Friday, March 4, 2011

Classic Film Friday: Metropolis

 This is, by all standards, the most vintage movie of classic movies. Since the film is silent, there are other things that catch your attention. The music, the actors emoting process, I find myself trying to read the lip sync of the actors words that appear later on screen. Well that is until you figure out that they are speaking German.


Anyway this is the standard that pretty much every sci-fi movie is held up to. Joh Fredersen is the leader of his futuristic city. But it is a world in which society is divided into two classes: planners and management or rich, who live in luxurious skyscrapers and one of workers or poor, who live and toil underground or better known as the depths. Freder is Joh's son. and he serves as intermediary between the workers and his dad. Maria a preacher that comes up from the worker's city, befriends Freder, and Freder tries to talk to his dad about the workers. But it falls on deaf ears (some people have to learn the hard way).

Jon speaks to Rotwang, a mad scientist, and who happens to have a rivalry with Jon... that is until Jon's wife Hel died. But Rotwang has invented his "Machine Man" or robot. And he is putting on the finishing touches on it when he speaks to Jon. They plot to kidnap Maria, as she has much support from the workers and the robot will take the place of Maria, with nobody knowing except them (Rotwang and Jon). And from there things get really interesting. Rotwang is really looking to kill Freder and Jon, and there is confusion amongst the crowd since they believe the robot to be Maria.  You'll have to watch to get the rest but I promise, if you do take to time to see this flick, you will appreciate it...


1 comment:

Bob G. said...

MH:
I also find this movie ground-breaking on many levels.
Given the era, it was remarkable...and foreboding.

Excellent choice.

Stay safe down there.