Jeremy Ashton Period 2B The 1920s movie Metropolis; written by Thea Von Harbou, directed by Fritz Lang, and

produced by Universum Film, is an interesting story that takes place in a futuristic utopian society where the wealthy live carefree lives and the poor are forced to live in the underground working-class community. In this film, Freder (Gustav Frlich), the son of the founder of Metropolis, follows a beautiful woman named Maria (Brigitte Helm) who comes to visit the upper city into the world of the underground workers. Horrified by what he sees there he goes to his father (Alfred Abel) in hopes of convincing him to better the lives of the working-class citizens. His father refuses and Freder returns to the depths to assist Maria with her plans; to join the hands the workers- and the head those in power with the help of a mediator, the heart. This story was very well written and was very entertaining. The actors did a very good job with showing emotions and their characters development throughout the movie.

Some of the movements and reactions were dramatized, which is expected in a film made at that time, but most of the actors did a good job with keeping the action real and believable. My only complaint of any of the actors would be for Gustav Frlich, he was by far the most dramatized and that did, at times, interrupt the emotional value of the scene. The director, Fritz Lang, did a very good job with coaching the actors and making sure that the spectacular details of The Von Harbous story were perfect in every way possible. The design of the film was very well done and set the perfect mood for such an incredible story. Some of the sets and the costumes might seem a little old-fashioned, but at the time this film was made Im sure that it seemed like a very realistic future for fashion and architecture, and keep in mind that this is a utopian society, things are supposed to be sort of off in a few ways. Some of the makeup was a little bit too noticeable, especially in the scene at the beginning where the guys are running at the track, their facial skin is way too pale in comparison with the skin on their chest and arms and it makes them look sort of weird. The music was a little bit repetitive, but it set the mood and worked very well with the film. I had been interested in watching this movie for quite a few years, actually, but I had never gotten around to it. I had high expectations for this movie and I think it met those expectations. It kept me interested and the story was unique. If I were to change one thing about the film it would probably be the dramatized acting of Gustav Frlich. Again, I think it ruined the mood of some scenes and I think it would probably be an easy thing to fix. One reason for this films creation could have been the growing desire for a truly united nation. This was around the time of the First World War and was made in Germany, so the thought of a strong government and a healthy society was definitely popular. This film was, in a way, inspirational at the time because it showed the lower-class people a way to unite and become equal with their wealthy and politically powerful upper-class. This could also be a reason for the later German censorship and editing of the film. I was actually unaware that this movie was on the movie watching list until I glanced over it again a few minutes ago.