German Expressionism In Metropolis

874 Words2 Pages

Fritz Lang's Metropolis details the age old conflict between the blue collared workers and the white collared businessmen. 
 The film centers around the main leader of the metropolis's son, Freder. Freder is blessed with the life of luxury and comfort. Once he encounters and falls in love with a saintly woman whose name is Maria, his life and the lives of those around him are changed forever. Freder is destined to be the "mediator" between the lower class and the upper class. Freder faces many obstacles, the most prominent one being his own father. In the end, Freder completes his goal as the mediator and reunites with his love, Maria.
 Specific techniques of German expressionism, such as dark vs. light, religious themes and spirituality, and the use …show more content…

This conflicts with his whole life as he's only ever really known luxury. Freder's ignorance is further vanquished when he takes the place of a worker. Freder, having both experienced a life of luxury and a life of anguish (light and dark), serves as the perfect mediator between the two. In the end of the film, Freder's clothes are a mix between light and dark which further symbolizes his rightful state as a mediator.
 Spirituality and religion plays a strong role in the workers' lives and Maria serves as their spiritual leader. Maria, who is well aware of the misery, wears light colors and is the workers' tie-in to hope. Maria advocates peace, and although she has a strong influence of the workers, she does not use it for her own purposes. She is a foil to Fredersen. A religious theme prevalent in the film is the idea of the "mediator," and Freder, the mediator, can be viewed as a Christ-like figure. Freder sacrifices his life of luxury and is willing to rebel against his own further to fulfill his rule as the mediator. In this sense Maria is also a prophet. Furthermore, the doppelgänger, or the False Maria, can be seen as the Anti-Christ because she causes the fall of man by turning the workers against the upper

Show More
Related

  • Response to Metropolis

    631 Words  | 2 Pages

    One of the issues that was raised is the idea of the relationship between femininty, technology and sexuality. The relationship between all of these qualities converse in one character, Maria. The real Maria has many roles thoughout the movie, including one who cares for the workers children, a preacher of peace for the workers, and one who loves Freder. The machi...

    Read More

  • Lang And Orwell's Expressionist Film Metropolis

    1059 Words  | 3 Pages

    Freder states that his father has ‘made the machines the gods of this city and made the people slaves to your god-machines’, demonstrating Lang’s belief that if technology is not treated with caution it has the potential to compromise humanity. This can be seen through the symbol of the ‘Molloch’, where the workers are metaphorically fed to machine. Lang uses the Molloch to emphasise the potential for technology to consume the individual, representing the growing tension between idealism and progress towards the ‘Machine Age’ in Germany. Additionally, the sci-fi stereotype Rotwang, symbolically highlights the potential for science to be used for the benefit of the state or alternatively to its detriment. Lang also employs the character Maria as a representation of the necessity of love, a crucial aspect of human spirit. However the robot Maria embodies the diabolical powers of Rotwang’s machines with an archetypal image of femininity to illustrate the end result of man’s attempt to control nature. Lang uses the gothic duality of Maria as a representation of the ambivalent reaction to technology (fear combined with admiration) in 1927 German society. By warning of the perils of unregulated technology, Metropolis affirms ………………… A2Q

    Read More

  • Multifaceted Psyches of Metropolis

    1438 Words  | 3 Pages

    Home to a futuristic society, Metropolis (1927) by Fritz Lang, presents a city in which society has been physically divided to achieve perfection. According to Norden “With its motifs and its portrayal of workers as machinelike automatons (they even move about mechanically), 'Metropolis' unmistakably bears the mark of Futurism” (Norden 109). This society is divided into two classes: the thinkers who are the wealthy rulers of the city, and the workers, who work literally underground to provide for the city. Living in opulence, the audience is introduced to the ruler of the city Johann 'Joh' Fredersen (Alfred Abel) and his son Freder Frederson (Gustav Fröhlich). One day while indulging in his wealth at the Pleasure Garden, Freder catches sight of a beautiful women named Maria (Brigitte Helm). Freder becomes infatuated with Maria and decides to follow her into the underworld where the workers are. Freder quickly discovers that Maria is part of the working class and that she has been calling for unity between the workers and rulers of Metropolis. Enchanted by the cause, Freder attempts to help the workers, however, his father discovers the plan and attempts to sabotage it. To avoid the destruction of the tightly constructed social classes, Joh unites with an old colleague and nemesis, Rotwang (Rudolf Klein-Rogge). Together, Rotwang and Joh imprison the real Maria and they develop a robot version of Maria who encourages the workers to rebel against their ruler. The film ends with a climatic scene where Freder, in attempt to save the real Maria from Rotwang, pushes Rotwang from a cathedral roof where he falls to his death. Freder then returns to the city where he is finally able to unite the workers with the rulers, serving his purpos...

