In his essay on Metropolis, B. Urgosíková states:
In the 1920s Lang was strongly influenced by Expressionist film, particularly its artistic forms. Originally an architect, Lang was a man of unusually sensitive visual perceptions. His films of those years show an expressionistic sense for the plastic and the lighting, which emphasized architectonic lines and conveyed a sense of geometric construction that not only extends to the sets and the depicted milieu but even influenced the positioning of the actors in individual shots.
Choose a theme you see in Metropolis and how Lang expresses this theme through expressionism. Choose a 5 minute scene in the film and ANALYZE it using your chosen theme and how it is expressed. Analyze mise-en-scene (lighting, costume, shot composition, etc.) and cinematography of the scene. In 3 well developed paragraphs, be sure to analyze deeply and DESCRIPTIVELY. I want an image in my mind when I read your response.
One of the biggest themes in Metropolis is the huge difference between the wealthy and the poor. The wealthy, people like Joh Frederson who owns the factory that the poor people work in, are superior to the poor. In the very first scene, the factory workers are shown as shifts are changing. Everything about this scene is depressing. The workers are dressed in all black, the walls are gray and boring, and even the music is depressing. There are two groups facing the gates surrounding the factory. One is headed out of the gates and the other is headed in. Everybody is lined up in neat, organized rows, each wearing the same outfit (a black jumpsuit and a black hat) and when they walk, they are stiff and lifeless. Instead of bending their legs, they just wobble from side to side, very slowly. The entire time they are looking down with depressed looks on their faces. They look like zombies, they are so lifeless. This shows us how hard the lower class has to work just to survive. Their work in the factory is so long and hard, it seems to literally suck the life out of them. The workers all waddle into a gray elevator and slowly descend into the city down underground where they work. The buildings are all identical- just rectangles with small rectangular windows, no details or embellishments to add life to them. Then the music suddenly changes to become more upbeat and a different city is shown. In this city, the buildings are beautiful and more ornate. In this city, a group of people is shown wearing white, joking around and acting happy. These men are shown having a race against each other, smiling and having fun. Everything in this city is happier, from the music to the architecture. Even the lighting is brighter. We know that this is where the wealthy upper class lives and we understand that there is a huge gap between the upper and lower class. Where the lower class is lifeless, the upper class is energetic. The lower class is boring and gray, the upper class is light and more beautiful. The lower class is depressed, the upper class is happy. Even at such an early point in the film, we understand how superior the upper class is to the lower class.
ReplyDeleteA theme that I noticed in Metropolis was the romance between Freder and Maria. In the scene that Freder is in the Eternal Gardens and Maria enters this theme is very prominent.
ReplyDeleteThe scene begins with a caption that basically said that the rich fathers created the eternal gardens for their sons to benefit from. It then cuts to futuristic looking vegetation with many ornately dressed women. All of these women with the goal of spending the day with Freder in mind, this places Freder above the rest. This idea that Freder is better than everyone else is reiterated by his bright white suit, which makes him stand out from the crowd. Then as he leans in for a kiss with the dame of his choice the camera centers around him, again bringing him to the center of our attention. Then Maria appears, the doors swing open to reveal her in a crowd of children. There are multiple cinematic effects that show that she is of importance. The first of these is her surrounding people, she is surrounded by a whole lot of children she stands out like a sore thumb in front of those children. In addition she is wearing a white dress while all of the children that surround her are dressed in grayish black clothes. She is placed at the center of the wide angle shot, this initial shot acts as a sort of establishing shot. Finally she is surrounded by a door frame, this frames her again reiterating her importance. The birds that are waddling around (i believe) are swans, this insinuates towards their love at first sight.
The most prominent theme in Fritz Lang’s 1927 masterpiece, Metropolis is the humongous stratification that has occurred in the film’s meticulously planned world between the rich and the poor. This separation which is actually at the point of segregation is shown in the film’s mise-en-scene and through its cinematography. To start, the Metropolis itself is constructed in two levels, the worker’s city, and the homes of the upper class. The workers live in a city deep below the surface of the earth. All the buildings in this underground city are colorless and all look the same, much as the workers and their costume designs do. In contrast the upper class dwell high above where beauty and is abundant. They live lives of luxury and seem unaware of the worker’s below. Even higher we find the “Club of Sons” a stadium, and area for the sons of the wealthiest to live and grow. The Club itself is shown almost as if in heaven or some sort of magical wonderland and when Freder leaves it he is presented with an entire new world.
