Metropolis

Metropolis

Metropolis. Directed by Fritz Lang. Germany. 1927.

I have always been a fan of science fiction films. So when I was introduced to Fritz Lang’s Metropolis in class I was immediately intrigued. After my viewing of Metropolis I found it easy to understand why it is considered a masterpiece. The elaborate use of lighting, visual effects, special effects, displays, and sounds all added color to a film that is so dark and dreary. During this time period in Germany there were many expressionistic films being produced. However only a few represented this expressionism as well as Fritz Lang did in Metropolis. Not only was Metropolis a stellar example of an expressionistic film, in a way it represented and depicted social and political life as it was in Germany at that time. Overall Metropolis represents Expressionism to its fullest and will be considered one of the greatest silent films of all times.

To understand how Metropolis was put together you must gain an insight into some of the things that influenced director Fritz Lang. Lang grew up in Vienna where his parents had high expectations of him becoming an architect, which very well could have been where Lang got many of his ideas for the vast skyscrapers in the futuristic city of Metropolis. However it is said that Lang got most of his ideas for the buildings from New York City skyscrapers and buildings. Lang also spent a few years in the Austrian military which is where I drew the comparison of how the workers marched and how most military formations take form. I’m sure Lang was inspired by much more these are only a few insights and observations into the mind of the brilliant director Fritz Lang.

The story takes place in 2026. One hundred years from when the movie was made. The world that Lang created in Metropolis was a cold, mechanical, industrial one. Since this movie was made not long after the industrial revolution it could be seen as sort of a prediction of how things would have been like if the industrial revolution had kept growing. The movie starts off immediately catching your attention. With the vast landscape of Metropolis flashing back and fourth between the turning of machines, which also had different shades where the scenes are cutting back and fourth by way of dissolves, fades, and sliding mirrors. Then it cuts to the 10 hour work clock and a whistle blowing smoke from every which way. The opening scene of Metropolis is a work of art in itself.

Lang makes it very clear after the first couple scenes that the city of Metropolis is very crowded where people are either one of two things, the privileged, or the repressed. Large numbers of the lower class live underground to run the machines that keep the city in working order. The workers run the machines but it seems more like the machines run the lives of the workers. Lang shows these monotonous packs of workers being herded like cattle, grinding machines and clocks. He makes this much more intense and clear by the way the angles of the walls are vertical and how everything is moving vertically. Also by the position of the camera moving from a straight shot to an angle shot. I think the beginning few minutes set the tone for the rest of the movie and give you the feeling of expressionism. If you don’t get these feelings from the first few minutes you should be convinced when MOLOCH is introduced. An eerie looking creature that looks as if it is swallowing up the workers. Lang uses another special effect with almost water like effect to transform MOLOCH. The imagery of Metropolis’ hunger for more human life is symbolically clear.

As Freder continues on his venture to find his father we are taken through a tour of the two different sides of Metropolis. There is the Underground where most everything is shot with the camera directly on and has a dull and dreary look. Then there is above ground or Metropolis where Lang visually shows how cold, crowded, busy and yet beautiful it is all while complementing it with excellent editing that included streaming lights, extreme shading, and angles that cut in every which way. Lang must of spent days trying to scale the buildings down as well as including the special effects. The special effects in this scene are only a few of what Lang accomplished throughout the film.

Next we are introduced to “The Master of Metropolis”, John Fredersen, Freder’s father. Immediately we know that Fredersen is the ruler, king, president, or in Lang’s terms, “Master”. This says a lot about Fredersen before we even know that much about him. This is the first of many comparisons that can be made between Hitler and Fredersen. The way that Hitler was the ruler of Germany, Fredersen was the master of Metropolis. A second comparison that can be made is how the workers are treated like those in concentration camps.

We are later introduced to Rotwang, “The Mad Scientist” as I like to call him. Before we even step foot inside Rotwang's realm, he paints a picture of what we might expect Rotwang to be like. His house looks as if it is under a bridge, secluded from the towering skyscrapers. It also has no windows and only one door that is slightly off center, a roof that is shaped very differently and steel pillars that are oddly angled.

When we enter his house we notice that Rotwang is definitely not easy on the eye and without a doubt can easily be compared to that of the mad scientists of horror films of today. One comparison that comes to mind immediately is Dr. Frankenstein in Evil of Frankenstein. The dark rings around his eyes, his frolicked gray hair, crooked teeth and rugged wardrobe give the feeling of a horror film. The reason for Fredersen’s visit to Rotwang’s lair is for Rotwang to decipher the secret worker plans, but Rotwang had something else in store for Fredersen, a robot.

While all of this is happening Freder is still “slaving” away at the dial. Here is when visual images