What Makes "Metropolis" Great?

One of the most influential films from the silent era, Metropolis stands as a true marvel even today. Its imagery and style have cemented itself as a staple of the science fiction genre, and the German Expressionism movement following WW1.

The film is set in a future dystopia where the wealthy live high above the ground and the poor live in underground slums. It explores themes such as class separation, religion, and the dangers of industrialization.

One of the film's lasting legacies is its visual style. Even almost 100 years later its imagery remains as striking as it was when it came out, from the Beautiful skyline of the city to the underground homes of the workers that operate the city. The film does not rely on the futuristic look in its design, the film is after all a product of German Expressionism, thus there are several uses of beautiful gothic exteriors throughout the film. One of the best examples is the home of the inventor, a small house completely overgrown by the skyscrapers around it. This iconic scenery means even if you haven't seen the film, you are likely familiar with it. This is due to many films taking inspiration from this. We see it with filmmakers like George Lucas in Star Wars, Ridley Scott in Blade Runner, and Tim Burton in several of his films.

Metropolis also set the stage for many science fiction aspects that are still common today. The film's commentary on the separation between the upper and lower class is still as relevant as today. In this way, the film emphasizes the importance of communication and cooperation between humans, with the opening text reading " The Mediator between brains and hands must be the heart". Without this heart, there is only disconnection and this disconnection between the hands and the brain only stands to destroy the entire city. This concept leads to several uses of religious imagery, with the tallest building in the city being called "The Tower of Babel", a reference from the Book of Genesis, which is fitting given its story that also represents the separation between the designers of the tower and the people that built it. The "Mad Scientist" is something else that the film helped popularize. Rotwang the Inventor has all the characteristics of the archetype, from his look to his lab, and his creation of the film's iconic robot, whose design served as inspiration for C3PO from Star Wars.

It's a gift that we can view the film at all considering how much of the film was lost after its initial premiere in 1927. Through several restoration efforts over the past few decades, we finally have available the film as it was with only a few scenes missing. This wouldn't have been possible if it weren't for the impact it had left on the industry and the filmmakers inspired by it and will continue to be for a long time to come.