ReplyDeleteIn the scene where Freder has just left the Club of sons in search of Maria there is an establishing shot of the machine area. Freder is extremely small in the frame and gazes around in wonder at the giant machines and busty workers. His extremely white and pristine clothes contrast with the gray machines and very dark clothes of the workers. As we cut closer for a long shot of Freder we see exactly how large the pillars of concrete surrounding the machines are. He is very small compared to them showing his and human insignificance. Also in this shot his entire outfit is shown. He wears a white shirt and tie and very large white shorts that appear almost to be child’s trousers. The childish appearance of the clothes he wears are used not only to show his lack of work, or grit, but also his innocence. Freder is not innocent only in that he hasn’t harmed anyone or sinned, but also he may be incapable of evil. This seems apparent because his father does not wear quite the same aparell he sports a grey suit coat instead. Continuing with the scene, Freder looks up and we cut away to his point of view. He has spotted the machines that run the city.
The main machine is colossal in the frame and in literal size. The size of the machine is most likely meant to denote the immense power and importance that the machines, and in turn the workers, have in the lives of those above. The workers themselves move along with the machine at a very mechanical beat and are almost working parts of it. This use of workers, much like the extremely blown out “Shift Change” scene, depict them as important to the machine and shows they are also being enslaved at this point. Next, we see a mechanic manning a huge panel of buttons and switches which no doubt are for the machine. He moves from switch to switch looking anxious and extremely fatigued. As he staggers over to another switch there is a closeup of the thermometer rising towards a point which suggests an explosion. We cut back and a low angle of the limp mechanic is used, showing his inability and weakness in the moment to work the machine properly. He looks and finally notices the rising thermometer and is shocked. Shaking with fear he reaches over and grabs a valve. By showing only his hand reaching towards the valve his desolate and tired state is dramatized and a feeling that he won’t be able to reach the valve is created. Of course, the mechanic’s hand fails to turn the valve and we see the temperature rise ever higher. Next we are cut with the machine with the workers unaware. The use of parallel editing creates suspense as we cut between the thermometer and the machine. It’s back to Freder again as he naively approaches the machine slightly. Back to the machine, the thermometer, which reaches it’s bursting point, and with a rapid cut, we are back to the machine which sends bursts of steam into the workers faces. Freder runs forward a little bit in fear but the camera dollies rapidly in and almost pushes him back. The dolly is meant to express the force of the explosion, he is pushed back against the wall. This simple camera movement is used to show the explosion in the place of special effects that may have been needed to show Freder being knocked back. The quick editing of shots also creates a more action oriented feel. Workers are thrown off of the machine and we see that Freder has been knocked over from the dolly in blast but that is not his main concern.
ReplyDeleteWith an almost terrified look Freder turns his eyes to the machine. We follow and the top of the machine fades into a monster shaped head. Next, in jagged criss crossing letters Federer yells “MOLOCH!!”. By the terrifying shape of the letters and the look on Freder’s face we can tell this is something to be scared of. The surroundings fade out and the “Moloch” statue is all we see, it appears the workers are now slaves carrying something up the statue’s steps. Freder tries to hide it in fear and awe and next we cut into bald headed slaves all chained to each other being herded. Much like the dark worker’s suits, the nearly naked and fully bald slaves are a conglomerate rather than individuals and have been stripped of individuality and identity. In small groups the herders start throwing the slaves into the large smoky abyss of Moloch’s mouth, which is centered in the frame, and Freder screams with terror as more and more are marched to the summit. Next, the parallel is confirmed as unchained worker’s march their way into the mouth all on their own. The fact that they do this on their own expresses quite dramatically their willingness to follow orders almost to the point of slavery. Finally the image drifts away and Freder is left looking terrified. After this, silhouetted worker’s carrying the bodies of their naive comrades pass across Freder, who is very small and deep in the background. An impression has certainly been left and the shadows tell us precisely what’s on Freder’s mind. To end the scene, we see Freder’s point of view and notice that the giant machine is back in order, and that this is just a normal day for the oppressed workers of Metropolis.
ReplyDeleteDue to the expressionism used in the mise-en-scene and cinematography of Metropolis, the theme of class is quite prevalent and very important in the film’s narrative. The dramatic presentation and juxtapositions made between the worker’s and the upper class shows the extreme differences in their lives and their importance in each other's lives. Also, in context of the movie, we realize the stark contrast between Freder’s Club of Sons and the Machine Room. This complete change and polar opposite expression creates empathy in Freder and in turn the viewer and allows the social commentary on class to be highly effective.
