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Mar 28, 1998 · According to Patrick McGilligan's book Fritz Lang: The Nature of the Beast, the extras were hurled into violent mob scenes, made to stand for hours in cold water and handled more like props than human beings. The heroine was made to jump from high places, and when she was burned at a stake, Lang used real flames.
- Overview
- Production notes and credits
- Cast
Metropolis, German silent film, released in 1927, featuring director Fritz Lang’s vision of a grim futuristic society and containing some of the most impressive images in film history.
(Read Lillian Gish’s 1929 Britannica essay on silent film.)
Britannica Quiz
Pop Culture Quiz
The great future city of Metropolis in the film is inhabited by two distinct classes: the industrialists live off the fat of the land, supported by the workers who live under the city and endure a bare-bones existence of backbreaking work. The story concerns a forbidden love between Freder (played by Gustav Fröhlich), a young man from the industrialist class, and Maria (Brigitte Helm), an activist who preaches against the divide between the two classes. The subterfuge and deceit involving a robot duplicate of Maria culminate in a revolution that quickly spells disaster for all involved.
Despite advances in filmmaking technology, no other film has surpassed Metropolis in terms of its impact on production design. Its influence can be seen in many subsequent science fiction films, including Ridley Scott’s Blade Runner (1982) and Terry Gilliam’s Brazil (1985). Lang’s eye for magnificent set pieces and special effects resulted in memorable images, notably the immense skyscrapers that dominate the skyline of Metropolis and the scenes in which the robot takes on Maria’s features.
•Studio: Universum Film AG (UFA)
•Director: Fritz Lang
•Producer: Erich Pommer
•Writers: Fritz Lang and Thea von Harbou
•Brigitte Helm (Maria/The Robot)
•Gustav Fröhlich (Freder)
•Alfred Abel (Joh Fredersen)
•Rudolf Klein-Rogge (Rotwang)
- Lee Pfeiffer
Oct 4, 2022 · It is a memorable work, if not on a par with Lang’s greatest films, M and The Big Heat. Still, why watch it now? Metropolis raises the question “Who will be our mediator?” In his inaugural ...
Today, the distinctive style of Metropolis in turn offers endless inspiration for artists and designers. We take a look at the different influences that carachterise the movie, as well as its impact on art and culture since its release. Fritz Lang in 1969. Photo by Joost Evers / Anefo, National Archive The Netherlands.
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Metropolis study guide contains a biography of Fritz Lang, literature essays, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis. Best summary PDF, themes, and quotes. More books than SparkNotes.
surface. The futuristic city of Metropolis is built quite literally on inequality; to Lang, the city of the future was synonymous with exploitation, power, corruption and greed: ‘Metropolis, you know, was born from my first sight of the skyscrapers of New York in October 1924 [...] while visiting New York, I thought that it was the cross-
Metropolis study guide contains a biography of Fritz Lang, literature essays, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis. Best summary PDF, themes, and quotes. More books than SparkNotes.
