Metropolis (1927 movie)

Metropolis isblackwhite silent science fiction film by Fritz Lang. Itwidely regarded asmasterpiece.

The filmset inyear 2026, inextraordinary Gothic skyscapers ofcorporate city-state,Metropolis oftitle. Society has been divided into two rigid groups - oneplanners or thinkers, who live high aboveearthluxury,anotherworkers who live underground toilingsustainlives ofprivileged. The cityrun by Johhan 'Joh' Fredersen (Alfred Abel).

One ofworkers,beautiful Maria (Brigitte Helm), takes upcause ofworkers. The sonFrederson, Freder (Gustav Fröhlich), becomes infatuatedMaria, descends intoworking underworld and, shocked atworking conditions, joins her cause. To counterthreatworker dissatisfaction his father has The Robot built byscientist Rotwang (Rudolf Klein-Rogge). The Robotgiven Maria's appearanceis directed by Johspread disorderso allowworkersbe crushed.

The film climaxesan attack onupper world, foreshadowing"destruction ofenemy incitadel" ending still seenfilms. But throughinterventionFreder, Joh andworker's leaderpersuadedreconcile their differenceswork together - an anti-Communist gesture.

The film features special effectsset design that still impress modern audiencestheir visual impact - glorious expressionist designgeometric forms. The effects expert was Eugen Schüfftan who did sterling work onenormous set.

The film also containsscene where Maria retellsstorie ofTowerBabel containedGenesis but inway that connectstosituation sheher fellow workers face. The scene changes from Mariacreative menantiquity decidingbuildmonument togreatnesshumanity, high enoughreachheavens. But ascan not build their monument by themselves,concentrate workersbuild itthem. The camera focuses on armiesworkers unwillingly led toconstruction site ofmonument. They work hard but can not understanddreams ofTower's designers. Anddesigners don't concern themselfes withfatetheir workers. Asfilm explains "The dreams offew, had turned tocursesmany". The workers revoltin their fury destroymonument. Asscene ends andcamera returnsMaria, only ruins remain ofTowerBabel. This retellingnotablekeepingtheme oflackcommunication fromoriginal story but placingincontextrelations between social classesomittingpresenceGod.

AccordingLang his inspiration forsettings ofMetropolis came duringtripManhattan, New York, New York, USA.

C.A. Rotwang,film's mad scientist, has lost his right handhas replacedwithprosthesis, whichblackcolor. Infilm Dr. Strangelove or: How I LearnedStop WorryingLoveBomb, directed by Stanley Kubrickfirst released on January 29, 1964,German mad scientist Dr. Strangelove (translated from German: Merkwürdigliebe) also lacks his right handhas replacedwithprosthesis, whichblackcolor. Thisconsideredbetribute toearlier film.

On January 10, 1927film premieredBerlin andbadly-edited version was released inUnited StatesMarchthat year. Followingbankruptcy offilmmakers,American print seemsbeonly extant copy.

Several restored versions (allthem missing footage) were released in1980s1990s, runningaround 90 minutes. A 147 minutes, digitally restored version was released2002 byF.W. Murnau Foundation. Itbelieved thatoriginal film was over 210 minutes.

Note: most silent films including Metropolis were shot at speedsbetween 1620 frames per second, butdigitally restored versionsoundtrack plays atstandard sound speed24 frames per second, which often makesaction look unnaturally fast. The reason fordecisionshowfilm at this speednot clear. In1970sBBC preparedversionelectronic sound that ran at 18 frames per secondconsequently had much more realistic-looking movement.

Thea von Harbou, Lang's wife, publishednovel, Metropolis, which was publishedan English translation1927.

External Links

• The IMDb entry on Metropolis
• Metropolis web site
• Metropolis page atUNESCO Memory ofWorld Register