Metropolis 9/6

The silent 1927 German film, Metropolis we delved into during our class discussion today is set in a dystopia with messages of class divisions, feminism, communism, all on the notion of equality. To start my analysis, I'd like to point out the historical context of the film and the visual aspects that come with it. Being that Metropolis was made in 1927, World War One just ended and the Roaring 20's has begun, prompting the start of the Great Depression in the near future. The film is black and white and silent, explaining the strong presence of music, exaggerated gestures, and profound clothing choices. The main character, Freder, is the son of John, and the lover of Maria. Maria is a woman within the working class, whereas Freder is an upperclass man, with his father creating this dystopian society. Metropolis is built upon the working class, quite literally, with images of futuristic architecture, such as, glass-paned skyscrapers and modernized highways, alongside groups of uniformed people seen in overcrowded spaces, working like clockwork. The Tower of Babel being the more obvious, religious symbol of the class division. The working class are dehumanized through their lack of names, generalized groupings, and synchronous movements to belittle their purpose down to simply labor. However, the only other female character, Maria who is also amongst the lower-class, was the glimpse of hope amongst the laborers through her developed characteristics and storyline whilst shining light on women's empowerment during the time period of the film. Women were vouching for their freedoms during the 1920s with the symbolism of Maria and the Virgin Mary showing how although she lost her innocence when she was cloned, she was still capable and worthy of whatever she desired. Although the film is inspired greatly by religious undertones, communism more-so drives the film making the elements of the seven deadly sins, inverted pentagrams, etc. subliminal messages. Overall, the movie focuses on the bigger picture of the corruption of the wealthy, and the reliance but discrimination of the working class. However, love can persevere through the hardships of a classist society, which is a common theme found within more recent films. These ideas together create the notion of equality inspired by the precepts of communism which explains the historical context film. I am excited to reference Metropolis in our future screenings because while it is an older film, it is very ahead of its time with its more obvious stance on the hot-topic of equality, and can continue to be interpreted in so many ways.