Metropolis reminds me, very much, of H.G. Well's novel The Time Machine; with the wealthy, elite, and lavish (Eloi) living above ground enjoying the fruits of the labor provided by the poor, down-trodden, and over worked (Morlocks) living below ground.
Being a silent film, not including the score, it's great to see how the actors deliver their messages to the audience without talking, or what the director wants you to gather. During the shift change scene in the beginning of the movie you can distinctly tell which workers are just coming onto their 10 hour shift and which ones are leaving, by the difference in their speed. The fresh workers are moving swiftly past their lumbering counterparts.
The physical identifiers between Maria and Robot Maria are great. Maria is fresh faced, soft movements and appears very delicate - almost angelic. Robot Maria has heavy makeup, rigid and almost grotesque movements, and tends to be more devilish in character.
The big steam explosion on the machine floor where Freder witnesses the death of the workers, and how quickly they are replaced, shows the audience that a workers life is nothing. There are others waiting in the wings to replace them. The value of a worker's life is also shown when Joh demands the workers be left alone to damage the Heart Machine, knowing that the worker's city will be flooded and that their children will be killed. The lives of worker children are equal to their parents, nothing, and can be used to teach their parents a lesson about trying to step out of their social standing. It can also be taken in a different direction, where it is the children who must suffer for the actions of their elders
Interesting movie that reminds of Frankenstein and the camera positions prompts viewers to experience the story.
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