The original Metropolis film directed by Fritz Lang was released in Germany in 1927. It was 210 minutes long, but it was quickly cut after the screening. It was not until 2008 that a more complete version was found in Buenos Aires, which was restored by the combination. The film was then able to have the full picture it is today.
Director Fritz Lang used suspense and horror to build Dr. Caligari's cabin in his early works and his later works with extremely distinctive features. The light and dark lighting set off the atmosphere, and his aesthetic modeling and styled shooting and editing techniques . The film is based on the novel Metropolis by Tia von Hubble. The story takes traditional love as the narrative subject, but the difference is that it puts the background of the story in a realistic mapping metropolis.
The story is set in a class-defining metropolis, with lifeless, dark dungeon workers and relaxed, extravagant, ruthless high-level figures. In 1927, inflation in Germany caused serious social polarization, and the lives of people from all walks of life were exactly the same as those shown in the movie. Poor and powerless workers, selfish and ruthless capitalists The line that appears twice in the film, the regulator of the brain and the hand must be the heart. It also aims to emphasize the importance of mediators and seek solutions to real problems based on realistic demands. As a director, whether intentionally or unintentionally, he also expressed his political views in the film.
As for the appearance of the great prostitute in the Book of Revelation, the author is also trying to attribute the problem of capitalist economic imbalance to fate. The appearance of the robot Maria has both a sense of religious fate and a sense of panic and imbalance of future robot threats. In the eyes of the audience at the time, the strange and forceful dance of Maria was the panic caused by religion, but to the audience today, it is the amoralization of robots and the carnival of human ignorance. An unspoken fear. But I have to say, no matter from the perspective of the audience of any era, it is very tempting to watch this evil Mary's dance. The costumes and beauty of Mary are very beautiful. Maria's movements bring people a great sense of incongruity and disgust. When the dungeon seduced the workers to resist, the raised arms and the weird and evil face made the image of Maria, the big harlot, more plump. Maybe the good Maria is more beautiful. The alternating influence of the two Marias affects the workers in the dungeon. It is also the director who attributes the resistance brought by the imbalance of the capitalist world to the unspeakable temptation and delusion, and also tries to appeal to the good Maria. The peaceful approach, although there is suspicion of speaking favorably to those in power, does indeed express political hope that this fact can be resolved.
In the film, the director also expressed the old public's attitude, suspicion and resistance towards machines. The whole article is full of machines, you must not leave everyone, you must keep the slogan next to the machine, and the dial serves people. After Fresa exchanged identities with the dial worker, it seemed that Fresa was manipulating the pointer, but in fact she experienced After 10 hours of work, the dial is like an overseer supervising that the workers have turned against customers. When Frieza first entered the dungeon and witnessed a mechanical accident, the machine turned into a man-eating monster, and a steady stream of workers poured into it. It also stems from the director's thinking and fear of machines. The huge buildings and machines make people's power even more insignificant. Of course, I want to praise the art of this film, and win the rigorous attitude of the Germans. The picture is clean and symmetrical. Xiongqi exquisite life, but more bizarre.
At the same time, the director's portrayal of the bridge Fresa worker Maria and others in the film on the one hand expresses the director's attitude and views, on the other hand, it does reflect the social problems at that time, the auspiciousness of the workers, and the conscience of the capitalists. The self-esteemed inventor's sinister reflection on reality, although it has a tendency to stigmatize people, also shows some problems in general, and the ending of the two Marias is also a hope for the re-stabilization of the world order.
Of course, some religious metaphors and mappings related to the very strong religious meaning in the film are not within the scope of my discussion, so I will not describe them here. But if you are interested, you can also pay attention.
View more about Metropolis reviews
