Coming out of the hot topic world of our last film and continuing the trend, it's time to get political with a little bit of stylistic flair. So let's throw the switch and head back through the vortex to a time where the world is at peace after years of war, picture houses come with their own musicians and you can now call London from New York. Yes it's 1927 and we're about to enter the overcrowded, overworked and under-appreciated socialist depths of Fritz Lang's
Metropolis.
From the get go Metropolis hits two major marks straight out the gate on our crazy adventure through the Cineverse, as not only is it the first black and white film on the list but it is also the first silent film to grace our screens and with it brings a whole new dimension to explore. And boy what a place it was, with Lang and fellow art designers Otto Hunt, Erich Kettlehut, and Karl Vollbrecht constructing one of the greatest and most stylish pieces of set design I've ever laid eyes on. The city of Metropolis is magical with it's towering sky-scrapers, interweaving multi-lane highways and dazzling lights, it really takes your breath away and I can only wonder what audiences of the day would have thought when seeing it for the first time. It's certainly not difficult to see why this film inspired
Superman creators Joe Shuster and Jerry Siegel to name the city of the man of tomorrow after this iconic spectacle.
It's not only the city that impresses when it comes to set in this film,
as the theatrical design of the working classes machine is one of power
and beauty, especially during a sequence when our hero sees it for what
it truly is and envisions hundreds of workers being swallowed up by the
great mechanical beast. The costume design of this film is incredibly
well done with its mix of industrial revolution and predictions of
future elite fashion. I wouldn't be surprised if Metropolis has been
used as reference material for video games such as the Bioshock
franchise. The big show piece here being the machine man, which went on
the inspire the look of C3PO from
Star Wars (1977) and is reflected in the Cybermen of
Doctor Who
(1963). Actress Bridgette Helm went on record in multiple interviews to
complain about how much the suit constricted her movement and gave her
several bruises, and in one scene almost cause her to suffocate due to
Lang's desire for multiple takes close to a raging fire.
Within this piece Lang tells of the dangers of creating a society
heavily defined by class boundaries and the eventuality of self
destruction these systems will cause. Unfortunately for him as the film,
(first released in Germany) started making waves across the globe and
gained popularity, it was taken up as a guideline for how a government
should view it's subjects by young political party leader Adolph Hitler,
who along with the rest of his inner circle enjoyed the film to such an
extent that Lang was offered to be made a honorary Ayran despite his
Jewish background.
Nazi's aside Metropolis's futurism minded
design and concepts have influenced practically all science fiction
culture that came after it especially that seen on the silver screen,
with even modern franchises such as
The Matrix (1999) and
The Terminator (1984) and of course the regimented dystopian future of George Orwell's
1984, copying it's ideas of mass surveillance to the horrors of the machine acting as man, and using them to chilly effect.
Dark,
elaborate, and with a story that still resounds in the daily struggles
of the work life balance of today it's hard not to enjoy the movie magic
being spun by this film. Though at a run time of 2 hours and 33 minutes
for the recently restored version it's one that definitely demands
attention and is not recommended for the easily distracted. But for
those interested in seeing the worlds essentially first sci-fi
blockbuster
Metropolis is not to be missed.
