Metropolis

Genre: futuristic fable (silent, in black and white)

With: Gustav Fröhlich (Freder Fredersen), Brigitte Helm (Maria/Machine Man), Alfred Abel (Johann ‟Joh” Fredersen, Freder’s father),  Rudolf Klein-Rogge (C.A. Rotwang, the inventor), Fritz Rasp (the Thin Man), Theodor Loos (Josaphat), Erwin Biswanger (Georgy, number 11811), Heinrich George (Grot, Guardian of the Heart Machine)

Director: Fritz Lang

Screenplay: Thea von Harbou and Fritz Lang (based on Thea’s novel)

Release: 1927

Studio: Universum Film (UFA)

Rating: G

MBiS score: 9.1/10 

 

‟Head and hands need a mediator.” 

 

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Story-line: Freder, whose father rules the great and modern Metropolis, realizes that he owes his pampered lifestyle to a worker underclass slaving away beneath the surface of the city.   

Pluses: convincing performances by Gustav Fröhlich, Brigitte Helm, Alfred Abel and a reliable cast, formidable direction by one of cinema’s greatest helmers, a faultless, very active and well-developed screenplay imbued with symbolism and moral undertones, amazing visuals and special effects, imaginative production values (notice those art deco stylings), an evocative musical score that supports the action and a breathless final act.

Minuses: METROPOLIS doesn’t meet today’s moviemaking standards – along the way, it was altered by misdirected hands – but zealous restoration work has saved it from the brink and made it very watchable. The fact that this is a silent movie doesn’t detract from its value; in my mind, it was probably as demanding on actors as talkies would be later on.

Comments: visually astonishing, intellectually stimulating and always captivating, METROPOLIS illustrates the struggle between good and evil, light and darkness, altruism and thirst for power. In our age that glorifies everything that has come out in the last fifteen minutes and easily forgets the rest, it may seem unpalatable to sit down and watch a century-old movie like this one but, once you get down to it, you will understand why this particular picture has been hailed as one of the greatest ever made. Fritz Lang and crew have produced something colossal, magical and admirable, a milestone in cinematic history.      

 

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