Metropolis

"Metropolis"
Fritz Lang, 1927

When we first view the fictional city of "Metropolis," we are placed underneath the earth, witnessing hordes of identical workers, lined up in perfect order, waiting for the gates to their workplace to rise before marching off to maintain the machines that run the city; they may as well be entombed in a prison. Then, in contrast, we see the nicest area of Metropolis, perched high above all the street urchins and dirty workers, where the spoiled children of the city's most powerful individuals flock. It is there that we meet Freder, the son of the city's exceedingly capitalist leader, Joh Frederson. Freder is basically a hapless pretty-boy; even though he's our protagonist, he doesn't accomplish all that much. Instead, he inadvertently starts a revolution when he lays eyes on a pretty woman, named Maria, who serves as a prophet-of-sorts for the hopeless workers. Things get even more complicated when a mad scientist, named Rotwang, creates a "Machine-Man" and uses that robot to impersonate Maria and brainwash the unsuspecting hordes of workers.

"Metropolis" is an ambitious film that addresses several common themes throughout history: the struggle between the bourgeoisie and the proletariat, the dehumanizing effects of modernization, and the role of religion in shaping people's worldview. All of these are fascinating, but one element of "Metropolis" that I find particularly interesting is how machinery, in this "ideal" world, become virtually indistinguishable from humans. Maria preaches a message of hope, encouraging the workers to wait for a Messiah, called the "mediator," who will serve as a bridge between the poor and the powerful. Though her robot version preaches a very different message consisting of pure hatred, which incites rebellion, the workers think the machine is the same charismatic leader and follow its example, instead. Both versions of Maria are two sides of the same coin, as they illustrate how an institution that unites people to a common cause, such as religion, can be used to help improve the world or to destroy it.

It is unfortunate that over a quarter of the film has been lost, because there are many missing parts that would have helped to develop the characters, especially Frederson's goon the "Thin Man." There are a number of moments where the characters' physical position and even their relationship to one another make no sense: Freder is above-ground one moment and below-ground in the workers' section the next; Frederson issues a command that allows workers to destroy the machinery, but is genuinely shocked when he discovers that the entire city has shut down. Even if some of these missing sections are discovered, they would not be able to cure the movie of its sappy ending, in which members of all of Metropolis' social classes join hands in a show of unity. In its current state, "Metropolis" is a visually mesmerizing experience with some compelling themes, but it lacks the complexity and the narrative coherence of Lang's later film, "M."

Rating: 8

First Viewed: 7/24/08, on DVD
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