METROPOLIS

    Metropolis pleasantly surprised me. I haven't watched a lot of of sci-fi movies, but if all of the movies we will watch in class are similar to Metropolis, I think I will enjoy them. Additionally, I thought I wouldn't like Metropolis because it is a silent movie. Nonetheless, I was very interested to see what would happen next, and I thoroughly enjoyed the soundtrack that was added to it. I don't watch a lot of films or television because I don't honestly have the attention span to finish them. However, I always enjoy thoughtful films. When films have intentional cinematography and themes, it always makes the story much better in my opinion.   

    Metropolis exhibited a lot of these themes which made it a powerful film despite lacking audio in the original. The director did a great job at consistently and thoroughly making biblical references. The references were not only tactful but well placed. The simpler ones throughout the movie made it very cohesive. They presented as motifs, such as light indicating goodness and dark representing evil. Then more direct biblical references were built on top of the vaguer ones, which added to the plot. The Tower of Babel was very prominent in the film. Not only does the tower in the film share the same name, but the characters suffer a similar fate. In the Bible, God creates different languages to prevent mankind from building the tower to the heavens. In Metropolis, Joh Frederson intentionally divides the classes so that they cannot work together to confront him. Additionally, disgusting Hel as Maria is unmistakably a reference to the devil disguising himself as an angel in my opinion. The scientist could have made Hel look like one of the workers or another beautiful woman, but he knew the workers already trusted Maria much like the Devil knows it would be easier to deceive people if he disguises himself as an agent of God. Lastly, the Eternal Garden is the director's twist on the Garden of Eve. It is slightly different, but the idea is similar. Freder is not cast from the Eternal Garden due to sin like Adam and Eve, but he is exposed to a harsh reality like Adam and Eve. In both instances the garden is a peaceful bliss, and leaving the garden introduces a life full of hardship and corruption. I am catholic, so these references jumped out at me because I have grown up hearing these stories on countless occasions, and their use in the film resonates with me. 

    In addition to all the calculated themes and motifs, I believe the film meticulously captured technology and the dilemmas it can cause. Not only do issues in the movie involving technology still happen today, but the film correctly predicted some aspects of life nearly 100 years in the future. Firstly, I believe the skyscrapers in Metropolis are very similar and accurate to skyscrapers today in cities such as NYC. Although NYC and other large cities had skyscrapers during the early 20th century, it was not to the extent of today. However, the movie accurately captures the towering buildings in close proximity, which is the reality of any cities today. Secondly, I think the director would be sad to know that the struggles factory workers faced nearly 100 years ago are still an issue today. Perhaps the lack of human contact during the job prompts them to forget that humans are still operating the the technology, but it is evidently easy for companies and CEOs from several different generations to disregard the well being of their workers if they are operating machinery. Lastly, the mad scientist is eerily similar to many of today's richest entrepreneurs. While his technology is advanced, it is ultimately him who should be regarded with caution. This was evident when it is revealed that Hel was under his control rather than Joh Frederson's. He spent years developing the technology, so he rightfully feels entitled to use it how he wants. However, he had no right to cause destruction and chaos just because he created advanced technology. Many entrepreneurs today, such as Elon Musk and Mark Zuckerburg, were pioneers for incredibly advanced technology, but after creating empires from their technology they have become corrupt and greedy. For creators like Zuckerberg and Jeff Bezos, their technology was so successful it became integral to many Americans' everyday life. This makes it especially easy to exploit Americans for profit. Fritz Lang could not have predicted Facebook or Amazon, but his mad scientist character proves to be a timeless example of passionate intelligence turning into exploitation and selfishness.