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Metropolis;
The screenplay of the silent film, Metropolis, directed by Fritz Lang. Set in the year 2000, the citizens of the Underground City rebel against their automata status only to be soothed by the beautifully persuasive Maria whose image is reproduced in the form of an evil robot.
131 pages, Hardcover
First published November 1, 1970
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About the author
Fritz Lang
104 books27 followersFriedrich Christian Anton "Fritz" Lang was an Austrian-German-American film director, screenwriter and occasional film producer. One of the best known émigrés from Germany's school of Expressionism, he was dubbed the "Master of Darkness" by the BFI.[3] His most famous films are the groundbreaking Metropolis (the world's most expensive silent film at the time of its release) and M, made before he moved to the United States.
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
July 5, 2017
Many silent films, although quite old, are still very enjoyable. Many critics consider the 1927 German anti-authoritarian expressionistic science fiction drama, directed by Fritz Lang, the best and most innovated film, whose ideas were copied in many subsequent even modern films. The film critic Roger Ebert wrote “Few films have ever been more visually exhilarating,”
Metropolis is a somewhat eerie, but arresting and thought-provoking film about a future society comprised of two classes, pampered elites living in luxuriate pleasure-filled surroundings, and an overworked workers class submersed in squalor. The country is ruled by a ruthless man devoid of feelings for the multitude of overtired workers, their wives and children.
His son, Freder, sees a beautiful woman, Maria, who brought children of workers from the catacombs where they live to see the elite. Before she and the children can be chased away, Freder is captivated by her beauty. He goes below to see her, is traumatized by the degradation of the workers, and decides to help them.
Maria has not only enchanted Freder, but the entire worker population. She prophesizes that a mediator will soon arise who will bring the classes together.
Meanwhile, Freder’s father approaches the mad scientist, the genius Rotwang, and orders him to create a robot that looks like Maria. He should use to replace Maria and lead the workers to do what he wants them to do and forget about the coming mediator.
The film is enthralling and can be understood as an allegory. It is filled with biblical images that add depth and meaning. Maria reminds viewers of the biblical prophets when she speaks about the mediator who can be understood as a messiah who will solve problems. She compares the current society to the Tower of Babel where people speak the same language but do not understand each other. The worker’s world is flooded in the film, as the world was flooded during the time of Noah. The Maria-robot who preaches to the people is reminiscent of the scriptural false prophets, and can be understood as true religion being usurped by evil or misguided people. Freder’s father kills some bad workers by forcing them into the mouth of a huge face called Moloch, which is mentioned in the Bible as an idol.
The director Fritz Lang was shocked when in 1934 the Nazi Joseph Goebbels called him into his office and told him that Adolf Hitler enjoyed the film so much that he was offered the position as the head of the German film studio UFA and he could be made an honorary Aryan even though his mother was Jewish before she converted to Catholicism. Goebbels said, “Herr Lang, we decide who is Jewish and who is not.” Lang ran from Germany that very night.
(There are many versions of Metropolis. One should look at the complete 2 1/2 complete version.)
Metropolis is a somewhat eerie, but arresting and thought-provoking film about a future society comprised of two classes, pampered elites living in luxuriate pleasure-filled surroundings, and an overworked workers class submersed in squalor. The country is ruled by a ruthless man devoid of feelings for the multitude of overtired workers, their wives and children.
His son, Freder, sees a beautiful woman, Maria, who brought children of workers from the catacombs where they live to see the elite. Before she and the children can be chased away, Freder is captivated by her beauty. He goes below to see her, is traumatized by the degradation of the workers, and decides to help them.
Maria has not only enchanted Freder, but the entire worker population. She prophesizes that a mediator will soon arise who will bring the classes together.
Meanwhile, Freder’s father approaches the mad scientist, the genius Rotwang, and orders him to create a robot that looks like Maria. He should use to replace Maria and lead the workers to do what he wants them to do and forget about the coming mediator.
The film is enthralling and can be understood as an allegory. It is filled with biblical images that add depth and meaning. Maria reminds viewers of the biblical prophets when she speaks about the mediator who can be understood as a messiah who will solve problems. She compares the current society to the Tower of Babel where people speak the same language but do not understand each other. The worker’s world is flooded in the film, as the world was flooded during the time of Noah. The Maria-robot who preaches to the people is reminiscent of the scriptural false prophets, and can be understood as true religion being usurped by evil or misguided people. Freder’s father kills some bad workers by forcing them into the mouth of a huge face called Moloch, which is mentioned in the Bible as an idol.
