Metropolis

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Metropolis

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Metropolis

Alfred Abel, Brigitte Helm, Fritz Rasp, Gustav Fröhlich, Heinrich George, Rudolf Klein-Rogge, Theodor Loos

Fritz Lang's Metropolis belongs to legend as much as to cinema. It's a milestone of sci-fi and German expressionism. Yet the story makes minimal sense, and the "theme" belongs in a fortune cook...( read more  read more... )ie; to experience the film's pagan power, you have to see the movie. But for decades we couldn't, not really--not with so many versions, all incomplete, often in public-domain prints like smudged photocopies. This Murnau Foundation restoration changes all that. Some shots, scenes, and subplots may be lost forever, but intertitles indicate how they fit into the original continuity and the characters' individual trajectories. Most crucially, the images are crisp, vibrant, and three-dimensional instead of murky and flattened. The composite sequences (the Tower of Babel, a sea of lusting eyes) have been restored to their hallucinatory ferocity. And there's one moment when you can see a bead of sweat roll down a man's cheek--in medium long-shot. --Richard T. Jameson

Id: 10895878

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Metropolis Recent Reviews
  • flixsterman
    December 3, 2009
    flixsterman
    "The mediator between brain and muscle must be the heart"
  • AgentLexi2132
    November 28, 2009
    AgentLexi2132
    ''There can be no understanding between the hand and the brain unless the heart acts as mediator.''

    In a futuristic city sharply divided between the working class and the city planners, the son of the city's mastermind falls in love with a working class prophet who predic...( read more)ts the coming of a savior to mediate their differences.

    Gustav Fröhlich: Freder
    Brigitte Helm: Maria / The Robot

    A handful of stories and films will always be known for proving themselves against the proverbial test of time; making their mark in the pantheon of the most influential, memorable and near flawless crafted films in existence. Upon viewing in a contemporary context; even over 80 years after its initial release in 1927, the recognition of Metropolis; director Fritz Lang's masterpiece; among such timeless examples Metropolis is without a doubt included. The catalyst for all ensuing science fiction films and tremendously influential; even outside of the genre it essentially pioneered, the sheer imagination and vision behind Metropolis prove its indisputable quality decades after its time.

    A tremendously ambitious and controversial feat when first released, the political and thematic content riddling the film's impressively complex storyline are astounding; proving an early testament for the potential of big budget projects to resonate with strong thematic content as opposed to being simply entertaining. Taking notes and inspirations from Karl Marx (creator of Communist ideology; for those whom don't know), among other prominent schools of thought, politics, ideologies and philosophies. The revolutionary dystopian vision of a colony of workers rebelling against the alienated upper classes proves a daring and fiercely compelling vision relevant even to this day, without even pausing to realize this is a film made in Germany in the 1920s. Similarly, the film makes a particularly effective, futuristic science-fiction piece by proving frighteningly prophetic from grander themes of commodity culture to smaller touches; with ideas which would have seemed outlandish at the time such as video phones and machine men starting to become disconcerting realities. While parts of the original film are sadly lost or missing, as they are summed up by title cards in the same way dialogue was conveyed, the occasional lapse in pacing hardly distracts from the gripping and astonishingly powerful narrative.

    Similarly, the film's dynamic visual style is equally comendable, and the entire film captivates with a hypnotic, entrancing beauty. The expressionist art influenced futuristic sets and buildings and surprisingly advanced visual effects never fail to captivate, and the frequent moody lighting is an aesthetic delight. Sequences such as the opening scene of columns of repressed workers trudging desolately to work to Freder's cinematically innovative hallucination of death striking the city, the mad inventor Rotwang's construction of the iconic Machine Man to the allegorical tale of the tower of Babel prove utterly unforgettable, with Lang conjuring up a dramatic intensity essentially unparalleled in its time. Such seamless quality both technically and thematically has scarcely been glimpsed to such a degree since, and the film's incredible influence becomes increasingly clear in other works after viewing it.

    While the film is seldom praised for its acting, considering the expressionist conventions of over-exaggerated facial expressions and movement to express inner sentiments, the film comes as across as far less melodramatic than one might expect, though the distinctly different performance styles may prove unsettling or unintentionally comical to a contemporary audience. Gustav Fröhlich is a suitably engaging and charismatic lead as the young son of the city's founder who becomes increasingly disgusted with the harsh mistreatment of the working class denizens. As his distant father, Alfred Abel turns in a poignant performance as Frederson, founder of Metropolis, consumed by his own ambition to the point of losing touch with the world around him. Rudolf Klein-Rogge is unforgettable and enormously entertaining as twisted inventor Rotwang, setting the standard for countless mad scientist icons to follow. Similarly, Brigitte Helm is both luminous and horrifying in turn; portraying both the earnest figurehead for a working class resistance movement who attracts the attention of the impressionable Freder, and a demonic incarnation of herself portrayed by Rotwang's devious Machine Man.

