The film's director, Fritz Lang, is a German-Jewish father whose father is a builder and capitalist and his mother is a devout Catholic. Frieze Lang, who loved to paint as a child and was deeply influenced by expressionism, grew up and refused to become an architect. After returning from travel, he fought in the First World War and began to study film while injured.
1927 was the 79th year after the publication of the Communist Manifesto and the ninth year after the end of the First World War. The world is generally in an economic crisis, and the situation in western developed countries is even more severe. After leaving the army, Fritz Lang has been developing in a German film and television company and is now a little famous. Meanwhile, Hitler, unwilling to fail, was writing Mein Kampf.
The battle experience in Austria 10 years ago; the German historical mythical epic filmed 2 years ago; the research experience in the United States, where the economic crisis was the most severe one year ago; the science fiction novel being written by the wife who enthusiastically supports the Nazis; The subtle influence caused by his mother's religion at that time made Frieze Lang learn to remain silent, and he began to think deeply about all that this era has to offer...... Finally in 1925 , he began to shoot this epoch-making great masterpiece......
"Metropolis", released in 1927, took 17 months to shoot and cost more than 5 million Deutsche Marks, making it the most expensive silent film in history. The burning of funds, a large number of group performances, in exchange for the eternal classic. The story combines the spirit of classical religion and the imagination of the future world, but also reflects the social reality of the time, that is, the position of the individual in industrialization and mass production, and explores both fascism and communism.
Whether it means Joan of Arc, who was burned at the stake for fighting the British, or a prostitute who was responsible for the seven deadly sins in the Roman Empire, the name of the film's heroine "Maria" has a double meaning. The underground world built by the capitalists in the film also has many similarities with the ancient Babylon described in the Bible. At the same time, as an epoch-making sci-fi film at that time, the metropolis presented in the film not only absorbed the culture of the Weimar Republic of Germany, but also exudes the atmosphere of the modern metropolis of New York.
Hitler fell in love with the film and tried to persuade Fritz to work for the Nazis. Fritz rejected Hitler, and his wife's Nazi tendencies became more and more serious. In 1933, after the conflict between the two sides intensified, his wife joined the Nazi party and divorced him. In the same year, when the fascist situation in Germany was extremely dangerous, he chose to go into exile in France.......
The original master film of the film was scattered around the world after World War II, and the most complete version has never been found, and about a quarter of the fragments may be lost permanently. The film was also shown in Shanghai, China in the 1930s, and was translated as "Science World" at that time.
In 2001, "Metropolis" was listed as a World Documentary Heritage by UNESCO.
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