Metropolis Class Discussion and Key Ideas

      Metropolis is a 1927  German expressionist science-fiction film directed by Fritz Lang. Although the silent film offered an escape to the German people from the hardships of their daily lives, it additionally grappled with important social issues such as social class, feminism, and communism. Set in a dystopian society, Metropolis foreshadowed the political climate of Germany during the 1930s and urged the German people to fix their mistakes before they came to fruition. 

D   Lang included symbolism and dreamlike images throughout Metropolis to convey the central messages of the film. Metropolis was built on inequality. The architecture of the city itself placed the powerful elite living lavishly on top of the working class, exposing capitalism. Religious references were used throughout the film to convey Lang's ideas that religion had the power to save and restore the morals lost within this capitalist society. The futuristic buildings and references to the Tower of Babel symbolized an ideal city in which the lower class longed for. This ideal city symbolized Germany's Weimar Republic, the country's first attempt at a democracy. Lang also strategically included clocks and cloning throughout the film to symbolize the uniform society and constant rhythm that Germany was trying looking to instill into the daily lives of the working class. Laborers were nameless and looked down upon. 

     

      The ending of the film included camera shots of the laborers holding hands and smiling at the false Maria, the leader of their rebellion. The long, panning shots, emphasized the power of workers in large numbers and foreshadowed what was in store for Germany politically. 

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