    Visionary, innovative and desperately socially relevant, Lang's disturbing and captivating labour of love holds its own against the ages, proving nearly as staggeringly impressive an achievement in a current day context as its initial release over 80 years ago. Lavish and blindingly spectacular, dazzling set pieces and high production values, Metropolis rises above and stands testament to Fritz Lang's ambitious artistic visionary perceptions of how cinema could be used. Among classics such as 2001: A Space Oddysey, Blade Runner which came many years later; Fritz Lang's Metropolis is the true science fiction classic original. It also is another great insight into workings of our systems, society and why some work and some do not; in a classing system of extreme rich and poor. Fritz Lang's M; which followed in 1932, also dealt with some of the same issues concerning Metropolis. Stabs at the structure of society and the evils of the mob prove Unity is always above chaotic Hysteria.
  • sanjurosamurai
    July 3, 2009
    sanjurosamurai
    often considered cinema's first great masterpiece, its a shame that some of the scenes from this fritz lang classic are lost to us forever. i feel that the film only preserves so well despite its missing pieces because it is a silent film and can be filled in with text screens, ...( read more)because i was still engaged in the story from start to finish. the only real critique of the film is that some of the actions of the characters didnt fit the story that well, but overall this film is highly effective in its scale as it tells a great science fiction story for its era. an impressive film that any true film fan should see.
  • columbiatch
    June 28, 2009
    columbiatch
    Kind of a like a Michael Bay blockbuster, except more technically impressive (for its time). The sets are the stars rather than the actors, which give some incredibly histronic performances even for a silent. No matter how much I was impressed by the visuals and the avant garde p...( read more)arts of the film (probably the closest we can get of an Art of Vision remake by Michael Bay) I can't quite get past the nonsensical mess of a plot even though a lot of the film is missing, and the naive ideology of the film. And I hated the Heart-is-the-Mediator-between-Brain-and-Hand bullshit and that ridiculous ending. The band 3epkano did a great job though just like last year with Sunrise, so overall it was a very enjoyable experience.
  • ohagankieran
    May 28, 2009
    ohagankieran
    Fritz Lang's groundbreaking landmark remains one of the biggest mysteries in the world of cinema. How can a movie that'll soon turn 80 years old still look so disturbingly futuristic?? The screenplay by Thea Von Harbou is still very haunting and courageously assails social issues...( read more) that are of all ages. The world has been divided into two main categories: thinkers & workers! If you belong to the first category, you can lead a life of luxury above ground but if you're a worker, your life isn't worth a penny, and you're doomed to perilous labor underground. The further expansions and intrigues in the screenplay are too astonishing to spoil, so I strongly advise that you check out the film yourself. It's essential viewing, anyway! "Metropolis" is a very demanding film-experience and definitely not always entertaining. But, as it is often the case with silent-cinema classics, the respect and admiration you'll develop during watching it will widely excel the enjoyment-aspect. Fritz' brutal visual style still looks innovative and few directors since were able to re-create a similarly nightmarish composition of horizontal and vertical lines. Many supposedly 'restored' versions have been released over the years (in 1984 and 2002, for example) but the 1926-version is still the finest in my opinion, even though that one already isn't as detailed and punctual as Lang intended it. "Metropolis" perhaps is THE most important and influential movie ever made. "2001: A Space Odyssey", "Star Wars" and "Blade Runner" owe their existence (or at least their power) to it.
  • zembie
    November 23, 2009
    zembie
    No wonder people always rave on about the groundbreaking visuals and artistic aspects of this film. Because the story is so simplistic it bears the air of a naive or a simpleton. I would perhaps rather recommend stills than the actual feature. Don't buy the classic posters, get r...( read more)eal stills because the film is a work of art. It really is. Visually...
  • kluroda01
    November 23, 2009
    kluroda01
    the genre of sci fi owes everything to this film literally...
  • Phonex
    November 21, 2009
    Phonex
    A masterpiece from German Cinema.
  • neopol313
    November 19, 2009
    neopol313
    This is groundbreaking cinema at its best. Pioneering visual effects, grand scope and a fantastic orchestral score, this is truly the birth of epic sci fi on the pearl screen. Decades ahead of Forbidden Planet, 2001 and Star Wars, the only failing which this film has, is that the...( read more) story is almost too simple compared to its production design and epic scale, but since this is a silent movie, there will always be a trade off. But a visual treat, this stands tall, along with the afore mentioned Sci Fi flicks and every major epic to have been shot before or since. Truly cinema at its best...
  • 21rclemente
    November 10, 2009
    21rclemente
    Uhhh. ok? I've seen silent films in the past and don't get me wrong Metropolis die-hards but this movie needs to be reconcidered by the IMDB critics who place it so high on their lists. I understand that this movie was incredibly innnovative at the time... but only at that time. ...( read more)Its horribly dry and should be ranked with movie within its time period.
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