress.com/2012/01/02/metropolis-fritz-langs-science-fiction-classic/ (Accessed on 28/09/16)

Lang, F. (1927). Figure 3. Metropolis 'Transformation Scene' Set  

http://unaffiliatedcritic.com/2013/02/metropolis-1927-independent-study-in-world-cinema/ (Accessed on 28/09/16)

Lang, F. (1927). Figure 4. Metropolis 'Grot's Last Stand' Set  

http://unaffiliatedcritic.com/2013/02/metropolis-1927-independent-study-in-world-cinema/ (Accessed on 28/09/16)

Lang, F. (1927). Figure 5. Metropolis Set 

http://www.frontrowreviews.co.uk/features/science-fiction-all-time-top-10/9846 (Accessed on 28/09/16)

Lang, F. (1927). Figure 6. Metropolis Set  

http://www.voxeurop.eu/fr/content/article/160071-quelle-europe-en-2034 (Accessed on 28/09/16)

Lang, F. (1927).Figure 7. Metropolis Set  

https://www.pinterest.com/pin/46161964902713891/ (Accessed on 28/09/16)

Lang, F. (1927). Figure 8. ‘Worker's City’ Set still. http://www.tboake.com/dystopia/patterson/social_dystopia_1.html (Accessed on 28/09/16)

Bibliography:

Metropolis. (1927) Directed by Lang, F. [DVD] Germany

Film quotes. (1927). imdb.com. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0017136/trivia?tab=qt&ref_=tt_trv_qu (Accessed on 28/09/16)

Lennig, A. Quote. (1998). http://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/great-movie-metropolis-1927 (Accessed on 28/09/16)

Bordwell, D. Quote. (2001). https://www.theguardian.com/film/2015/mar/15/metropolis-fritz-lang-philip-french-classic-dvd (Accessed on 28/09/16)