Metropolis

Metropolis
Introduction
Originally released in 1927, Frits Langs Metropolis is revered as an importantly influential utopian film of the silent era, even though the original was shortened for release in the United States, with the removed sections presumed lost for ever. The shortened adaptation soon replaced the original length version all over the world, until in 2008, when the discovery of the lost sections of the film in Buenos Aires, Argentina, allowed the film to be restored to its former glory, after over eighty years since the sequences were removed. After the reconstruction of the film, it was first premiered at the February 2010 Berlin International Film Festival. The film portrays a futuristic utopian city, Metropolis, where a single man, the industrialist Joh Fredersen (Alfred Abel), oversees all the activities which occur, controlling the events from his office in the Tower of Babel (Hills, s.d). It is soon revealed that the utopian world is not as first thought, with an underground workforce, utilized to provide the wealthy of the upper city with the luxuries of electricity and power, but when Joh Fredersens son, Freder (Gustav Frhlich) spies a beautiful young woman, Maria (Brigitte Helm), and a group of children from the under city, while frolicking in the Eternal Gardens, he embarks on a search for Maria Figure 1. Metropolis. (1927). in the under city, where he experiences the gritty, disturbing realities of the world below. Unbeknownst to Freder and Maria, Joh Fredersen knows of Marias influences in the under city, and fears a loss of his power, so he visits the house of an inventor, Rotwang (Rudolf Klein-Rogge), who has been experimenting in an attempt to create an automaton, based on the likeness of their mutual love and Freders mother, Hel. Succeeding in his search for Maria, the couple agree to meet again the following day, but before the day is over, Maria is taken captive by Rotwang, and her appearance is transferred to the automaton, in an attempt to deceive and inspire the workers to revolt, but a

Metropolis catastrophe soon ensues, with riotous workers destroying the mechanisms of the under city. Unwittingly, the workers advance into the upper while the children remain below in the under city, which is rapidly flooding, with no way of escaping, until Freder, Maria, escaping Rotwangs house, and Joh Fredersens former butler, Josaphat (Theodor Loos), arrive and discover a route, in which all the children can escape to safety. In the final scenes of the film, the riotous mob of workers turn on the automaton, still disguised as Maria, as they believe that the children will soon be dead because of their actions and blame the automaton Maria for the disaster, as the mob burns the automaton at the stake. Eventually, the prophecy of reconciliation, foretold by Maria, occurs between the workers of the under city and the wealthy of the upper city, allowing them to become revered as equals.

Analysis
There are many attributes to the film that are greatly influential on many modern films, from the clear linear plot to the subliminal themes and representations, which is demonstrated through several techniques, including the scenery and the actions of the characters. There is a great presence of oppression of the working class, as it is overcast by the ignorance of the wealthy that live completely separate lives in a city above the industrial heart, creating a contrast, which is also represented through the appearance of the scenery of both the upper city and the under city.

Figure 2. Metropolis. (1927).

Figure 3. Metropolis. (1927).

The scenery greatly reflects the differences between the class of the upper city and under city, as the structural designs of each contradict each other, with the buildings of the upper city appearing extravagant, with various designs and shapes creating more of a luxurious essence, pleasing to the public, whereas the buildings of the under city are very basic, cold and bland, creating an industrial ambience to the scenes. The vast city scape of the upper city is portrayed as a utopian dream, with gleaming skyscrapers, suspension bridges, and bustling streets (Urgoskov, 2012), where everything works perfectly for the wealthy elite in their luxury, while the under city is a cold basic city with sterile block shaped buildings,

Metropolis which are the living quarters of the under citys inhabitants. A clear comparison between the two environments is visible during the scene in the Eternal Gardens, which appears as if it could be an interpretation of the Garden of Eden, where the young adults of the elite amuse themselves with excited antics. A biblical theme is also suggested in the upper city through the use of a tower, referred to as the Tower of Babel (Hills, s.d), where the industrialist, Joh Fredersen (Alfred Abel), oversees the activities of the two cities. I find that the style of the buildings in the under city create connotations of an oppressed group of people who are forced into poverty due to a powerfully political regime. An aspect of the film that enhances the implications of oppression towards the workers of the under city is the behaviour of the characters. Throughout the film, there is an overwhelming essence during the under city scenes that greatly supports the implications of oppression, but there are also several sequences which clearly portray the underlying themes, including the beginning sequence, and the experiences of Freder (Gustav Frhlich) during his visit to the under city. During the opening sequence of the film, there is a montage of various heavy machinery working until the focus is shifted to an enormous group of workers, waiting either side of a large metal gate before Figure 4. Metropolis. (1927). it opens, but the feeling of oppression is created by the body language and manner in which the characters are standing, with their heads lowered, hands at their sides, in a tightly cramped formation, which forces them to move together synchronized as they pass through the gate. This style appears to add a slight theatrical essence to the scene, which is then created again later on in the film, when Freder witnesses a catastrophic explosion, killing all the workers operating the machinery. During this scene, the incident is merely brushed aside; as other workers take the positions of those who died, continuing to work, suggesting that the workers are all replaceable and irrelevant, but during the uprising, both wealthy and working classes realize that they depend on each other as neither would function properly without one another.

Metropolis

Conclusion
Often revered as the mother of sci-fi movies (Connolly, 2010), Metropolis possesses many attributes that apply to modern film, but has also been extremely influential on a great number of more modern films, including Blade Runner (1982), directed by Ridley Scott, Star Wars (1977), directed by George Lucas, and The Fifth Element (1997), directed by Luc Besson. The film has influenced so many films in various different ways, including the designs of automated robotics, but more importantly, the vast futuristic cityscapes of many films. Due to this, Metropolis is regarded as one of the greatest films of all time and has contributed so much to the film industry making it a classic film of endless time.

Metropolis

Illustration List
Figure 1. Metropolis. (1927) [Poster] At: http://unrealitymag.com/index.php/2011/01/10/most-expensive-movie-posters/ (Accessed on 15.10.2012). Figure 2. Metropolis. (1927). From: Metropolis, Universum Film. Directed by: Frits Lang. [Film Still] Germany: Universum Film. At: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ekL3VBD00W0&feature=player_embedded#! (Accessed on 15.10.2012). Figure 3. Metropolis. (1927). From: Metropolis, Universum Film. Directed by: Frits Lang. [Film Still] Germany: Universum Film. At: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ekL3VBD00W0&feature=player_embedded#! (Accessed on 15.10.2012). Figure 4. Metropolis. (1927). From: Metropolis, Universum Film. Directed by: Frits Lang. [Film Still] Germany: Universum Film. At: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ekL3VBD00W0&feature=player_embedded#! (Accessed on 15.10.2012).

Bibliography
Connolly, Kate (2010). Metropolis, mother of sci-fi movies, reborn in Berlin. In: The Guardian [online] http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/2010/feb/11/metropolis-fritz-lang-berlin (Accessed on 14.10.2012) Hills, Steve (s.d). Metropolis. At: http://metropolis1927.com/ (Accessed on 14.10.2012). Urgoskov, B. (s.d). Metropolis. At: http://www.filmreference.com/Films-MaMe/Metropolis.html (Accessed on 14.10.2012). Godoski, Andrew (2011). Under the Influence: Metropolis. At: http://www.screened.com/news/under-the-influence-metropolis/2698/ (Accessed on 15.10.2012).