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Film Review: Metropolis

This review will be covering the film ‘Metropolis’ (1927) directed by Fritz Lang and How it has greatly
influenced future films in the Sci-fi genre. Metropolis takes place in a dystopian metropolis where the
rich thrive and enjoy life in their elite society while the poor work the machines running the city each
day with no rest and live in underground caverns below the city. The film follows Freder, who discovers
how badly the working classis treated and tries to fix the inequality. Halfway through the film, Freder
love interest, Maria, is replaced by a ‘machine’ man who brings utter chaos to the lower levels of the
city.

Fig 2; Still from Le Voyage dans la Lune Fig 4; Still from Metropolis

Fig 3; Cybermen from Doctor Who


Fig 1; Original Poster from Metropolis

Sci-fic films made in the early years between the 1900s-1920s were made in the silent film year. Silent
film was usually short black and white clip that usually lasted only a few minutes. The first silent film
was released in 1902, called ‘Le Voyage dans la Lune’ directed by George Méliès. Around this time
the genres sci-fic and horror started to merge together.

Most sci-fic films before Metropolis were created for comedy, as seen in figure 2 where the moon gets
a rocket to the face in Le Voyage dans la Lune. It wasn’t until Metropolis that this changed. As the
effect from WW1 was still around, the tension bled into the film, allowing it to explore more serious
issues, like the struggle between the upper class and working class shown in the film, and changing
the Science-fiction Genre into a more serious one.

Metropolis has gone on to influence future films and TV-Series such as Doctor Who, I-Robot,
Terminator and many others through its use of a machine man. Doctor is an example of this via its use
of cyberman in the series (shown in fig 3) as it follows the design of the machine man in Metropolis
(shown in fig 4) before it becomes Maria and has similar features such as the head.
The set of Metropolis has gone on to influence modern cinema via its use of a dystopian future such
as Blade runner as it takes huge inspiration from the architect of the film, shown through the use of
huge and grand structures and how unique they are as shown in fig 5 and 6.

Fig 5; Still from Metropolis Fig 6; Still from Blade Runner 2049

Overall, Metropolis has had a huge Influence over the Science-fiction genre and has gone on to inspire
many of the Films and TV-Series we watch today.

Illustrations:

Fig 1: 1stdibs (2003). Large Sci-Fi Movie Poster for The Utopian Film Metropolis Directed By Fritz Lang.
[image] Available at: https://www.1stdibs.co.uk/art/prints-works-on-paper/more-prints-works-on-
paper/after-heinz-schulz-neudamm-large-sci-fi-movie-poster-utopian-film-metropolis-directed-fritz-
lang/i-
da_1828443/?utm_content=cpc__lp_test&gclid=Cj0KCQjwxvbdBRC0ARIsAKmec9aAKppUX3nwlC4IB
X2-0FnILVtvmEWctA_imqSa1vrhpTyqJUqPEnYaAhaVEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds [Accessed 10 Oct.
2018].

Fig 2: Film Forever (2018). Le Voyage dans la Lune (1902). [image] Available at:
https://www.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2b6a453c5b [Accessed 10 Oct. 2018].

Fig 3; Farnell, C. (2017). Doctor Who: the genius of making the Cybermen an ideology. [image]
Available at: http://www.denofgeek.com/uk/tv/cybermen/50519/doctor-who-the-genius-of-making-
the-cybermen-an-ideology [Accessed 10 Oct. 2018].

Fig 4; Anon, (2018). [image] Available at: https://www.lomography.com/magazine/117893-


appreciating-films-fritz-langs-metropolis-1927 [Accessed 10 Oct. 2018].

Fig 5; METROPOLIS. (2018). [image] Available at: http://www.murnau-stiftung.de/movie/106


[Accessed 10 Oct. 2018].

Fig 6: Blade Runner and the Power of Sci-Fi World-Building. (2018). [image] Available at:
http://www.slate.com/articles/technology/future_tense/2017/10/blade_runner_and_the_power_of_sci_
fi_world_building.html?via=gdpr-consent [Accessed 10 Oct. 2018].
Bibliography:

One Hundred Years of Cinema (2016). 1927: Metropolis - How Cinema Changed the Way We See the
Future. [video] Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vLxe92EgT9Y [Accessed 10 Oct.
2018].

Ebert, R. (2018). Metropolis Movie Review & Film Summary (1927) | Roger Ebert. [online]
Rogerebert.com. Available at: https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/great-movie-metropolis-1927
[Accessed 10 Oct. 2018].

Toricello123 (2014). History of sci-fi. [online] Slideshare.net. Available at:


https://www.slideshare.net/toricello123/history-of-scifi-30586001 [Accessed 10 Oct. 2018].

Sjfilmhistory. (2014). The Influence of Fritz Lang’s ‘Metropolis’ on Future Films. [online] Available at:
https://sjfilmhistory.wordpress.com/2014/02/03/774/ [Accessed 10 Oct. 2018].

Pynadath, D. (2008). The False Maria. [online] People.ict.usc.edu. Available at:


http://people.ict.usc.edu/~pynadath/EvilAI/maria.html [Accessed 10 Oct. 2018].

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