Fritz Lang's "Metropolis" shatters the stereotype that special effects aren't an important characteristic of the silent movie genre.
With abundant bird's-eye views of a futuristic mega-city and an elaborate network of criss-crossing transportation weaving its way through the skyscrapers, Lang proves that he was decades ahead of his time. "Metropolis" became the archetype for the familiar science fiction universe and has influenced countless films, including "Blade Runner" and "Dark City."
Lang refuses to limit his scope to the effects, imbuing "Metropolis" with a theme that remains a cornerstone in human existence: There can be no understanding between the body and the brain unless the heart acts as mediator. Jon Fredersen (Alfred Abel) runs the metropolis in his palace high above the city streets. His son, Freder (Gustav Fröhlich), adventures into the city's underworld and finds the proletariat slaves who work giant dials every day to run the city. Distraught by his discovery, Freder desperately seeks help to free the slaves from the demented genius Rotwang (Rudolph Klein-Rogge), who in turn releases Futura, a robot played by Brigitte Helm, to thwart Freder.
To impose his dominance and control over the proletariat, Rotwang's robot takes on the characteristics of Maria (also Helm), Freder's fellow insurgent who rallies the slaves to revolution. Rotwang hopes to kidnap Maria and fool the slaves into following Futura so that he will have total control over them. Freder and Maria, though, foil Rotwang's plans and bring together Freder's father and the slaves, forming a friendship.
The intervention of the heart into the brain remains one of the boldest themes presented by a silent-era film, and "Metropolis" was criticized heavily at its release by such luminaries as H.G. Wells (author of "The War of the Worlds" and "The Time Machine"), who felt that the film was maudlin and ridiculous. This sentiment has been retracted vehemently, and audiences now revere the film for its creativity and genius.
Lang is so perfectionistic in presenting the intricate detail of the landscapes and buildings that he makes Stanley Kubrick look like a slob. The shoot took over a year, and the director ironically treated his workers as harshly as the slaves in "Metropolis." While the product remains a quintessential masterpiece of direction, the film by no means represents complete perfection. It showcases some fine acting, particularly by Fröhlich and Helm in her dual role. But Lang paces "Metropolis" lethargically: A 30-minute nap in the middle of the film wouldn't cause the viewer to miss a beat.
The Film Festival will show the restored version, which includes more of Lang's original work cut out by the UFA studio at the time of its release. Color tinting in the restored version probably does not affect the movie experience tremendously, but the addition of a techno score by Giorgio Moroder certainly adds a bit of flair to the presentation. The music perhaps will keep the audience from becoming too droopy-eyed to miss the film's triumphant ending.
(See schedule on page B3 for showtimes.)
Grade: B
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