    Read More

  • Twelfth Night

    1112 Words  | 3 Pages

    In addition, Maria plays the role of the lady in waiting who essentially doesn’t do anything for herself except take orders. Later on the reader soon realizes that, Maria is a strong witty character that takes matters in to her own hands. Maria developes a strategy, first she goes for the messed up drunken Sir Toby and her goal is to straighten him out. Maria confronts Sir Toby about his drunkenness, “That quaffing and drinking will undo you: I heard my lady talk of it yesterday” (1.3.128). Sir Toby begins to take notice in Maria. Maria begins to plot with Toby to bring down Malvolio (the condescending butler) as a practical joke. Through the process of plotting against Malvolio with Toby, Maria develops a back bone something she was not known for with Olivia. Maria took the lead in the plotting and Toby starts taking her orders, “Observe him, for the love of mockery, for I know this letter will make a contemplative idiot of him” (2.5.18-19) As a result of the jokes success, Mari...

    Read More

  • The Use of Expressionism in Das Kabinett des Doctor Caligari and Shutter Island

    1657 Words  | 4 Pages

    The link between expressionism and horror quickly became a dominant feature in many films and continues to be prominent in contemporary films mainly due to the German expressionist masterpiece Das Kabinett des Doctor Caligari. Wiene’s 1920 Das Kabinett des Doctor Caligari utilized a distinctive creepiness and the uncanny throughout the film that became one the most distinctive features of externalising inner mental and emotional states of protagonists through various expressionist methods. Its revolutionary and innovative new art was heavily influenced by the German state and its populace in conjunction with their experience of war; Caligari took a clear cue from what was happening in Germany at the time. It was this film that set cinematic conventions that still apply today, heavily influencing the later Hollywood film noir genre as well as the psychological thrillers that has lead several film audiences to engage with a film, its character, its plot and anticipate its outcome, only to question whether the entire movie was a dream, a story of a crazy man, or an elaborate role play. This concept of the familiar and the strange, the reality, the illusion and the dream developed in Das Kabinett des Doctor Caligari, is once again present in Scorsese’s 2010 film Shutter Island. It is laced with influences from different films of the film noir and horror genre, and many themes that are directly linked to Das Kabinett des Doctor Caligari shot 90 years prior.

    Read More

  • Comparing Fritz Lang And Metropolis

    1087 Words  | 3 Pages

    A comparative study of texts and the composer’s contexts demonstrates similar intertextual perspectives of universal issues regardless of the time written. Both Fritz Lang and George Orwell lived in times of wars that were a result of extreme political regimes. Lang specifically created his silent film Metropolis in 1927 in response to German expressionism values including art, architecture and emotion, in post-World War One Germany. Orwell wrote his dystopic 1948 novel Nineteen Eighty-Four (1984) after he was horrified by the control the government had over society in World War Two and Stalin’s communist Russia. Both composers have a similar purpose in forewarning society about the consequences of extreme governments; however their representation

    Read More

  • The Similarities Between German Expressionism And Film

    571 Words  | 2 Pages

    After being ravaged by World War 1, a failing economy, and no strong political power, German Expressionists directors film felt disillusioned with reality and the world around them. As a result they made films that looked warped and distorted and were extremely surreal. The German Expressionism was a expressionistic film style, where the aesthetics were marked by distortions and exaggerations. They presented their films in these dark worlds by using chiaroscuro to reflect their inner feelings. German Expressionists directors illustrate the darker side of human experience like insanity, betrayal, obsession, paranoia, and anxiety. Often, directors would warp and twist the characters, settings and even camera angles to give it that stylize moody feel. A common trend in German Expression was to portray people with high social status and power as villains. This stem from the belief from ...

    Read More

  • Comparing Metropolis And The Time Machine

    449 Words  | 1 Pages

    Metropolis is a silent film written by Thea Von Harbou in 1927, and directed by Fritz Lang. This film was very significant for its time. Although it had very mixed reviews by critics, it pioneered the work of the science fiction genre. The film also gained recognition by political leaders, such as Adolf Hitler, for recognizing the divides between the working class and the aristocracy. The divide between the working class and the aristocracy was the most significant idea I took away from this silent film.

    Read More

  • Revised Paper On German Modernism

    1236 Words  | 3 Pages

    Throughout time, nations have attempted to become independent from one another by discovering means, which would help their citizens experience more fulfilling lives. The dilemma that troubled each of these countries is whether or not innovations, in technology and society, led to a higher quality of life. Modris Eckstein and Marshall Berman examine both, the damages and benefits of modernity. Eckstein looks at individual changes that lead to the overall acceptance of modernity. He examines Germany, and how the lives of every citizen was altered following the revolutionary changes of the first half of the 20th century. Marshall Berman, on the other hand, assesses modernity as an all-encompassing characteristic of certain societies. He analyzes whether or not large-scale changes that societies made, improved the well being of their inhabitants.

