review- metropolis (1927)

7/31/2019 Review- Metropolis (1927)

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Metropolis

Dir.FritzLang

ReviewByEmilyClarkson


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Metropolisisasilent,blackandwhite,GermanfilmdirectedbyFritzLang.Thefilmscreenedin1927,isoneoftheearliestscienceficJonfilmsevermadeandconsequentlyhashelpedtoinspiregrowth

withinthefilmgenre.TheplotlineofMetropolisfollowsaheavythemeofmanuallabourandthecontrastbetweenclasses. Captainsofindustryliveintowersandexploitedworkersdwell

underground,(Turan,2010)AudiencesfollowthestoryofFreder,aprivilegedyoungman,whosefatherwasthemastermindbehindthecity.Freder

fallsforayoungwoman,Maria,fromthelowerdwellingcityoftheworkers.AsFrederpursuesMaria,hebeginstorealizethetruthbehindhisprivilegedexistence.Allthewhile,hisloveMaria,triestounitethetwohalvesofthecity.Thehandofthedowntroddenworkers,withthebrainoftheoverlordlikecityplanners.Shepraysforamediatortobecometheheartandbalancethecitysexistence.Tocompletethismissiontounitethecity,theymustovercomethevengefulinterferenceofascienJstandhismachinemaninvenJon,jeopardizingtheorderofthecityonthemostdramaJcscale.

(Bfi,2012)


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Withinsecondsofthefilmbeginning,visualeffectsgreettheeye.Amontageof

imagesofmachinesinmoJonplayouttoagrandorchestralsoundtrack,seXngthe

sceneofanenormousindustrialcitythatneversleeps;thedesignofwhichisinstantly

recognizable.FritzLangclaimedtohavebeeninspiredtomakeMetropolisbyhisfirstglimpseoftheNewYorkskyline.(bfi,2012)Thiscanbeclearlyseenwhencomparing

theskylineofNewYorkinaround1930(Figure2)totheexpansivecityscapeseenin

thebeginningofthefilm.(Figure3)

(Figure2:Preuss,2009)

(Figure3:Bfi,2012)


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Onlytwentyfiveyearsa`erGeorgesMliscomicalTrip

totheMoon(1902)afilmcreatedinaJnystudioand

filmedonacameraoffixedposiJondidFritzLanguJlize

thecamerainwaysithadntbeenbefore.Langconveyedincrediblyhugecityscapesbyuseofsteepcameraangles.

(Figure4)Hesuccessfullycreatedafirstpersonmirage

(Figure5)andeffectsforthemostfantasJcallookinthe

transformaJonsequenceofthemachineman.(Figure6)A

scene,whichhasconsequently,gonedowninhistory .No

directorbefore(andnotthatmanysince)hadworkedso

closelywithcameramenanddesignerstoachievesuch

dynamicvisualandspaGaleffects.(Adams,2006)

(Figure4:nEoFILM,2010)

(Figure5:bfi,2012)

Figure6:bfi,2012)


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Thebodylanguage,gesturesandexpressionofthe

actorsinthisfilmillustratetheplotlinebeauJfully,

somuchsothatveryliletextisneededto

elaborateonthegoingsonofeachscene.What

liletextisusedismerelytoillustratethescenes

thatwerelostwhencutoutoftheoriginalfilm

manyyearsago.However,thereistheodd

occasionwithinthefilmwhereanaudience

membermightraiseaneyebrowatthebehaviour

ofacharacter.Thereappearstobeprolificuseof

gesturalhandsparJcularlyingraspingatthinair,butalsograpplingatthechest.(Figure7)This

highlystylizedwayofperformingisnottheplaceto

lookfornaturalismandsubtlety,butitwasnot

unusualinitsGmeandinastorylikethis,itisquite

effecGve.(Turan,2010)Therewasalsothe

inclusionofalmoststagelikechoreographyforthe

actorsrepresenJngtheworkers.Theywouldwalk

indisciplinedlines,almostidenJcalintheir

uniforms.ItmakesaveryinteresJngbutalso

depressiveimageoftheworkingclasses.(Figure8)

(Figure8:bfi,2012)

(Figure7:bfi,2012)


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Duringthe1920sGermanywasamidstatumultuousJme,recoveringfromthelosses

ofWorldWarI,duringwhichJmetherewashugepoliJcalunrest.Thisseemstobe

portrayedthroughtheplotlineofMetropolis.Thereareechoesofthehalted

communistuprisingsintheearly20swhentheworkersofMetropolisrevoltagainsttheirsuperiorsanddestroythemachinesrunningthecity.Therecomesalmosta

metaphoricwarning,withinthefilm,ofwhatcouldhavehappenedhadacommunist

uprisingbeensuccessfultheirchildrenwoulddrownasaresultoftheworkersdrasJc

acJons.HoweverMetropolisturnswhatiniJallysetsoutasadisasterfilmandturnsit

intoaheroicrescuewherewhatshouldbe,doesindeed,cometopass.

MetropolisisafilmthatpracJcallydocumentsthecultureofGermany,thepoliJcal

upheavalandtheplightofitsworkingclassesinthe1920s.Butyetitisdressedupas

themostcontemporarygenre,faraheadofitsJme.Completewithasuccessfulsetof

mindblowingeffects(forthe1920s).Theplotlineprovesintriguing,drawingthe

audienceintothedivided,artdecoworldofthefutureanddazzlingthemwithastory

ofheroesandvillainsandrobotsinthemostincrediblyhugesets.Althoughthefilmis

parJallybasedonpoliJcs,itisonethatcaneasilybewatched.TheacJngisinternaJonal;itcanbeviewedbyanynaJonandsJllbecompletelyunderstood

withouttheuseofwords.Afeaturethatisveryrareinfilmsoftoday.


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BibliographyReviewsHalter,E(2007)BacktotheFuture:FritzLangsScifimasterpiecerevisitedhp://www.villagevoice.com/20070710/film/backtothefuture/

(6/10/2012)

Turan,K(2010)MOVIEREVIEW:Metropolishp://arJcles.laJmes.com/2010/may/14/entertainment/laetmetropolis20100514(6/10/2012)

Adams,D(2006)Metropolis(1927)hp://www.roentomatoes.com/m/1013775metropolis/(7/10/2012)

***

BibliographyPictures

BriJshFilmInsJtute(2012)METROPOLIShp://explore.bfi.org.uk/4ce2b6b0544c6(6/10/2012)

nEoFILM(2010)Metropolishp://neofilm.files.wordpress.com/2010/09/metropolis18.jpg(7/10/2012)


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BibliographyReference

ohn,B(2007)TheEarlyWrimarRepublic

hp://www.bJnternet.com/~james.fanning/historyclass/weimar.htm

(8/10/2012)

Preuss,S(2009)TheEvoluGonoftheNewYorkSkyline

hp://www.environmentalgraffiJ.com/featured/evoluJonnewyorkskyline/13896?

image=3

(6/10/2012)

review- metropolis (1927)

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