The director Fritz Lang was shocked when in 1934 the Nazi Joseph Goebbels called him into his office and told him that Adolf Hitler enjoyed the film so much that he was offered the position as the head of the German film studio UFA and he could be made an honorary Aryan even though his mother was Jewish before she converted to Catholicism. Goebbels said, “Herr Lang, we decide who is Jewish and who is not.” Lang ran from Germany that very night.
(There are many versions of Metropolis. One should look at the complete 2 1/2 complete version.)
October 6, 2023
It's worth it for the still pictures alone.
The Classic Film Scripts series or screenplay series is necessary for any serious videophile. These books separate the video into its essential constituencies and allow one to understand what the subliminal shots should portray. Even the background sounds are described.
Contents
A note on this edition
Metropolis: the film and the book by Paul M. Jensen
Industrialism and totalitarianism, by Siegfried Kracauer
Credits and cast
"Metropolis"
The section on Film and book gives some insight into the UFA studios and their way of thinking.
Siegfried Kracauer also authored the book "From Caligari to Hitler" see my review (ISBN: 0691025053) "A Psychological History of the German Film, December 17, 2001."
More than just a reference you will become intrigued as you are reading. This book is worth it for the still pictures alone.
The Classic Film Scripts series or screenplay series is necessary for any serious videophile. These books separate the video into its essential constituencies and allow one to understand what the subliminal shots should portray. Even the background sounds are described.
Contents
A note on this edition
Metropolis: the film and the book by Paul M. Jensen
Industrialism and totalitarianism, by Siegfried Kracauer
Credits and cast
"Metropolis"
The section on Film and book gives some insight into the UFA studios and their way of thinking.
Siegfried Kracauer also authored the book "From Caligari to Hitler" see my review (ISBN: 0691025053) "A Psychological History of the German Film, December 17, 2001."
More than just a reference you will become intrigued as you are reading. This book is worth it for the still pictures alone.
March 12, 2014
I recently re-read this curiosity which I apparently purchased sometime after 1989 (that's the date of edition that I have; the book was 1st published in 1973.)
Evaluated today, it seems like a hopeless hodgepodge what with text alternately taken from the abridged Channing Pollock Metropolis' inter-titles and selected portions of Thea von Harbou's novel then coupled together with reverse-engineered shooting instructions (e.g. "Seen in reverse shot, Joseph stares at Fredersen, lost for words. Fredersen faces camera.")
Even back then (late 80s, early 90s for me), I found this strange book perplexing. For instance, who does one take as the author? The cover lists Fritz Lang (contributor to the screenplay) with only interior sideways mention of von Harbou (main screenplay writer, writer of the novel); and, whomever crafted the bowdlerized English title cards gets no credit (certainly that person deserves co-author mention). As for the compiler of all of the material (another candidate for co-author, no?), that's a complete mystery. Was it possibly Paul M. Jansen or Siegfried Kracauer who wrote introductory pieces? Who knows?
I suppose that in the 70s - with any version of the film itself difficult to view - that this effort would have been a little more worthwhile. But what worth it once had is completely dissipated by time.
The novel translated to English is readily available (and, in fact, always was with a little digging). The complete film is all but restored. My feeling is that these facts render this take on "Metropolis" now nothing but an obsolete oddity.
Evaluated today, it seems like a hopeless hodgepodge what with text alternately taken from the abridged Channing Pollock Metropolis' inter-titles and selected portions of Thea von Harbou's novel then coupled together with reverse-engineered shooting instructions (e.g. "Seen in reverse shot, Joseph stares at Fredersen, lost for words. Fredersen faces camera.")
Even back then (late 80s, early 90s for me), I found this strange book perplexing. For instance, who does one take as the author? The cover lists Fritz Lang (contributor to the screenplay) with only interior sideways mention of von Harbou (main screenplay writer, writer of the novel); and, whomever crafted the bowdlerized English title cards gets no credit (certainly that person deserves co-author mention). As for the compiler of all of the material (another candidate for co-author, no?), that's a complete mystery. Was it possibly Paul M. Jansen or Siegfried Kracauer who wrote introductory pieces? Who knows?
I suppose that in the 70s - with any version of the film itself difficult to view - that this effort would have been a little more worthwhile. But what worth it once had is completely dissipated by time.
The novel translated to English is readily available (and, in fact, always was with a little digging). The complete film is all but restored. My feeling is that these facts render this take on "Metropolis" now nothing but an obsolete oddity.
September 22, 2022
High on spectacle, low on substance, which is why Hitler liked the film so much.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews