Metropolis
It's time to travel back to 1927 to take a look at one of the most influential films of all time. Does Metropolis still hold up to today, or should it just be left as a relic of the past? Let's find out.
In the distant future, the working class lives deep within the Earth's crust where they keep the above city of Metropolis working. Metropolis is where the rich live. The head of everyone lives in the Tower of Babel, a huge building in the center of the city. This man is Joh Frederson (Alfred Abel). A selfish man who thinks nothing of his employees and treats them like items that can be easily replaced. His son, Freder (Gustav Frohlich), is happy with his life, but notices a woman that lives in the underground, Maria (Brigitte Helm). Once she returns back to where she came from, Freder runs after her and discovers the terrible lives of the working class. From that point, Freder decides to bridge the gaps between the working class and the rich.
Looking at this film from the point of view of the people in 1927, this is a groundbreaking film. For it's time, this is rather lengthy, but every moment serves a purpose. It doesn't feel like there were some moments that could have been cut out. The combination of all these different methods of filming also does wonders for the film. The score is also pretty good since the music does what it needs to for a silent movie to give the feelings of the characters along with anything going on at the moment. I also really liked the religious focus the movie has. There's a character known as the Thin Man, which represents several different religious symbols throughout the movie before becoming what he truly is. He's a wonderfully done character that really instills fear into you. As for the other objects and characters in the movie that represent different religious objects or ideas, they're used perfectly. When you dig deep enough into these objects and characters, who they are comes clear and actually holds up to what you'd expect it to be. One last thing I must mention is the climax. The final fight in the movie is done wonderfully and can really get exciting.
There's not really a whole lot I can say bad about this movie for how groundbreaking it was and the limited technology of the time period.
So should you watch Metropolis? Well that really depends. While I see it as a masterpiece of cinema, I also can't see the general audience of today really enjoying it. Movies have evolved since the time this one has come out. However, if you're a film buff or a science fiction fan, there's no film I'd recommend more than Metropolis.
In the distant future, the working class lives deep within the Earth's crust where they keep the above city of Metropolis working. Metropolis is where the rich live. The head of everyone lives in the Tower of Babel, a huge building in the center of the city. This man is Joh Frederson (Alfred Abel). A selfish man who thinks nothing of his employees and treats them like items that can be easily replaced. His son, Freder (Gustav Frohlich), is happy with his life, but notices a woman that lives in the underground, Maria (Brigitte Helm). Once she returns back to where she came from, Freder runs after her and discovers the terrible lives of the working class. From that point, Freder decides to bridge the gaps between the working class and the rich.
Looking at this film from the point of view of the people in 1927, this is a groundbreaking film. For it's time, this is rather lengthy, but every moment serves a purpose. It doesn't feel like there were some moments that could have been cut out. The combination of all these different methods of filming also does wonders for the film. The score is also pretty good since the music does what it needs to for a silent movie to give the feelings of the characters along with anything going on at the moment. I also really liked the religious focus the movie has. There's a character known as the Thin Man, which represents several different religious symbols throughout the movie before becoming what he truly is. He's a wonderfully done character that really instills fear into you. As for the other objects and characters in the movie that represent different religious objects or ideas, they're used perfectly. When you dig deep enough into these objects and characters, who they are comes clear and actually holds up to what you'd expect it to be. One last thing I must mention is the climax. The final fight in the movie is done wonderfully and can really get exciting.
There's not really a whole lot I can say bad about this movie for how groundbreaking it was and the limited technology of the time period.
So should you watch Metropolis? Well that really depends. While I see it as a masterpiece of cinema, I also can't see the general audience of today really enjoying it. Movies have evolved since the time this one has come out. However, if you're a film buff or a science fiction fan, there's no film I'd recommend more than Metropolis.