Isn't it interesting to see this illustration of the struggle between the working class and the elites? We think of the 'one percent' being a current issue created through our contemporary global banking and wealth management systems, but the fact of the matter is that this schism has always existed. I wonder what the filmmaker's intent was- is this a cautionary tale, or a fable with easily identified good and evil characters? The film was made just one short decade after the advent of communism in Russia, so I wonder if the religious undertones are speaking to that as well. While these are great themes to explore, I can't help but think of what happened next in Germany and do find the depictions of the labor class especially disturbing when framed against the holocaust; particularly the scene with the workers being marched to their burning deaths. Overall, I think Lang depicts the dissatisfaction of the German people at the time quite well; the prophetic nature of the film speaks to us in hindsight; I wonder if it was received that way at the time, or simply viewed as a futuristic fantasy.
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