Sorry, these are all one post. It was too long to publish as a whole.
ReplyDeleteThroughout Metropolis Lang displays many thought provoking theme, one of the more powerful themes is the war of man vs. machine. Humans can be so blind in their quest for improvement and innovation that we can end up losing what it is that makes us human, we do not control the machine, but instead become a part of it. This struggle between wanting to advance oneself and remaining “human” throughout the process is present through the duration of Metropolis. The workers at the beginning of the film move in such mechanical ways, they movements are sharp, deliberate, and never break pace, much like a machine. While the richer enjoy the progress of technology, the workers have to become slaves to the technology forced to basically become robots so that the machines do not fail and destroy Metropolis (like the meltdown that occurred earlier on in the film.) If half or even more of the population is forced to become slaves to the cogs of “progress” is that truly progress? If a machine fails, then all of that “progress” is destroyed and then man is in the same place it started.
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DeleteThis struggle between the mechanical and the organic is showcased in the scene where Freder goes underground in search of Maria and witnesses the workers at their machines. The scene opens with an establishing shot with Freder and the robotic workers being dwarfed by the massive machines. Even though he is the son of the man who has created Metropolis, he is insignificant when compared to the towering machinery in the shot. The next shot is of Freder looking at a machine, when the camera cuts to the machine it is centered in the frame, breaking the rule of thirds, most likely to convey the sense of mechanicalness. This shot is also filled with workers who are extremely small in the frame with their backs to the camera, they are all moving in unison and all wearing the same dull grey uniform, all of this is to displays how machinery can steal away a person’s individuality, they all look the same with their backs to the camera and being so small in frame it is nearly impossible to pick up on any distinguishable features on any of the workers, while the camera clearly shows the over-sized cogs and pistons of the machine, they are the largest thing in frame. The next several shots are closer shots of the workers still with their backs to the camera, each of these shots are shorter than the long shot of the entire machine and once again, hardly any features can be made out to differentiate one worker from another. The next shot we can actually make out the features of one of the workers, an older man struggling to keep up with the pace of the machine. Unlike the other workers he is moving relatively organic and is struggling because of it. When he falls over, the camera displays him from a high angle looking up at a thermometer, the man has no power over the machine, the machine is holding all the power. The camera then cuts to the thermometer which is centered in the middle of the frame, like the machine before, as it rises. When the machine finally over heats, the camera cuts back to the long shot, but this time steam covers most of the foreground, obscuring the workers from view of the audience, showing how machines can consume us. Freder is launched back and is shot from a slight low angle as he watches in horror as the machine is morphed into Moloch and slaves are sacrificed to him, then the workers walk in a formly manner into his mouth (this is all taking place on the same long shot with Moloch centered.) The set design and costumes of this particular part of the scene conveys that the machines are just like the ancient gods in which people willingly offered sacrifice after sacrifice in hopes that they would not destroy their whole civilization. The workers are worked to death at the machines so that Metropolis will not be destroyed as it relies on the power of the machines. With Freder’s hallucination over, he sees the wounded being moved off the machine as new workers fill in the places of the wounded, same movements, same costumes. The next shot is of Freder watching from the middle ground as the wounded are carried off in the foreground. This shot carries a lot of power as it has the workers dully lit but much bigger in the frame than Freder, this might have been to convey the idea that the benefits of technology, which would be represented by Freder as he is dressed in a white suit and very well lit, is not worth the dangers of succumbing to machines, displayed by the workers and their robotic movements, grey costumes, and being poorly lit (once again making it difficult to define one from the other). Lang believed we elevate growth of technology far more than say the growth of humans in themselves, we are too reliant on machines and thus are basically enslaved to them, forced to work as they do, and if we do not we will be replaced, this is the danger of technology.
DeleteFritz Lang uses biblical imagery, exaggerated through elements of expressionism to portray the extreme gap between social classes.
ReplyDeleteIn the opening scene the workers are shown on their way to work in the depths. The walls of the narrow corridor are light and plain, and the group of workers dressed in dark monotonous uniforms appears larger than it actually is. Because the workers’ city is deep below the paradise above ground, it represents hell. The workers’ blank expressions and bowed heads make them seem as if they are prisoners, or humans who have been sent to hell. The smoke coming from all of the machinery creates the illusion of the heat usually associated with the place. The Club of Sons is an extreme contrast to the first setting. The set is full of exaggeratedly exotic looking fake plants. Everyone except for the servant is wearing all white. the women who are there for Freder’s entertainment are dressed lavishly in white outfits with excessive accessories. Compared to the first scene we have been shown, the Club of Sons appears to be a representation of the Garden of Eden. This analogy is more evident when Freder realizes his ignorance of the outside world.
