Metropolis (1927)

Director: Fritz Lang
Starring: Brigitte Helm, Alfred Abel, Gustav Fröhlich

Synopsis:
In a city where heartless industrialism breeds simmering class warfare, the son of the city's leader falls for girl regarded as a prophetess of the working class, but while she preaches peace, she is replaced by an experimental automaton who fans the flames of conflict.

Impressions:
This is a major entry in the history of science fiction, of special effects and of cinema at large. You can scarcely call yourself a true aficionado of any of these without having seen it. I'll admit that the story isn't the greatest (even director Fritz Lang himself would later say that the film's message was too naive), but it's interesting enough. I didn't think I was going to get into it at all until Moloch showed up. (You'll see what I mean.) The characters are interesting enough, though I found Gustav Fröhlich a little too prone to overact as protagonist Freder, which I guess was seen as a necessary evil in silent films. Alfred Abel was much more reserved as Joh Fredersen and I thought it was a better performance. The real star is Brigitte Helm, who was a real treat to watch, showing considerable range as both the saintly Maria and her robot doppelganger. (Evil Maria is a really fun character and easily the best part of the movie.) I also liked Rudolf Klein-Rogge as the mad scientist Rotwang and Fritz Rasp as Joh Fredersen's muscle known only as the Thin Man (I like to translate "Der Schmale" as "the Slender Man" just for funsies). The special effects were ahead of their time and in many ways still impress today.

When it comes to the different versions of the film, I've seen several of them. I'd say the version with salvaged lost footage is about the best and most complete you can get. While it got Razzie noms, if you want to see an 1920s film with a cheesy 80s soundtrack, look up the Moroder version. It's dissonant but kinda fun. I also came across a version that overlays an audiobook reading, but I didn't enjoy that one as much. Even if all you can get is the chopped up US theatrical release, I'd say you should still watch it. If you can find a decent print of it (there are some bad ones out there), it warrants a place in your collection.

Rating:
Own It