    Read More

  • Love in the Time of Cholera

    649 Words  | 2 Pages

    The novel's main character is Florentino Ariza, an obsessive young man who falls madly in love with a young girl named Fermina Daza. After a brief affair in which they see each other only in passing, Florentino gets rejected by Fermina. Florentino literally becomes sick and when his mother, Transito Ariza, finds his son in a pool of vomit, she reminds him that "the weak would never enter the kingdom of love, which is a harsh and ungenerous kingdom, and that women give themselves only to men of resolute spirit." After that time, Florentino dedicates his whole life to one day winning back his true love. But that day comes only after fifty-one years, nine months and four days later, and in the process, Florentino gets plagued by love, as if one gets plagued by cholera.

    Read More

  • Portrayal of Women in the Movie (Film), Metropolis

    510 Words  | 2 Pages

    Women were represented in different ways throughout the movie Metropolis, but the underlying theme was women were seen as purely sexual. Maria was seen as the nurturer in the film, but also as a sexual object. She was the one who preached for peace and harmony down in the catacombs to the workers. Maria was also the nurturing maternal figure that was seen walking into the garden with all of the poor children. The vamp, on the other hand, was portrayed blatantly as a sexual object. This whole movie was seen through the eyes of the male perspective, which usually portrays women as sexual objects, and robs them of any identity. Lang shows Frederson as having fear of femininity which involves women's emotion and nurturing.

    Read More

  • Metropolis

    791 Words  | 2 Pages

    According to Marx and Engels theory of history, “The unceasing improvement of machinery, ever more rapidly developing, makes their [the proletariat’s] livelihood more and more precarious” (CM 229). In Metropolis the machines make the workers lives more precarious, but not because they take the place of the worker, forcing them to seek ever more precarious employment. In human history, the function of a machine has been to automate a task or to make a job easier, but the machines of Metropolis require perpetual attention from the workers and seem to make their jobs harder rather than easier. To many critics, the machines of Metropolis were pointless and only served as a plot device. Lang’s perceived misrepresentation of machinery drew criticism from social progressives for misrepresenting the real issue, what Marx and Engels see as the issue with bourgeoisie society, and that is the exploitation of other human beings (Elasser 43). Conversely, conservatives saw the film as advocating the class-struggle; it seems that every political party had a different view of the film. Despite its seemingly anti-bourgeois-capitalist rhetoric, German communists decried the film’s adage that the mediator between the head and the hands must be the heart. Some found the message to be hypocritical, that Lang would suggest such an idea when the film he created was funded by the sort capitalist exploitation he warned against. In the months following the film’s release, journalist Felix Ziege

    Read More

  • Expressionism In World War One

    1552 Words  | 4 Pages

    World War One was not only classified by the millions of young men who were cut down to pieces by machine guns and artillery shells but was also classified by the monumental range of new sensibilities and aesthetic responses. World War One had a profound affect on the aspects of art and culture and transformed the views of its creators as their artistic intentions were shifted in an attempt to illustrate a world outside of their environment of destruction. Artists such as Ernst Ludwig Kirchner adhered to the art movement known as Expressionism, which provided an outlet for artists to depict their feelings of deprivation in the hope it would lead society into a period of renewal or rebirth. Furthermore, the traumatic events of the war influenced

    Read More

  • Similarities Between Hamlet And Karl Marx

    1254 Words  | 3 Pages

    This portrays that the ideas of Karl Max have been around for a long time and that even though they are hard to accomplish the whole idea, incorporating aspect of it makes it more credible and more real. It represent that there will always be a separation between social classes and that sometime they can become more noticeable, like with Rosencrantz and Guildenstern, and sometimes that can be seen in a micro aspect, like the King and Hamlet. Marxists building up to create a world where there are no social classes, but it also demonstrates the influence of power and wealth in the world and how situations change depending on the social

    Read More

  • Expressionism

    856 Words  | 2 Pages

    The Expressionists What do we mean by Expressionism? Expressionism is when a person or a group of people portray their feelings and emotions over a particular matter in such a way that their message is delivered across the board. Whether this is in the form of singing/dancing, art, acting, debating or by physical methods. We say that they are expressing their feelings. When they are expressing their feelings, you can clearly see the look on one’s face which can explain the way they are feeling and what they are expressing.

    Read More

More about German Expressionism In Metropolis

Open Document