When Freder first explores the depths, all around him workers are moving their arms at jagged angles in sync with their machines. He is dressed in all white so that he stands out from his surroundings even from an extreme high angled shot in which he is not centered. The camera shows his point of view, looking up at the heart machine which takes up the full frame. The stairs are in the middle of the shot and the rest of the machine is completely symmetrical on both sides. There are a number of close ups of workers at different parts of the machine, as they all do the same monotonous work they move back and forth quickly at sharp angles again. One worker is shown with a horrified expression on his face as the temperature shown on the thermometer of the machine begins to increase. After the liquid in the thermometer goes over the line at the top, the heart machine is shown fully in the frame again as smoke shoots out of it and envelopes the screen. Freder is shown having a dramatic reaction to this, and when the machine is shown again after the smoke clears it has transformed into a statue of a beast Freder calls “Moloch”. Moloch is the god of Canaanites and Phoenicians to whom children were sacrificed in the bible. Freder sees the workers being dragged up the steps and thrown into the mouth of this beast, as if they were the slaves or sacrifices of those who live on the surface.
One of the noticeable recurring themes in Metropolis is Freder’s search for a personal voice to speak out against everything wrong with the social classes in the city. Also, the tension felt between the pursuit of the desired voice and the expected voice. This is shown by his family and social values. Lang gets this across through expressionism as seen in scenes such as when Freder finds himself in the machine rooms and watches as a massive machine explodes and causes several injuries and deaths. It almost looks at the time as though Freder is having some sort of nightmare provoked by guilt of his advantages in life over the workers but he is really witnessing the collapse of the main machine in the workers’ city, juxtaposing Freder’s sanity against his guilt and providing the initial spark for his life change. After the explosion, the smoke clears and reveal a large “Moloch” head in place of the machine’s mainframe. Freder watches in horror as injured workers are led into the abyss of the Moloch’s mouth to die. Though the explosion itself was real, the Moloch head is a figment of Freder’s imagination provoked by the shock of the explosion. Deciphering the codes of Freder’s mind is made much easier by this scene because we are given a much clearer idea of how Freder feels about the poverty the workers live in and, as previously said, provides the spark for Freder’s “revolt”. The backdrop and scenery is everything in this scene. Though the overly dramatic corny acting assists greatly, the machine and stairs are what makes the whole scene come together. The moloch’s head added a much needed surprise to the film completely throwing off the viewer from knowledge of what was happening. Also, the costumes were hard to catch at first sight, but after watching many times, I noticed that you only see two outfits throughout the whole scene, the workers’ uniforms, and Freder in his little rich boy jumpsuit. This was a subtle way of Lang establishing that in this point in time, Freder was superior to the workers as he is a rich individual and the workers are all conformed into their own poverty ridden society.
ReplyDeleteOne major theme Lang shows through Metropolis is the difference between industrialization and old ways of life. This can be easily seen in the beginning of the film when Lang shows the audience the splendor of the architecture of the city. Lang begins a sequence of shots throughout the upper portion of the city. Here, Lang uses the expressionist strategy of painting objects on the set. For example, when he shows the city's center, the tower of Babel, only the buildings in front of it are actual models. The tower itself, is drawn on the background which allowed Lang to avoid constructing an actual tower for the filming of this scene. The audience is shown the Tower's importance by both filming the "tower" at a low angle, as well as placing the tower in the center of the screen. The low angle makes the tower appear to dominate all of the other buildings in height and power. By centering the tower, lang implies that the tower is not only the center of shot we see, but also the center of the city itself. So, even though the tower is a painting, Lang is able to make the audience understand that is the most important building in the city and the center of power.
ReplyDeleteThese shots of the beautiful upper portion of the city are juxtaposed with the first images of the worker's district. The upper city had white and gorgeous buildings whereas the worker's district is comprised of dark colored, dilapidated structures. The center of the worker's district is a small, meager structure with ramps placed at jagged angles, which is another example of German expressionism. At the top of this structure is a large alarm bell. This small structure is shown at a high angle and the rest of the buildings in the worker's district tower over it. This is juxtaposed with the tower of Babel. The center of the upper city of Metropolis is a gigantic tower with lots of power, the center of the worker's district is a small, weak structure that seems to hold very little power of its own. This juxtaposition implies the prominent class differences seen throughout the film.