Monday, September 9, 2013

Metropolis Restored

Metropolis Restored is a very interesting film in regards to where it was made (Germany), when (1927), and that it has been found after thought to be destroyed for years and restored for present day viewers to learn from.  I was required to watch the film a few years ago for Core Humanities 202, knowing that it was a silent film the first half I watched in complete silence, I had never watched a silent film before and being ignorant in that sense I didn't even expect there to be music.  Once I realized this, I had to re watch it with the sound up.  The music is there to add emphasis to scenes and characters, without the music, it made the characters and scenes harder to understand.  Sound aside, the character presentation is very important, all of the workers are wearing dark dirty clothes that don't seem to fit them very well, while the city people all wear different clothes most being of lighter color, with the exceptions of suits worn by men and Rotwangs doctorish outfit.  The actors are very dramatic with their acting style as well as with their make up, this all adds to the silent film themes.  Without direct verbal dialogue the actors use their bodies to communicate, something I find very interesting to compare to "hearing" films.  (It also leaves room to make dub overs with your own dialogue.)

The plot of the movie sets the viewer in futuristic Metropolis, a utopian city ran by Joh Frederson, the founder and brains behind the city.  Joh and his son Freder along with the people of Metropolis live carefree lives in the upper portion of the city, with very few people knowing about the workers city below.  Freder is not among the people who know of the workers city or that because there is a worker city their city can function.  Freder is off in the garden chasing girls when he sees Maria with a group of dirty looking children, Maria keeps telling the children "these are your brothers", which humanizes the working class people in the film for Freder.  He had never seen this woman and so of course falls head over heels and chases after her to the workers city, once there he sees the horrors that the workers are forced to live in.  The workers feed the machines with their health basically, (that direct reference is described later on in the film).  Maria's character serves as the female love interest but also as the hope for the workers in the workers city.  She visits them and tells them biblical stories referencing the workers situation and promising that a mediator will come to help them someday.  The workers grow impatient but remain hopeful.  Joh discovers the worker's plans for rising up for their equality and asks Rotwang for advice and help,  however Rotwang does what he wants while making Joh think he is only in it for Joh.  Rotwang knows Freder is in love with Maria and that she plays a vital role with the decisions of the workers, he also knows that Freder is all that Joh has in his life, while Rotwang hates Joh he can ultimately destroy everybody and take the girl from both of them (Freder's mother Hel and Maria, different women in actuality but Maria in the end represents both to Rotwang).  Rotwang creates a machine-man and steals Maria's image for the robot to live inside of in order to control the decisions of the workers uprising.  Evil Maria basically brainwashes the upper level city people with sin after she does her evil seven sin dance for them.  The men start killing each other over their greed for the way sinning makes them feel.  The evil Maria tells the workers to destroy the machines because the city above with not be able to function without the machines, however neither will the workers city because it will be flooded, a little piece of information with held from the workers.  Blinded by their excitement of the uprising the workers flee to the heart machine to destroy it.  Grot is the worker man who is left in charge of the heart machine, he tries to warn all of the workers to stop because their city will be flooded, but those workers are drunk with uprising and hear none of what Grot has to say.  They destroy it, leading to the flooding of their city and near death experiences to all of their kids that were left behind in the events of the uprising.  Freder, real Maria and Freders butler pal rescue all the kids because they know what is going on actually.  There are numerous fighting scenes between Rotwang and Freder as well as Rotwang and Joh and poor Maria is caught in the middle always.  The workers believe their kids are dead and blame evil Maria, which they drag to a stake and set her aflame.  Once she burns down a bit they all see she was a robot and that they were all fooled!  The real Maria is still alive and tells Freder to be the mediator/heart between the head, Joh Frederson, and the hands, the workers.  Freder unites them and all is well.

This film is so jam packed with references and symbols because its a silent film but also because the plot depends on it.  The plot illustrates classism and inequalities found in past as well as in the present.  Without the workers the upper level city does not exist, without a base there is not top.  It represents the impacts of classism in various types.  The way the film was directed and produced really shows what technology was like in the late 1920's.  The sets and characters are all done really well, the special effects, such as the heart machine scene where there are people being flung all over,  were really impressive to me.  The attention paid to details where it is most needed is very important in silent films.  I must say my favorite part of the movie is when evil Maria does her dance for the upper level men at a gathering, the way that she represents all seven sins and takes control over the men is such a powerful scene but is also just plain amusing and iconic.  The picture I chose above is evil Maria in the dancing scene.      

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