Metropolis (1927)

Metropolis – (1927) – Dir. Fritz Lang is a German expressionist Sci-Fi drama, that took 17 months to film and five million Reichsmark this is an enormous budget for a film at this time.

This film was the first of its kind, pathing the way for the Si-Fi genera. Unfortunately, due to this film being produced on Celluloid which decomposes over time parts of the film have been lost however there are many different edits and versions that have different soundtracks and colour has been added. This allows us to imagine what the full-length film would be like.

Metropolis uses various film techniques such as using lots of wide-angle shots to allow the audience to get a great sense of scale and see a lot of things going on at once. Thus, creating lots of memorable shots of immense skylines remanent of the Art Deco movement which is used throughout the film. Miniatures were used in the city and mirrors which created the illusion that the actor were occupying these miniature sets (This technique was also used in Alfred Hitchcock’s film Blackmail-1929). Parallel editing was used in the film which alternated between short making it appear that both scenes were unfolding simultaneously.

Characters:

Joh Fredersen- The leader of the city who doesn't care for the working class.

Freder- A young idealist who is appalled by the working-class conditions and actively tries to change this.

Marie - Freders lover and the leader of the beginning of the uprising.

Grot- the chief foreman of the Heart-Machine.

Josaphat-Joh Fredersens sectary who is banished to the city below.

Georgy-The worker Freder switches places with.

Rotwang- The inventor/ Scientist.

Hel- The mother of Freder who died giving birth to him.

Plot:

Metropolis consists of three main sets "The city of Workers" which is below ground, dark and dingey. Where all the workers are exhausted after 10-hour shifts and move in sink and act like robots They wear dark clothes with their name and number on their hats. This is a complete contrast to the world above called the "Sons Club" which is light, bright and people spend their time playing sports and visiting the "Eternal Garden". The opening sequence in this film immediately shows the huge imbalance between the working class and high society which continues as a prevalent theme throughout. Freder is playing in the garden, and he sees a beautiful woman surrounded by children, they are quickly usured away. Freder follows this pretty lady and discovers "city of workers" he learns of the appalling conditions. Hi ties to convince his father of the wrongs of this imbalance however he does not listen, Freder then warns him of a potential uprising. After Grot brings Joh some plans, he had confiscated from the workers, this gets Joh's secutary in trouble for not finding these first. Josaphat gets sent below to work forever as punishment. After hearing this news, he tries to kill himself, fortunately Freder is able to help. Joh askes his staff to watch Freder closely. Freder goes below and switches places with Geogry, this sends Joh's staff on a wild goose chase after the wrong man. Meanwhile Joh goes to meet with Rotwang, who shows him the robot where he has tried to replicate his dead wife. The scientist is able to decipher the plans that were confiscated. They reveal a secret meeting point, that they go and investigate. Marie is holding a meeting and does a speech to impower and inspire an uprising. Freder volunteers to be the bridge

between above and below ground "The mediator between head and hands must be the heart". The workers are seen growing impatience for the lack of action. Joh makes a plan to destroy the workers faith and trust in Marie. Meanwhile Rotwang corners Marie to try and use her in his "Man-Machine" Freder can hear her cries for help but can't reach her he confronts Rotwang who lies and says that Marie is with his father. However, it is two late they have made a robot that looks exactly like Marie that will seductively dance in front of men ruining her reputation. Seeing Marie with his father like this destroys Freder. However the robot Marie rallies the workers and to starve the mother machine and bring cayos to the city above ground. A fight breaks out and one worker mistakenly stabs another. The workers leave the city to and the dieing man to go destroy the machine. However, they leave behind the children. The real Marie goes into the workers city below ground and the lifts break behind her. The city is quickly flooding and her and the children are trapped. The children are screaming and being dragged and carried through the water by the older children. Marie feels hopeless she cannot possibly help so many "Where are your mothers and Fathers?" Josaphat and Freder hear the children in trouble and go to help leading the through the air shafts and breaking down the gate, carrying as many as they can. They eventually make it out Safley and take the children to the "Sons Club". The fathers and mothers are madly dancing around the broken machine in circles oblivious to the almost certain death they had brought upon their own children. Grot reminds them of their children who would have drowned down in the city, they instantly blame Marie "the witch" and chase her through the city. They burn Marie at the stake revealing she is a robot. While the real Marie fights with Rotwang who has mistaken her for Hel. Freder joins in and in all the commotion Rotwang falls of the building to his death. The workers move in sink toward the church to meet Marie, Freder and Joh just like the opening scene but this time to confront Joh. "Head and hands want to join but don't have the heart to do so. Oh mediator" The film ends with a handshake with the help of Freder- the heart.