The movie metropolis by Fritz Lang is a story of a city grappling with the introduction of machines to replace the work done by man. The city is divided into two regions comprised of a group of educated people controlling another group of slaves living in the subterranean region.
The role of the slaves living in the subterranean region is to work in power stations to ensure that their masters and other people in authority live comfortable lives. For instance, the metropolis ruler has the privilege of enjoying immense beauty. One day, an invasion takes place when several waifs are brought into the sanctuary by Maria (Minden 258).They are immediately driven away as Freder decides to go after Maria in the darkness.
Due to the darkness, he cannot trace her and finds himself in the factory looking at the workers. While watching the workers, a section of the factory collapses leading to an industrial accident. The movie basically criticizes masters who are never concerned about the risks that their workers are exposed to. The suffering of the workers means nothing to them.
I find this movie realistic since the ruler’s attitude towards the workers is characteristic of many masters who mistreat their workers. Even when other people intervene to assist them, their efforts bear no fruits.
For instance, Freder tries to confront his father regarding the suffering of the workers but his father tells him that he should ignore the matter. The movie explores the relationship between sexuality and technology which is an important issue. Maria is the character who brings out this relationship well by playing various roles in the movie.
She encourages the workers to maintain peace, takes care of their children and shows love to Feder. On the other hand, the robot that Rotwang creates performs few roles as compared to the roles performed by Maria. The creation of this robot leaves many unanswered questions. For instance, one might want to know why Rotwang creates a female robot instead of a male one. The most probable answer which is the message being passed by Fritz is that men are afraid of women at the workplace and that is why Rotwang creates a female robot.
The movie Metropolis can be compared with another movie entitled ‘Inception’ which was released in 2010. Both movies exhibit some common relationships in that they portray the relationship between a father and a son. Inception presents a plan that relies on the capability of the manipulator to convince Fischer to ask questions regarding his relationship with the dead father.
Similarly, in Metropolis, Freder is constantly concerned about his son and his safety. In both movies, the issue of love is also addressed. Inception presents a sad love story of Cobb as he remembers his dead wife while in Metropolis, Freder is motivated by love to look for Maria after falling in love with her the first day they met.
Despite the fact that the available versions of Metropolis are different from the original film, specific moments in the movie remain unchangeable. One of the moments that remain intact is the hallucination of Freder following the terrifying blast. The machine is transformed into a shrine as he watches and demands human beings as sacrifice.
Initially, the workers march together after staging a revolt and remain united before they start being violent. This issue is closed in the end when the workers move step by step with more information and it serves to keep the memory of the incident. The effect is that while the movie requires one to think a lot, one does not necessarily need to be an expert in film to enjoy it.
Works Cited
Minden, Michael. Fritz Lang’s Metropolis: Cinematic Visions of Technology and Fear. New York: Camden House, 2002.Print