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Metropolis: Metropolis Is A 1920 German Expressionism Science Fiction Film, Directed by Fritz

Metropolis is a 1927 German expressionist film that depicts a dystopian futuristic city divided between the wealthy elite and poor working class. The story follows Freder, the son of the city's powerful leader, who discovers the poor living and working conditions underground. He seeks to help the workers and improve their lives, but his father creates a robot to undermine the worker's leader, Maria, and spark chaos. Many modern dystopian works like The Hunger Games trilogy draw inspiration from Metropolis' depiction of a divided society and its themes of social inequality and class conflict.

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194 views

Metropolis: Metropolis Is A 1920 German Expressionism Science Fiction Film, Directed by Fritz

Metropolis is a 1927 German expressionist film that depicts a dystopian futuristic city divided between the wealthy elite and poor working class. The story follows Freder, the son of the city's powerful leader, who discovers the poor living and working conditions underground. He seeks to help the workers and improve their lives, but his father creates a robot to undermine the worker's leader, Maria, and spark chaos. Many modern dystopian works like The Hunger Games trilogy draw inspiration from Metropolis' depiction of a divided society and its themes of social inequality and class conflict.

Uploaded by

Ksavera Jurkute
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Metropolis

Fig 0. Theatrical release poster (2016)

Metropolis is a 1920 German expressionism science fiction film, directed by Fritz


Long and written by Thea von Harbou.
The story takes in a futuristic city of Metropolis where the powerful and poor
live in two different worlds. One these people is Freder Fredersen the son of the
founder of Metropolis. One day he spots a beautiful women and a group of
children, with disappear just quickly as they had appeared. He follows her to the
find an underground world that horrifies him due to condition the people
working there. Running the machines keeping the utopia above alive, he soon
learns that her name is Maria. Who says the they need to join the hands that are
the workers, to the head the people that are living above. By a mediator who is
the heart.
Freder wants to help the workers and improve their living conditions, but when
John learns of what Maria is advocating and his son has joined the cause. Using
the help of his old colleague Rotwang to create a robot Maria with would stop
the uprising by giving a bad reputation to Maria. John is not aware that Rotwang
has his own agenda. Planning to both shutting down the machines and creating
anarchy both below and underground.
What seem to stand out is similarities between a dystopia settings that appears
in the current media like Hunger Games trilogy written by Suzanne Collins.

Fig 2. The The


Capitol, (2015)

Fig 1. The City of the Future, (2015)

The Hunger Games shows many similarities to Metropolis, the divide between
rich and the poor living in a futuristic utopia setting. The city of Capitol with has
many skyscrapers and living wealthy wearing unusual outfits with show there
wealth.
’’Futuristic city divided into a working and an elite class. It’s exhilarating climax
brings the city to its knees, as the classes clash against each other. In the 21st
century, a de-humanized proletariat labours non-stop in a miserable
subterranean city beneath a luxurious city of mile-high skyscrapers’’ [unknown],
2015)
This describes The Hunger Games both its setting and how the story ends with
is similar to Metropolis. Only changing the perspective of the protagonist,
instead of being rich and wealthy like Freder Fredersen. It start with Katniss
Everdeen struggling to survive in a poor district. Telling more of a underdog story
The draw to dystopian settings and stories, is the commentary of the current
society at that time. Or a form of wish fulfilment where the audience can
become a hero of a twisted world where normal rules of reality do not apply.
There are many conflicting opinions on why dystopia is popular with young
adults. One theory is that it’s because of new found responsibilities and the
restriction of freedom. Pressures from their peers, dystopia protagonist is
normally a teenager or young adult. Like Katniss Everdeen or Beatrice Tris Prior
from Divergent. Another theory suggests that it serves a form of escapism or
selling a dream of being of able to stand up to the system and change it.
But the dystopia setting is not new by looking at older works
- Madeleine L'Engle- A Wrinkle in Time (1962)
- William Sleator- House of Stairs (1974)
-Lois Lowry- The Giver (1993)
The origin of the word Dystopia and Utopia came from Sir Thomas (1748-1535)
the books were written in Latin, and later translated into English.
‘’The first known use of the term dystopia appeared in a speech before the
British Parliament by Greg Webber
and John Stuart Mill in 1868. In that speech, Mill said,
"It is, perhaps, too complimentary to call them Utopians, they ought rather to
be called dys-topians, or caco-topians’’
4 October 2017 newworldencyclopedia
The term has another meaning in Greek ‘‘Utopia is a pun, designed to put us in
mind of the Greek u-topos (‘no place’) and eu-topos (‘good place’).
Utopias, More appears to be saying, are too good to be true’’ interesting
literature April 11, 2016
With fit the theme of a dystopia a society that looks like a utopia but it’s a fool
heaven. Rule by strict cooperate, technological, moral, totalitarian control with
shows the possible outcomes of the current year or century.

Conclusion
The dystopia genre is used as a form a commentary or to show what could
happen if people continue there ways of living. Or as wish of fulfilment where
someone ordinary can achieve extraordinary things, like changing the whole
society. Many of the current movies have their roots from Metropolis , using
similar setting of dystopian society and creating an uprising to change it.

Fig 3. Dystopia, [Unknown], [Concept Art],


AT:https://medium.com/@gianpaolo.barozzi/moving-beyond-the-utopia-
dystopia-dichotomy-cba1b18d6047
(Accessed: 27/09/18)
Fig 0. Theatrical release poster(2016)[Poster]
AT: https://www.pooky.com/inspiration/light-and-shade/industrial
-meets-art-deco-how-metropolis-helped-design-the-future , (Accessed:
28/09/18)
Fig 2. The The Capitol, (2015),[Web Image] ,
AT: https://architales.wordpress.com/2015/02/22/the-architecture-of-the-
capitol-from-the-hunger-games/.
(Accessed: 27/09/18)
Fig 1. The City of the Future, (2010), [Concept Art],
AT:https://voxeurop.eu/ro/content/article/161601-ce-europa-2034,
(Accessed: 27/09/18)

Bibliography
Krieger, J. (2015), Characteristics of Dystopian Fiction, AT:
https://www.slideshare.net/LeonieKrieger/characteristics-of-dystopian-fiction
(Accessed 26 September 2018)
Moira,Y.(2011) Why is dystopia so appealing to young adults?, AT:
https://www.theguardian.com/books/2011/oct/23/dystopian-fiction
(Accessed 26 September 2018)
[Unknown](2018)Dystopia, AT:
https://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Main/Dystopia (Accessed 26
September 2018)
[Unknown] [Unknown] Dystopai, AT:
http://allthetropes.wikia.com/wiki/Dystopia (Accessed 26 September 2018)
Interestingliterature[Unknown] The Curious Origin of the Word ‘Dystopia’ , AT:
https://interestingliterature.com/2016/04/11/the-curious-origin-of-the-word-
dystopia/ (Accessed 26 September 2018)
NewWorldEncyclopedia[Unknown] Dystopai, AT:
http://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Dystopia (Accessed 26
September 2018)

[Unknown] [Unknown] Historical Events in 1927, AT:


https://www.onthisday.com/events/date/1927 (Accessed 26 September 2018)
Lee,P.(2010)Metropolis , AT:
https://www.britannica.com/topic/Metropolis-film-1927 (Accessed 26
September 2018)

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