"Metropolis" - the film is really a cult and, unlike many paintings of that era, significant for the history and evolution of the cinema, Metropolis is actively cited and reinterpreted today, and many of the trails launched by it are reproduced in blockbusters of our days. What kind of film is this and how does it attract attention?
First of all, in Metropolis, his figurative series is remembered, and it is to him that the authors who make homage to Langu usually send. The image system of the film is very interesting and paradoxically seems more profound and multi-valued than the ideas it is intended to express (about them a little later). The very idea of using the two-fold archetype of Babylon - associated with the Tower and with the Whore - is very good and opens great opportunities. And the statues of mortal sins coming down from the seats in the Gothic cathedral to become the footstep for the dancing woman in the cabaret, named after the Japanese "red light district", a robot woman! .. And the stunning image of the Moloch machine! .. On the example of "Metropolis" it can be clearly seen that expressionism is primarily oriented toward interaction with direct viewer perception.
Operator work, special effects and especially mise en scene - all above all praise. "Metropolis" - a real feast for the eyes and in terms of purely cinematic - an unequivocal masterpiece. Scenes of tower construction, dancing in "Yoshiwara" or round dance around the ruins of Machine-Heart are not only beautifully conceived - they are perfectly realized.
However, we return to the plot. What do these stunning images tell us about? "Metropolis" is (conditionally) science fiction, but not at all a dystopia or an anti-utopia, contrary to popular belief. Lang, on the whole, is not against the society he portrayed; on the contrary, he stresses in every way that he does not want this social order to be liquidated. "Metropolis" is very rooted in the era of its creation - a difficult economic situation in the Weimar Republic, a somewhat feverish fun that grasped in the interwar period those classes that could afford to have fun, and the constant threat of revolution are the main themes of the film. Or, rather, the main theme is precisely the fear of revolution. Lang is so afraid that she will sweep away the European culture and the fruits of civilization, that - as if portraying in the film more than the terrible conditions for the existence of workers - in no case wants a violation of the status quo. (It is curious, in which of the elements is more the merit of Lang, who in a few years will escape from triumphant Nazism over the ocean, and in what - his wife and screenwriter Tei von Harbow, a member of the NSDAP).
Excessive protective pathos badly affects the morality of history: The heart, they say, will act as a mediator between the Head and Hands, and the Heart is, apparently, a rich philanthropist ... It is not very clear if he (and can he) really improve the conditions of life workers, should (and can) the higher classes (who showed themselves to be useless during the film).
In general, the Metropolis scenario has many questions: a whole series of plot twists remains strange and poorly motivated, starting with the desire of Fredersen the elder to bring with great blood the resignation of so absolutely submissive workers and ending with the role of Josaphat in terms of young Freder. Despite the status of the classics, "Metropolis" in many ways resembles modern blockbusters with special effects in every frame - the connectivity of the script is sacrificed to the fascination of history and bright visual images.
Especially big problems with motivation in the main characters - Frederick Frederson and Mary (the image of the latter in general causes a lot of questions). Why Freder was so impressed by the children who entered the Garden of the Sons, what exactly he wanted to do until he met Mary - all this is shrouded in mystery. The situation is exacerbated by the fact that Gustav Frohlich playing his role plays rather weakly and looks like a cardboard lover from the old folk theater (I understand that heartache is one of the main metaphors of the film, but not to take your hand from your chest all two hours - obvious bust).
But the other characters and acting are quite curious. Yo Friedersen performed by Alfred Abel was very touching (it is characteristic that there are also many questions to the motivation of this character, but the acting play makes them less sharp). Dr. Rothwang and now can be considered one of the brightest images of a mad scientist in the history of cinema - and it is not surprising that his playing Rudolf Klein-Rogge actually stands at the origins of this archetype, performing also the role of the famous Dr. Mabuse. I have very mixed feelings called Fritz Rasp, who plays the role of the nameless handmaid Fredersen - even by the standards of a bit of the cinema of the era of expressionism, his acting manner is strange and frightening ... but this is probably what is planned.
In general, "Metropolis" - these are magnificent memorable images, high-quality special effects and a weak plot. Actually, this fully explains why this film has such a huge number of direct and indirect references in all areas of culture, but the tape itself is very much
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