Metropolis (Restored Version) (1927)

Directed by Fritz Lang

Starring Gustav Frohlich, Brigette Helm and Alfred Abel

Runtime 153min. - Not Rated

4 Stars (out of 4)

"Metropolis" is part of my collection of "The Greats" and is available on Netflix Instant.

It seems like the movies are getting more realistic every year. First we added sound and color. Now 3D has become a regular occurrence and some films are being shown at 48 frames-per-second. Theaters in Korea are subjecting viewers to the elements in what they are calling 4D. All of these experiences may be enjoyable, but are they really films? "Metropolis" represents a time when cinema was an art that didn't care about appearing real. Sometimes the film is sped up slightly to give the characters less-than-lifelike motions. It's as if we're being given a guided tour of an artist's brain whereas now we're just borrowing their eyes. I think the success of "The Artist" is partly due to it's refreshingly unrealistic approach to movies. It was void of sound and color, but full of magic. "The Artist" has been a first encounter with silent films for many. This review is about what should be their second encounter.



"Metropolis" has been leaving movie-goers in awe for 85 years. The special effects and set design are baffling. How could someone do these things with no computers? "Inception" made my head spin by folding a city in half, but that effect is quaint compared to the grand skyline of "Metropolis". There's a scene where a man makes a phone call on a machine that also has video. Imagine how forward-thinking the writers and filmmakers must have been to dream up video chat at a time when movies were silent.

Watching the restored version reinforced my preference for film over digital recordings. The picture was clear and crisp and the film's amazing machines and cityscapes popped off the screen.The digital media that today's films are stored on may not look as good in 85 years. "Metropolis" has been missing reels for decades. A few years ago a 16mm reduction of those reels was found in an Argentinian museum. The restored version contains that missing footage. Because it's 16mm, the aspect ratio changes in those scenes. Plus, the film is scratched pretty heavily, which shows up even worse on a smaller negative. The inserted footage is noticeable, which doesn't hurt the experience as much as you'd think. Actually, I couldn't imagine the continuity difficulties without those reels.Other reels were damaged beyond repair and text is featured explaining what they contained. Some reels were missing text altogether, they found those words in German censorship records. In summary, the restored version of "Metropolis" is a culmination of many small miracles.

The film's theme feels a little too relevant. Class separation was an issue then and it's an even bigger one now. The gap between the poor and the rich is growing every day. The story of "Metropolis" picks up after class separation has been played out to its logical end. Joh Frederson is the city's founder and resides in the top of its tallest, most famous building which carries an intimidating name; "The Tower of Babel". Deep underneath the streets exists another city. It's buildings are large and numerous, but quaint in design. They look like prisons when compared to the elaborate architecture seen above ground. Its inhabitants are the working poor. They risk their lives to keep the city operational and their children fed.

These machines could be described as "GNDN", though they predate that acronym. "GNDN" was a label that originated on the original "Star Trek" series. You can find it on the tubes they crawl through. It stands for "Goes Nowhere Does Nothing". That's the way I felt as the film explores the city bowels. People are rhythmically and frantically turning dials and pulling levers, but there's no explanation as to their purpose. Another machine has a circle of randomly flashing lights. The circle has pointers, like the hands of a clock, that must be pointed at whatever light is flashing. If anyone fails at their tasks the machines over heat and  steam explosions occur. If all the machines fail, the underground city will flood.

Though Joh Frederson has no empathy for the plight of his working class, his son Freders isn't so stern. He starts off obliviously frolicking with beautiful women in a private garden when he's interrupted. A plainly-dressed woman pollutes his utopia with the faces of young, poor children. She's there to make a statement about the oppression of the working class and Freders take notice, of the statement and the woman. He makes his way to the depths and trades place with a worker who is about to pass out from exhaustion. After his shift he attends a secret meeting where the woman in question vows to seek a mediator between the rich and the poor so that they can avoid a violent uprising. Her name is Maria. Freders is smitten with her immediately.

To this point the story sounds familiar. There are plenty of films that cover labor unions and there sometimes violent consequences. This one throws a curve-ball by introducing a mad scientist named Rotwang. He's built a life-like robot and is subsequently hired by Frederson to give it the appearance of Maria. His plan is to kidnap Maria and replace her with the robot so that he may have influence over the city's basement-dwellers. Instead of using her to quell the civil unrest, he uses "false Maria" to provoke the workers to violence. He does this to justify his own preplanned violent backlash. After it's all over he figures on having even more power.

I'm not cinematically literate enough to put this film in a proper historical perspective. I know that Fritz Lang is considered one of the masters of early cinema. He directed films until 1960 meaning that he was able to survive the transition from silent to talkie. "Metropolis" is widely considered the greatest achievement of his 40 year career. The techniques used in "Metropolis" are still studied today. Like "Citizen Kane", its innovations have become the standards of cinema. Most of my readers and their friends won't even consider watching this film. Yet to consider yourself a student of cinema you must have seen "Metropolis". The imagery is powerful enough to imprint any mind, but many lesser minds won't want to spend 2.5 hours being imprinted. They'd rather spend that time watching "The Avengers" again.